By WJBC Staff BLOOMINGTON – The brackets for the 43rd annual State Farm Holiday Classic have been released. Brackets can be viewed and downloaded at www.theclassic.org/brackets/. Seedings were determined by a poll of participating head coaches, state-wide media and tournament committee members, with accommodations made to avoid teams playing a conference or regular season opponent through the…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – Carbon capture could be a way of the future for utilities, and Springfield appears to be on the leading edge. That’s because it has its own utilities. Groundbreaking was Thursday for a federal-and-state funded plant. The US Department of Energy’s Lynn Brickett tries to convey how big a deal this…… MORE
By 25 News NORMAL – It is grassland for now, but there are big plans for a 39-acre lot in North Normal. Developer Fairlawn Capital is planning to build ‘Carden Springs,’ a sprawling luxury housing development of nearly 500 units, ranging from single bedroom apartments to three-bedroom townhomes. Rent will start at $1,500 per month…… MORE
By 25 News NORMAL – The names of three people seeking election to jobs either appointed or nonexistent should not appear on next April’s election ballot in Normal, according to a legal opinion from a Chicago attorney. The town government hired the outside counsel, Michael J. Kasper of the Kasper & Nottage law firm after election petitions…… MORE
By Neil Doyle NORMAL – The Illinois High School Association’s Board of Directors on Wednesday selected Bloomington-Normal and Illinois State University as the new hosts for the football state finals. The new hosting agreement will place the event at Hancock Stadium on Thanksgiving weekend for the years of 2023 to 2027. “We appreciate all of…… MORE
By 25 News BLOOMINGTON – State Farm Insurance plans to use solar energy to power eight of its Bloomington facilities, including the company’s headquarters and operations center. State Farm says it has entered into an agreement with Constellation to buy 103,000 megawatt hours of energy per year, equal to 74,000 metric tons of carbon emissions annually or…… MORE
By Neil Doyle BLOOMINGTON – A duplex fire Tuesday afternoon in Bloomington resulted in two families being displaced from their homes. Bloomington fire crews were called around 1:03 p.m. to 1017 West Monroe Street. Authorities say the stairs in the duplex were on fire and the blaze was contained to the basement. The first and…… MORE
By 25 News NORMAL – Two residents of Normal, including an ex-town council member, have formally objected to election petitions for two government jobs that don’t exist, and a third that is an appointed position. The objections were filed Monday, which is the first step toward a possible legal battle. They call for the town’s…… MORE
By 25 News NORMAL – Rivian Automotive plans to buy wind-produced energy from a Virgina-based firm to power the electric vehicle plant in Normal. The agreement is for Apex Clean Energy to sell Rivian 50 megawatts of electricity from Apex’s proposed Goose Creek wind farm in Piatt County. Apex is attempting to secure local permits for the…… MORE
By 25 News STANFORD – Stanford Police have arrested a 17-year-old juvenile suspected of stealing a sport utility vehicle that was later found wrecked and abandoned in Urbana. Police Chief Dustin Carter said in a Facebook post that the SUV was stolen October 31. Police entered the report in a database that can be seen by all…… 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…