Bloomington Police said investigators have found bullet casings at the scene of a shooting that happened early Saturday morning outside a west side motel.… MORE
Category Archives: Police and Fire
Weekend shooting injures one
By Katherine Murphy BLOOMINGTON– A weekend shooting left a teenager with a non-life threatening injury after he was shot in the leg. A statement from the Bloomington Police Department says BPD responded to the 800 block of Douglas on Saturday to find four juveniles. Witnesses at the scene said a black male approached them…… MORE
BPD rolls out proposal for Axon body cameras
The Bloomington Police Department has rolled out a proposal to the city council Monday night for its officers to wear body cameras that would cost taxpayers about three-quarters of a million dollars over the next five years.… MORE
Local man gets what amounts to life in prison for home invasion, robbery
A man found guilty of terrorizing a Bloomington couple on the city’s south side two years ago will likely serve the rest of his life behind bars.… MORE
Illinois State Police ask drivers to slow down
Illinois State Police say the roads are passable but add drivers need to slow down.… MORE
Rantoul man pleads guilty to drug-induced Bloomington homicide
McLean County prosecutors have agreed to limit the sentence of a Champaign County man to a maximum 14 years in prison for his guilty plea to a drug-induced homicide that happened here in March.… MORE
Ex-local prosecutor leads federal case after Bloomington drug raids
The U.S. Attorney’s office has charged two local men with conspiring to distribute crack cocaine in the Bloomington area, and a former McLean County assistant state’s attorney is leading the government’s case against the pair.… MORE
Normal Council okays land sale for future northeast fire station
Normal Town Council members took the first step Monday night toward relocating a fire station across Veteran’s Parkway to a residential area on Normal’s northeast side, despite objections from some homeowners there.… MORE
Normal eyes some property tax relief amid pension stress
After a big jump in property taxes this year, the Town of Normal is trying to provide some relief despite continuing pressure to fund pension plans for police and firefighters.… MORE
UPDATED: High bond for suspected dealer after Bloomington drug raids
A McLean County judge has set a high bond for one of four local men arrested early Friday after Bloomington Police and federal investigators conducted a series of drug raids in the city.… 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…