Normal Town Council member Stan Nord’s battle with Mayor Chris Koos came to a head Monday night as the council member responded to a letter Koos sent to Bloomington city leaders last month.… MORE
Category Archives: Local News
Bloomington Police probe vandalism at McLean County GOP headquarters
The head of the McLean County Republican Party said Monday evening that security cameras are being installed at party headquarters on Bloomington’s east side to prevent future vandalism.… MORE
BPD: Man, juvenile arrested for armed robbery
A Bloomington man and juvenile have been arrested for an armed robbery that happened last month.… MORE
Davis: Focusing only on guns won’t solve mass shootings
After mass shootings over the weekend in Texas and Ohio, a Central Illinois lawmaker said focusing only on firearms won’t solve the problem.… MORE
UPDATED: Ex-Unit 5 teacher charged with molesting two first-graders
A former first grade teacher at Unit 5’s Glenn Elementary School remained jailed Monday morning for allegedly molesting two students, while Normal Police investigate whether there are other victims.… MORE
Unit 5 teacher charged with Sexual Abuse and Sexual Assault against child
By Blake Haas NORMAL – A first-grade teacher at Glenn Elementary School in Normal is being charged with multiple counts of criminal sexual assault and sexual abuse of a child. In a news release, Normal Police Chief Rick Bleichner said Jonathon W. Hovey, 47, of Forsyth was arrested after a parent contacted Unit 5 staff…… MORE
Two men arrested on weapon charges after reports of an armed suspect
After reports of an armed subject on Friday in Normal, Normal Police Chief Rick Bleichner says two men are being held in the McLean County Jail on weapon charges.… MORE
Murdered Chinese scholar’s remains might be in Danville area landfill
Relatives of murdered University of Illinois scholar Yingying Zhang have been told her body might be in a Vermilion County landfill, according to multiple news media reports.… MORE
Residents ponder the future with or without the State Farm building
The demolition of State Farm’s former Downtown Bloomington headquarters would signal a loss of faith in the city, according to one of the participants in a listening and strategy session conducted Friday evening at City Hall.… MORE
NPD: Two men arrested for stolen guns, cannabis
Normal police arrested two men early Friday after finding stolen guns and drugs.… MORE
Blogs
Labor Day – Expanding voting rights for all
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.” …
Is federal mobilization the answer?
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…
In these troubled times, to my fellow white Americans
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…
Workers’ Memorial Day – Remember those whose job took their life
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…