A lightning strike at the McLean County Detention Facility has affected the inmate visitation system throughout the facility as well as the inmate phone system in certain housing areas of the jail.… MORE
Category Archives: Police and Fire
Bloomington man remains behind bars on domestic violence charges
A Bloomington man remains behind bars after a domestic violence incident.… MORE
Bloomington man faces lengthy prison sentence for home invasion
A Twin-Cities man faces a long prison sentence after a jury on Wednesday found him guilty of a home invasion in Bloomington a year ago.… MORE
Normal Fire Department shows resilience despite COVID-19 cases
Normal firefighters are generally unfazed after four of them tested positive for COVID-19, according to the town’s fire chief.… MORE
Bloomington man charged with child molestation
McLean County prosecutors have charged a Bloomington man with sex crimes involving a child over several years.… MORE
BFD: Family saved by working smoke detectors
A Bloomington family was able to escape a house fire over the weekend thanks to working smoke detectors, according to the Bloomington Fire Department.… MORE
Sheriff condemns bond help
By Heart of Illinois, ABC BLOOMINGTON – McLean County Sheriff Jon Sandage is lashing out at the Bloomington-Normal chapter of Black Lives Matter for teaming with another organization to post bond for suspects arrested for looting and other crimes. According to Sandage, Black Lives Matter and the Chicago Community Bond Fund posted $87,705 to…… MORE
Man facing multiple aggravated battery charges after allegedly using lighter to burn a child
McLean County prosecutors have charged a man after allegedly using a cigarette lighter to cause burns to a young child just after Christmas 2019.… MORE
Whalen to remain in jail for another week until bond hearing
A Bloomington man, convicted of killing his father in 1991, will remain in the McLean County Jail for at least another week in a domestic violence case. That’s when a hearing is set to determine if he should be allowed to post bond.… MORE
Local authorities: Concerning rise in fatalities from traffic crashes in McLean County
Local police and McLean County Coroner Kathy Yoder want to remind people to stay safe this holiday weekend, especially with a rise in fatalities from traffic crashes in the county.… 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…