By 25 News BLOOMINGTON – A split McLean County board will also have split leadership. Board member John McIntyre will retain his seat as chairman, a position he’s held since 2016. Joining him as Vice-Chair will be Democratic member Elizabeth Johnston, who has sat on the board since 2016. Both represent District 5, covering the…… MORE
By Neil Doyle LEROY – Authorities are investigating a deadly car crash that happened Monday afternoon in southeast McLean County. Coroner Kathy Yoder says the crash happened around 3:30 p.m. just east of LeRoy at the intersection of 3100 East and 400 North Road. One person died in the accident and the victim’s name is…… MORE
By WJBC Staff BLOOMINGTON – State Sen. Jason Barickman (R-Bloomington) announced on Monday his retirement from the Senate at the end of his current term, which expires Jan. 10, 2023. Barickman has served in the General Assembly for 12 years. He currently represents the 53rd District, which covers parts of McLean, Livingston, Woodford and Ford…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – Looking back on his losing campaign for governor and just weeks away from being out of office entirely, State Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia) says it’s not as if some part of him were left unknown to the public. “I don’t think anything,” Bailey said this week. “I have no regrets.…… MORE
By 25 News BLOOMINGTON – McLean County voters chose 10 Republicans and 10 Democrats to the county board last month, meaning compromises must be made to pick their leaders. That hasn’t been a problem in the past because the board has been controlled by Republicans. However, their dominance has declined in recent years, and one…… MORE
By 25 News NORMAL – Bloomington-Normal leaders want to bring back the Illinois High School Association’s state football championship games for the next five years, but three other communities are also hoping to land the premier event that’s held each Thanksgiving weekend. ISU’s Hancock Stadium was the venue for the first 25 years of the…… MORE
By 25 News BLOOMINGTON – Morton Community Bank is acquiring a Springfield-based bank with branches in Bloomington-Normal. Holding company Hometown Community Bancorp Inc. announced Thursday it’s acquiring Marine Bank’s parent firm, which has 11 branches, two of them in the Twin-Cities. The merger is expected to happen during the second quarter of next year, pending regulatory approval and the…… MORE
By Jake Fogal BLOOMINGTON – After a two-year absence due to the pandemic, Santa’s Station is returning to Uptown Normal this month. The grand opening celebrations are scheduled for this Saturday at 12:30 p.m. Through Christmas Eve, visitation hours will also be available on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. On Saturday, Santa Claus, Mrs. Claus…… MORE
By 25 News BLOOMINGTON – A pregnant woman reportedly beaten and strangled at the hands of her boyfriend feared for her life, McLean County prosecutors said in court on Tuesday. The state’s attorney’s office charged Trevor Kelly, 21, of Bloomington, with aggravated domestic battery by strangulation and domestic battery causing bodily harm, both felonies. According…… MORE
By 25 News BLOOMINGTON – A 17-year-old has been moved from the McLean County Sheriff’s Office to the Champaign County Correctional Facility. Keshawn Brown was arrested Monday in Normal for charges related to an incident at Target. Tuesday he was charged as an adult with multiple Class X felonies related to a November 4th homicide…… 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…