By Neil Doyle PONTIAC – An Aurora man has been arrested after an armed robbery Wednesday afternoon in Pontiac. Police say the armed robbery happened around 12:54 p.m. at the BP gas station located at 319 West Howard Street. A masked suspect entered the store and displayed a handgun before demanding money and forcing the…… MORE
By Blake Haas NORMAL – In an attempt to stop thieves in their tracks, the Normal Police Department is launching a social media campaign called “Manhunt Monday.” Each week, the department displays photos of alleged criminals while in the act. Brad Park, Public Information Officer with the Normal Police Department, said the social media campaign…… MORE
By Blake Haas BLOOMINGTON – Bloomington police are asking for the public’s help in solving a shooting incident that happened Monday afternoon. BPD says around 12:45 p.m. officers responded to Towanda Ave. and E. Jefferson St. Investigators say they found physical evidence that a shooting had occurred. There were no reported injuries and no suspect…… MORE
A Former McLean County piano teacher was handed down a 450-year prison sentence in a McLean County courtroom on Friday.… MORE
By HOI ABC NORMAL – A car is totaled after a Friday morning car/bus accident in Normal. Normal Police Department Community Services Officer Brad Park said a call came in around 8:10 a.m. for a car/bus accident at Raab Road and Parkside. The driver of the car, and the only person in it, was not…… MORE
By HOI ABC BLOOMINGTON – The Illinois Department of Corrections is again declining to accept inmates from county jails because of COVID-19 outbreaks at state prisons, a move a local sheriff said is forcing local taxpayers to foot the bill to house those prisoners. The state calls it a temporary pause, but McLean County Sheriff…… MORE
By Neil Doyle BLOOMINGTON – After a large fire Monday afternoon at Victory Church in southeast Bloomington the executive pastor is asking the community for prayers. Several fire departments responded to fight the blaze that destroyed most of the west wing of the church and caused lots of smoke and water damage, according to Executive…… MORE
By HOI ABC BLOOMINGTON – One person was injured and one adult and three children were temporarily displaced after a structure fire at a home converted to apartments that was quickly stopped by Bloomington firefighters. At around 4:24 a.m. Thursday, the fire department was dispatched to the fire in the 900 block of West Market…… MORE
To crack open the new year, Bloomington’s top cop is focusing on traffic enforcement efforts to limit the number of traffic crashes in the city.… MORE
A 14-year old juvenile remains behind bars on charges; he allegedly played a role in a shooting that injured another juvenile on Bloomington’s near east side.… 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…