By WMBD-TV BLOOMINGTON – The rating agency AM Best has downgraded the credit rating of State Farm General Insurance Company on Thursday. According to AM Best, State Farm General Insurance Financial Strength Rating has been downgraded from A (Excellent) to B (Fair). State Farm General Insurance Company is a subsidiary of the larger company which is known…… MORE
By WMBD-TV NORMAL – The Town of Normal announced that it hired a new director of economic development on Friday. According to Normal City Manager Pamela Reece, Nik Duffle of Broken Arrow, Okla., will have his first day as director of economic development on April 15. “We are excited to welcome Nik to the Town…… MORE
By WMBD-TV PEORIA – The warmer than normal winter and early spring are benefiting area farmers by allowing them to prep their fields sooner than normal. And that could mean higher yields later this year for them. “The experiments and the tests that have been done. The yield trials show that if soybeans are planted…… MORE
By WMBD-TV BLOOMINGTON – Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church is sending out thanks for the support following extensive vandalism. The 158-year-old church is now past the assessment phase and is moving towards the rebuilding and restoration phase. The sanctuary, basement area, glass doors, sanctuary, hallways and furniture were all damaged at the West Bloomington church. On…… MORE
A long-time McLean County bakery celebrates its 50th year in operation on Monday.… MORE
An 18-year-old Bloomington man stands accused of two counts of attempted murder after a shooting in early March.… MORE
By WMBD-TV NORMAL – A possible weekslong civil trial that was set next month for the town of Normal to square off against Alan Beaman could be done before it starts. That’s only if the town council votes on Monday night to accept a $5.4 million settlement with Beaman who had a 50-year murder sentence thrown out…… MORE
Multiple staff members and kids were injured after a riot at the Mary Davis Detention Home in Galesburg on Wednesday… MORE
Bloomington’s City Manager plans to head to his old stomping grounds to be the next City Manager of Decatur.… MORE
McLean County’s thriving economy could be home to several more billion-dollar businesses.… 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…