Category Archives: Police and Fire

BPD probing Wednesday night shots fired incident

BPD probing Wednesday night shots fired incident

By Neil Doyle BLOOMINGTON – Police are investigating a shots fired incident that happened Wednesday night on Bloomington’s near east side. Officers were called about 11 p.m. to the 500 block of East Douglas Street for a shooting. When BPD arrived on scene they located evidence that a residence had been struck by gunfire. No…MORE

Police: 2 pedestrians in critical condition after being hit outside Pub II

Police: 2 pedestrians in critical condition after being hit outside Pub II

By Neil Doyle UPDATE (NORMAL) – Illinois State University Police Department says the two pedestrians were ISU students. NORMAL – Two male pedestrians are in critical condition after being struck by a vehicle outside Pub II early Thursday morning, according to Normal Police. Police said a car crashed into Pub II, located at 102 North…MORE

NPD: Suspect had BB gun in hotel standoff

NPD: Suspect had BB gun in hotel standoff

By Neil Doyle and 25 News NORMAL – A man has been arrested after reports of a rifle pointing out a hotel window in Normal. Police Chief Steve Petrilli said officers arrived on the scene around 2:30 Wednesday afternoon at the Comfort Suites in the 300 block of Greenbriar Drive. As police evacuated rooms and…MORE

Arson charges filed against Bloomington man in early morning apartment fire

Arson charges filed against Bloomington man in early morning apartment fire

By 25 News BLOOMINGTON – A Bloomington man faces several arson charges related to an apartment complex fire early Monday morning. 23-year-old Roman Kannaday faces six counts of aggravated arson, three counts of resisting a peace officer, and one count of violating the Illinois Pyrotechnic Use Act. Bond was set at $200,000 Tuesday. Prosecutors say…MORE

Garage fire Saturday morning in Bloomington

Garage fire Saturday morning in Bloomington

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

Victim identified in Bloomington pedestrian-motorcycle crash

Victim identified in Bloomington pedestrian-motorcycle crash

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

Rollover crash in Bloomington sends two people to the hospital

Rollover crash in Bloomington sends two people to the hospital

By Blake Haas BLOOMINGTON – Two people were taken to a local hospital after a rollover crash Wednesday in Bloomington. Authorities say the two people are in stable condition after the crash. According to the Bloomington Fire Department, the crash happened at Washington Street and North Veterans Parkway. The scene was cleared around 4 p.m.…MORE

Convicted cop killer with Central Illinois ties given 55 years in prison

Convicted cop killer with Central Illinois ties given 55 years in prison

By 25 News ROCKFORD – A federal judge on Monday sentenced a Central Illinois man to 55 years in prison for killing a deputy U.S. Marshal who was trying to arrest the fugitive on McLean County residential burglary charges in 2019. A jury in April found Floyd Brown, 43, of Springfield guilty of second-degree murder…MORE

Child believed to have minor injuries after being hit by car in Normal

Child believed to have minor injuries after being hit by car in Normal

By 25 News NORMAL – A 9-year-old is believed to have minor injuries after being struck while crossing a street near Colene Hoose Elementary School Wednesday morning. Normal Police spokesperson Brad Park says the student was crossing the street with a crossing guard present. Park confirms speed was not an issue in the crash which…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…