More jobs and expanded emergency response have been given the go-ahead by Normal Town Council.… MORE
Category Archives: Police and Fire
Two dead after crash in rural Woodford County
Two people are dead after a crash in rural Woodford County this past weekend.… MORE
Farmington Central Elementary School employee charged with soliciting a child
An employee of Farmington Central Elementary School was charged Tuesday after she tried to solicit a child for sex.… MORE
BFD: Unattended cooking caused Wednesday fire on city’s east side
Authorities say unattended cooking was the cause of a fire Wednesday afternoon on Bloomington’s east side.… MORE
Normal police probe weekend shots fired incident
Police are probing a shots fired incident that happened over the weekend in Normal.… MORE
Sangamon County sheriff says he’ll retire by end of month in wake of Massey shooting
A little over a month after the shooting death of Sonya Massey by a sheriff’s deputy, Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell on Friday announced his retirement, effective no later than Aug. 31.… MORE
Bloomington man charged with seven Class X felonies
A Bloomington man with a lengthy criminal record stands accused of delivering hundreds of grams of heroin to an undercover Illinois State Police agent.… MORE
Caterpillar contractor from Michigan dies at Peoria Proving Ground facility
An investigation is underway after a contractor from Michigan died Wednesday night inside Caterpillar’s Peoria Proving Ground facility.… MORE
McLean coroner identifies I-55 car crash victim
By WMBD TV BLOOMINGTON – McLean County Coroner Dr. Kathleen Yoder has released the name and cause of death of the man killed on I-55 on Tuesday. According to a McLean County Coroner news release, Jacob Shaw, 27, of Kenosha, Wisconsin likely died from multiple blunt injuries from his car striking a parked utility truck…… MORE
Bloomington Firefighters save a dog from a local apartment fire
Bloomington Fire Department saved a dog from a Wednesday morning apartment fire.… 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…