By USDA SPRINGFIELD – There were 3.7 days suitable for fieldwork in the week ending April 23, 2023. Statewide, the average temperature was 50.9 degrees, 4.1 degrees below normal. Precipitation averaged 0.66 inches; 0.25 inches below normal. Topsoil moisture supply was rated 1 percent very short, 7 percent short, 66 percent adequate, and 26 percent…… MORE
By WMBD-TV BLOOMINGTON – A Bloomington man was arrested in connection to an Ohio murder by the U.S. Marshal Service Great Lakes Fugitive Task Force Friday. According to a U.S. Marshal’s news release, 35-year-old Martino Giles has been wanted by the Cleveland Ohio Division of Police for homicide since 2015. Giles allegedly shot and killed…… MORE
By Jake Fogal NORMAL – A man accused of sexually assaulting a teen last year has been arrested as a result of an investigation by the Normal Police Department. Thirty five year old Labarte Robinson of Normal, has had his bond set at $1 million. Robinson was charged on Wednesday of last week by a…… MORE
By Jake Fogal BLOOMINGTON – District 87 has filled a vacancy on it’s school board. Following Fitzgerald Samedy’s resignation from the board back in mid-Feburary, Regional Superintendent Mark Jontry has listed Cathy Lust as Samedy’s replacement. Samedy had stepped down from the school board after being charged with a repeat drunken driving conviction. Jontry selected…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – Illinois’ Department of Innovation and Technology is sharing “what’s next.” Acting secretary Brandon Ragle’s department put on an “Innovation Day,” which, he said, “is really just to show collaboration and awareness. How broad, when we say innovation and technology, what that really means. It’s not just computer programming. It’s working…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – Not everybody in the cannabis business is hitting the jackpot. Craft growers say they have millions tied up in licenses which have yet to generate money. The growers blame aggressive regulations. Illinois Independent Craft Growers Association executive director Lisbeth Vargas Jaimes says state leaders need to think about “social equity”…… MORE
By WMBD-TV NORMAL – The McLean County Coroner’s Office has identified the victim of a motorcycle and car crash Friday night in Normal. According to a Normal police press release, 22-year-old Douglas Wriston of Warren, Michigan died in the crash. The cause of death is still pending. Officers were called to the I-55/74 overpass on…… MORE
By WJBC Staff NORMAL – The Normal Fire Department responded to a kitchen a fire Thursday afternoon at 1806 Truman Drive. Firefighters were called to the home in the Greenbriar subdivision around 3:30 p.m., where they found heavy smoke in the kitchen. According to a news release, fire crews were able to control the blaze…… MORE
By WMBD-TV BLOOMINGTON – On Wednesday, Bloomington Police arrested 39-year old Micah Davis for arson. Davis is accused of setting small fires on the west side of Bloomington during the overnight hours of April 15 through April 16. The fires were along West Market and Washington Streets. Police said Davis set a vehicle and trash…… MORE
By Jake Fogal BLOOMINGTON – The Bloomington Police Department has concluded it’s missing persons investigation from earlier this week, as a body was identified Thursday morning as Melissa S. Ostrom. Ostrum had been reported missing on Monday and was pronounced dead upon being found by officers early Thursday. An autopsy is pending and a death…… 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…