A 47-year-old La Salle man died in a crash early Tuesday afternoon.… MORE
Category Archives: Local News
School bus crash injures, hospitalizes 15 students in Downtown Peoria
More than a dozen students were injured and taken to an area hospital injuries after a two-vehicle collision Wednesday in Downtown Peoria.… MORE
Local firefighters receive grain bin rescue training
Towanda, Gridley, Hudson, and Lexington firefighters gathered at the Towanda Fire Department to receive training from the National Education Center for Agricultural Safety (NECAS).… MORE
McLean County’s Toys for Tots getting an early start on Christmas
By WMBD-TV and Jake Fogal BLOOMINGTON – Toys for Tots of McLean County is introducing a “Santas of Summer Parking Lot Party.” “We’re in the Midwest. What do we do best in the Midwest? Let’s throw a parking lot party,” Coordinator Troy Zeigler said. The organization is hosting a free party this Saturday at Lil…… MORE
Escapetown opens second location in Bloomington
By WMBD-TV BLOOMINGTON – With a location already open in Peoria, another central Illinois city now also gets to have an escape room business. Escapetown opened its Bloomington location this past Thursday, providing residents with a fun and tricky way to spend their time. Groups have a 60-minute time limit to solve the puzzle and unlock…… MORE
Normal Town Council votes to pass new fire station location, expand Rivian property
More jobs and expanded emergency response have been given the go-ahead by Normal Town Council.… MORE
Senior leader at Rivian leaving company for new job at Stellantis
A senior leader at Rivian Automotive is leaving the company to join another car manufacturer.… MORE
Multiple Illinois KFC fast-food locations suddenly shut down, implement mass layoffs
EYM Chicken Operations and its parent company, Yum, shut down multiple Illinois KFC fast-food locations earlier this week, implementing mass layoffs of its employees statewide.… MORE
Two dead after crash in rural Woodford County
Two people are dead after a crash in rural Woodford County this past weekend.… MORE
Farmington Central Elementary School employee charged with soliciting a child
An employee of Farmington Central Elementary School was charged Tuesday after she tried to solicit a child for sex.… 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…