By WMBD-TV BLOOMINGTON – Affordable housing is a national issue, and McLean County is no different. The McLean County Housing Coalition updated its report on housing and homelessness in the area for 2024, and the picture that was painted wasn’t pretty. The county has a shortage of about 7,000 housing units, and the homelessness rate is rising. Janet Hood…… MORE
By WMBD-TV BLOOMINGTON – OSF Healthcare reported that it has been having issues with its phone lines for the past several days, but reported late Thursday night that the issue was repaired. According to OSF Healthcare Public Relations and Communications Coordinator Patti Penn, issues with incoming calls were affecting OSF St. Joseph Medical Center in…… MORE
By WMBD-TV BLOOMINGTON – The Illinois State Police arrested one man during an anti-human trafficking operation in the Bloomington area, the agency announced late Thursday. On March 20, the Trafficking Enforcement Bureau of the state police “conducted an operation focused on identifying individuals who compel others into the commercial sex industry through force fraud and coercion,…… MORE
By Jake Fogal BLOOMINGTON – The Bloomington Police Department arrested several impaired drivers during it’s St. Patrick’s Day holiday enforcement campaign. BPD partnered with the Illinois Department of Transportation and other law enforcement agencies across the state for the holiday. The Department announced it made three DUI arrests and issued ten seat belt citations during…… MORE
McLean County Coroner Kathy Yoder has identified the victim of a deadly three-vehicle crash that occurred on Tuesday.… MORE
Peoria Police Chief Eric Echevarria minced no words and held nothing back when he angrily blasted a judge’s decision to release a man from jail after he allegedly pointed a gun at one of his officers… MORE
To help with long-term stability, Bloomington-based State Farm plans to non-renew over 30,000 homeowners in California.… MORE
Saint Patrick’s Day, known as one of the top drinking days of the year, resulted in 178 traffic stops in Normal.… MORE
By WMBD-TV CENTRAL ILLINOIS – Based on lists of registered voters, turnout was significantly down in primary voting across central Illinois for Monday’s primary elections. Only Woodford County showed an increase in number of voters from 2020: 6,847 to 6,109. These numbers are subject to change because of same-day registration, but here are the turnout…… MORE
By WMBD-TV BLOOMINGTON – Voters said yes to a proposal by the Olympia Community Unit School District 16 that sounded like a tax increase but was something that district officials said was not. Voters in McLean, Tazewell and Woodford counties all said yes to the measure that increased the rates for the educational fund and for 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…