By Jake Fogal NORMAL – Many will have their eyes on the sky Monday to witness a total solar eclipse crossing over North America. Several watch parties are planned around the Twin-Cities, including events being held at Illinois State Universities quad and Heartland Community College’s Challenger Learning Center. A total solar eclipse happens when the…… MORE
Corn growers intend to plant 10.9 million acres in 2024, down 3 percent from 2023. … MORE
A Minnesota man will spend 80 years in prison for shooting and killing a Bloomington man in 2021.… MORE
Central Illinois residents can get a first look at the future of Rivian Automotive this weekend in Uptown Normal.… MORE
By WMBD-TV NORMAL – Rivian announced it’s on track to meet its 2024 production goals on Tuesday. According to Rivian, it produced 13,980 vehicles at its manufacturing facility in Normal in the first quarter. This is in line with Rivian’s goal to produce 57,000 vehicles annually. The Normal facility also delivered 13,588 during the first…… MORE
By WMBD-TV BLOOMINGTON – A local pizza maker raked high in the International Pizza Expo 2024 competition on March 20 in Las Vegas. According to a news release from Pizza Payaa, its owner, Adam Elpayaa, competed against 500 other pizza makers around the world and ranked 9th for Detroit-style pizza and 14th overall for pan pizza. The pizza he made was…… MORE
Bloomington City Manager Tim Gleason has made it official and will be leaving his post to become the next city manger in Decatur.… MORE
Paramedic-level emergency medical care is now available from not just ambulances, but from all front-line fire engines in the Town of Normal. … MORE
Local police want to discover why a large fish kill stretched 20 miles in Livingston County.… MORE
By WMBD-TV BLOOMINGTON – A replica of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier will be featured at the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution convention in Bloomington later this month. Debra Coe, the state’s honorary DAR regent and the head of the Illinois State Office Club, said the public can come to view the…… 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…