By Neil Doyle PEKIN – A dead body found in Pekin earlier this week has been identified as a 38-year-old man from northern Illinois. Tazewell County Coroner Charles Hanley says the man’s name is being withheld until family is notified. The cause of death is pending toxicology testing. Authorities found the body Monday in a…… MORE
By HOI ABC TOWANDA – An elderly man from Normal was killed in a single-vehicle traffic crash in Towanda Saturday night. 72-year-old Timothy A. Jobe was pronounced dead on the scene at the intersection of U.S. Route 66 and North 1900 East Road just before 9:30 p.m., according to McLean County Coroner Kathy Yoder. An…… MORE
By Neil Doyle TOWANDA – A local man has died after a two-vehicle crash Tuesday morning in rural Towanda. Michael Simpsen, 50, of Normal died from extensive multiple blunt force injuries due to a pickup truck and automobile collision, reportedly sustained as the driver of the pickup truck, according to McLean County Coroner Kathy Yoder.…… MORE
An Alton man is behind bars in McLean County for allegedly keeping a woman hostage in LeRoy over the weekend.… MORE
A Chicago man is facing felony charges in McLean County for allegedly driving onto a landing area at Central Illinois Regional Airport.… MORE
By HOI ABC EL PASO – War-ravaged Ukraine has received a potentially life-saving shipment from Woodford County. The El Paso Emergency Squad posted on its Facebook page that the former El Paso EMS ambulance was delivered and crossed the border into Ukraine. The ambulance has more than 200,000 miles on its odometer, and it’s filled with donated…… MORE
By IIS Radio SPRINGFIELD – The director of Illinois State Police is discussing current red flag laws. ISP director Brendan Kelly says they have carefully analyzed how they handled the review of a clear and present danger report and issuance of a FOID card to the Highland Park shooting suspect. During a media briefing, he…… MORE
The McLean County Coroner’s Office is releasing the identification of a 22-year-old Normal man who died in a car crash in late June.… MORE
By HOI ABC TAZEWELL COUNTY – Tazewell County Sheriff’s Deputy John Shallenberger has received a national honor for helping reverse a troubling trend of teenage drivers dying on local roadways. Shallenberger on Sunday received the Innovation in the Classroom Award at the National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO) Conference. He was selected by a…… MORE
A 19-year-old Bloomington man is behind bars in McLean County on gun charges.… 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…