By WMBD-TV EUREKA – The Woodford County Sheriff’s Department will now handle animal control services. This comes after the Woodford County board approved the change last Thursday. They appointed Sheriff Matt Smith to be the Animal Control Warden starting April 4. Chief Deputy Dennis Tipsword said having the animal control services in-house will benefit the…… MORE
By WMBD-TV MACKINAW – Tazewell County Coroner Charles Hanley has identified the man who died in a Monday car vs motorcycle crash near Townline and Boston School Roads in Mackinaw. According to the coroner’s Facebook, 73-year-old Eric Bates of McLean County died of multiple blunt force injuries due to the crash. Bates was the operator…… MORE
On Tuesday, The Baby Fold held a grand opening for its Center of Excellence on Market Street in Bloomington.… MORE
The Miller Park Zoo announced the death of its male red panda, Burma.… MORE
A 48-year-old man from Normal died in a motorcycle crash Monday night in Normal.… MORE
By Jake Fogal and WMBD-TV MCLEAN COUNTY – The Illinois Department of Public Health updated its advisory on what fish caught in Illinois rivers should not be eaten on Tuesday. The advisories are based on routine testing by the Illinois Fish Contaminant Monitoring Program, which started testing for polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as forever chemicals, last fall. Nine…… MORE
By WMBD-TV A Monday evening crash involving a car and motorcycle left one dead. Tazewell County Coroner’s Office Facebook stated that the accident occurred near Greenwood Cemetery around 3:30 p.m. One was pronounced dead at the scene after Tazewell County Sheriff’s officers arrived. The victim was a 73-year-old McLean County man. His name is being withheld pending…… MORE
By WMBD-TV BLOOMINGTON/NORMAL – On Monday, advanced placement students at Normal Community High School launched a balloon to track the movements of the solar eclipse. This is through the high altitude balloon program; just one of many offered through State Farm. Mentors from State Farm held seven sessions for students throughout the school year. Students…… MORE
The Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts will be hosting stand-up comedian and Saturday Night Live alum Pete Davidson.… MORE
A motorcyclist lost control and crashed into a guard rail in Normal on Monday, ending their life.… 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…