By USDA SPRINGFIELD – There were 5.5 days suitable for field work during the week ending September 4, 2022. Statewide, the average temperature was 72.6 degrees, 0.9 degrees above normal. Precipitation averaged 1.36 inches, 0.57 inches above normal. Topsoil moisture supply was rated 9 percent very short, 21 percent short, 66 percent adequate, and 4…… MORE
By Neil Doyle NORMAL – Enrollment numbers for the fall 2022 semester are up at Heartland Community College. According to a news release, there is a two percent increase in the number of Heartland undergraduate students. The largest gains are seen in minority student enrollment which is up 13 percent over fall of 2021 and…… MORE
The Diocese of Peoria is looking to grow their reach, but they may be doing some pruning first.… MORE
Federal Economic Injury Disaster Loans are available to small businesses and other small organizations in McLean County and elsewhere if they sustained economic losses because of drought that began on July 5, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration.… MORE
By WJBC Staff NORMAL – Starting Tuesday, Virginia Avenue between South Linden Street and Hillcrest Street will be closed to traffic. Weather permitting, the road closure is expected to last until late October. Drivers are urged to use caution when traveling through the area. The road closure is required for maintenance to the Camelback Bridge.…… MORE
By Neil Doyle BLOOMINGTON – Bloomington fire crews were called to a home on the east side Saturday morning for a fire inside of a garage. Authorities responded around 9:30 a.m. to 15 Prenzler Drive after neighbors saw smoke coming from the home. Authorities say fire was seen coming from the garage. Most of the…… MORE
By 25 News BLOOMINGTON – The McLean County Coroner has identified the man who was killed in a traffic crash Friday night. 37-year-old John Grisham of Bloomington was pronounced dead just before 10:00 p.m. at a local hospital, according to a news release. An autopsy revealed the cause of death was multiple blunt injuries due to…… MORE
By 25 News BLOOMINGTON – One person is said to be in critical condition after being shot just blocks from Bloomington High School’s Fred Carlton Field where BHS and Normal West High School were playing a varsity football game. Bloomington Police said they heard gunfire about 7:30 p.m. and found a young adult male had…… MORE
By 25 News BLOOMINGTON – High school history teacher and former Pekin City Councilman Cody Hendricks announced Thursday he wants to become an alderman in Bloomington. Cody Hendricks is running for Ward 6 alderman in the 2023 municipal elections. The redrawn Ward 6 covers much of the downtown area and parts of Blooomington’s west side.…… MORE
By Jake Fogal BLOOMINGTON – The first weekend in September is celebrated as Labor Day weekend and Bloomington is planning a parade which will feature WJBC’s Laborer’s of the Year. This year there’s a twist. WJBC’s “Laborer of the Year” is a couple, Greg and Mary Zappa. Greg is retired, a 48-year Laborers Local 362 member,…… 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…