By WMBD-TV MCLEAN COUNTY – YouthBuild McLean County has some building going on, all thanks to the Lowe’s Hometowns Program. YouthBuild is a program for low-income youth and adolescents, where the kids are able to build, learn and develop skills for adulthood, and the YouthBuild location in Normal has an open space next to its…… MORE
By WMBD-TV BLOOMINGTON – A man was sentenced to more than 100 years in prison on Monday for the death of Jaleel Johnson in Oct. 2020. According to McLean County Circuit Court records, Malcolm J. Johnson, 31, was sentenced to serve 123 years in prison. That breaks down to 75 years for murder, 45 years…… MORE
By WMBD-TV TAZEWELL COUNTY – One person was injured as a result of a Wednesday morning single-unit rollover crash in Tazewell County. According to a crash report from Genelle Jones, a trooper and public information officer with Illinois State Police, the incident happened just before 9 a.m. Wednesday on Interstate 74 headed westbound near milepost…… MORE
Miller Park Zoo will soon be reopening the Katthoefer Animal Building to the public after being closed for over four years.… MORE
Police are investigating a shots fired incident that happened Tuesday night in north Normal.… MORE
McLean County Animal Control broke ground Tuesday morning on a new building just east of Shirley.… MORE
Tuesday’s update on the Sonya Massey case in Springfield included family attorney Ben Crump announcing that the U.S. Department of Justice is on the case; that the governor and lieutenant governor met with the Massey family; and that, the family alleges, deputies lied about what happened.… MORE
A McLean County Judge sentenced a Riverdale man to over 100 years behind bars Monday afternoon.… MORE
By USDA SPRINGFIELD – There were 4.7 days suitable for fieldwork in the week ending July 21, 2024. Statewide, the average temperature was 72.3 degrees, 4.5 degrees below normal. Precipitation averaged 1.76 inches, 0.83 inches above normal. Topsoil moisture supply was rated 3 percent very short, 13 percent short, 78 percent adequate, and 6 percent…… MORE
By WMBD-TV BLOOMINGTON – Rivian got the go-ahead by the Bloomington City Council for two new buildings on Monday. The Enterprise Zone, where Rivian is located, got approved for expansion unanimously as part of the council’s consent agenda. According to the council itinerary, Rivian plans to expand their manufacturing facility with two 1,200,00 square foot…… MORE
By Mike Matejka Because of COVID, there is no Labor Day Parade this year. It’s always a great event for our everyday workers to march proudly down the street and enjoys the festive crowd. If there had been a parade, this year’s Labor Day theme was to be “150 years of struggle: your right to vote.” …
By Mike Matejka As President Donald Trump threatens to send federal marshals into Chicago, over the objections of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, recall another Illinois Governor who protested the incursion of armed federal personnel into the city. Those federal troops, rather than calming, escalated the situation, leading to deaths and violence. Illinois poet Vachel Lindsay…
By Mike Matejka Our nation is at a unique watershed in human relations. African-Americans have been killed too many times in the past before George Floyd, but the response to this man’s death is international and all-encompassing. I was a grade-schooler during the Civil Rights 1960s. I watched Birmingham demonstrators hosed and the Selma – Montgomery…
Looking around our community, when we say employer, most will respond to State Farm, Country, or Illinois State University. We too often forget those who are building our roads, serving our food, or our public employees. COVID-19 has made us more aware of the risk. Going to work every day for some people means…