By Neil Doyle NORMAL – After more than 10,000 people gathered Tuesday night to welcome home Leah Marlene, Normal Police are thanking the community and other agencies for a “safe, fun, and enjoyable” event. According to a NPD Facebook post, several agencies assisted at the event in Uptown Normal. That includes Normal Fire, Bloomington Police,…… MORE
By HOI ABC MCLEAN COUNTY – Illinois State Police said one person died in a crash that happened early Wednesday evening at the intersection of Illinois Route 9 and the LeRoy-Lexington Blacktop. The person who died was the driver of a passenger car that collided with some type of commercial vehicle, according to Illinois State…… MORE
By HOI ABC BLOOMINGTON – Bloomington Police say no one was injured Monday afternoon after a train clipped the back of a tractor trailer. Public Information Officer Brandt Parsley says it happened around 2:20 p.m. Monday near the intersection of Market Street and White Oak. No one was injured.… MORE
By HOI ABC EL PASO – Firefighters say a tractor caught on fire after hitting a power line Sunday morning, leading to hundreds of thousands in damages. El Paso Fire Chief Neil Gauger says it happened in the 2700 block of County Road East, near 1100 North. Gauger said the wings of the tractor’s cultivator…… MORE
By HOI ABC BLOOMINGTON – District 87 School Board member Fitzgerald Samedy is free on bond following his arrest last weekend for drunken driving on Bloomington’s east side. DUI charges were upgraded to felonies because he’s a repeat offender and his driver’s license had been revoked, according to court documents. Saturday evening, Bloomington Police said…… MORE
By Neil Doyle HUDSON – The owner of Green Gables says she and her family are devastated after a fire tore down the iconic establishment Monday afternoon. Amy Tague says Green Gables has been in her family since her grandparents bought the property in 1952. “The grief is setting in for sure. It is a…… MORE
By A.J. Harris BLOOMINGTON – Police are investigating a shots fired incident that happened Monday morning on Bloomington’s east side. At approximately 7:56 a.m., Bloomington Police Officers were dispatched to the 1200 block of Orchard Road for a shots fired call. Upon arrival, officers found physical evidence that a shooting had occurred. The circumstances behind…… MORE
By HOI ABC CARLOCK – Fire ripped through a large metal shed in rural Carlock Thursday afternoon destroying several vehicles inside. Several area departments were called to aid the Carlock Fire Protection District in fighting the blaze at 8540 U.S. Route 150, about 1 1/2-miles east of Carlock. The call came in about 12:55 p.m.…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – When the state held its annual police memorial ceremony Thursday, it was a constitutional officer with no connection to the deceased whose words moved the crowd to applause. “While I will say thank you, and God bless you and keep you safe,” said comptroller Susana Mendoza, “rather than words, I…… MORE
By HOI ABC BLOOMINGTON – A Bloomington Police officer rescued a man from a burning west side home Wednesday evening. The man is hospitalized with burns, but the officer is fine, according to Bloomington Police Lt. Clayton Arnold. Bloomington Fire Department Battalion Chief Gavin Pitcher said firefighters saw fire and smoke coming from the back…… 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…