By USDA SPRINGFIELD – There were 5.4 days suitable for field work during the week ending May 15, 2022. Statewide, the average temperature was 75.8 degrees, 14.1 degrees above normal. Precipitation averaged 0.19 inches, 0.71 inches below normal. Topsoil moisture supply was rated 2 percent short, 81 percent adequate, and 17 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture…… MORE
In not quite eight years, the state treasurer’s office has completed one million claims from its Unclaimed Property program. That’s twice the number as in the twelve years prior to Mike Frerichs taking office.… MORE
By Jake Fogal BLOOMINGTON – Gas prices remain high across Illinois but the average price was unchanged over the week, sitting at $4.83 a gallon. According to GasBuddy, prices in Illinois are 47 cents higher than a month ago and $1.63 higher than a year ago. “Those filling their tanks last week saw another jolt…… MORE
By HOI ABC EL PASO – Firefighters say a tractor caught on fire after hitting a power line Sunday morning, leading to hundreds of thousands in damages. El Paso Fire Chief Neil Gauger says it happened in the 2700 block of County Road East, near 1100 North. Gauger said the wings of the tractor’s cultivator…… MORE
By Neil Doyle and HOI ABC NORMAL – Normal native Leah Marlene is moving on to the top three on singing competition ‘American Idol.’ Marlene sang her own renditions of ‘I’ll Stand By You’ by The Pretenders and ‘Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)’ by Journey. During the episode, contestants were guided by former ‘Idol’ champion and…… MORE
By HOI ABC BLOOMINGTON – Elected leaders who have the final say whether a solar farm will sprout up in southwest Bloomington are holding off on a decision in hopes local workers will be used to build the project. Cypress Creek Renewables wants to build the county’s second solar farm, to be located in Dale…… MORE
By HOI ABC LIVINGSTON COUNTY – A man has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for predatory sexual assault in a deal that Livingston County’s chief prosecutor said spares the victim from having to testify in open court. State’s Attorney Randy Yedinak said Jeremy Coates, 39, of Frankfort, sexually assaulted the child in Flanagan…… MORE
It will be at least two months before the Illinois Innocence Project learns what evidence they can present in the case of Barton McNeil, the Bloomington man convicted of killing his daughter in 1998. This is because both the state and McNeil’s counsel agree a 3rd stage evidentiary hearing is necessary.… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – Most or all top Republicans in Illinois say the state needs a Gov. Richard Irvin. So much so that when the subject came up at an unrelated news conference Thursday, House Minority Leader Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs) twice – committing a “Freudian slip” – referred to “Gov. Irvin.” The support…… MORE
By HOI ABC NORMAL – Electric vehicle maker Rivian has issued its first-ever vehicle recall over concerns of a sensor for the front airbag malfunctioning in certain R1T vehicles. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says the Occupant Classification System on R1Ts produced between September 21, 2021 through April 12, 2022 may not deactivate the airbag when…… 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…