By USDA SPRINGFIELD – There were 5.1 days suitable for field work during the week ending November 21, 2021. Statewide, the average temperature was 40.6 degrees, 1.3 degrees below normal. Precipitation averaged 0.26 inches, 0.41 inches below normal. Topsoil moisture supply was rated 11 percent short, 74 percent adequate, and 15 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture…… MORE
By HOI ABC MCLEAN COUNTY – One person is dead and another injured after a passenger vehicle struck a tow truck along southbound Interstate 55 at mile marker 173 in McLean County Monday night. Illinois State Police said preliminary reports indicate the tow truck was recovering a disabled semi-trailer along the shoulder when the tow…… MORE
By HOI ABC BLOOMINGTON – David Mouser will be the next superintendent at Bloomington Public Schools, pending approval of the District 87 Board of Education. A 25-year veteran of education, Mouser is currently the superintendent of Tri-Valley CUSD #3 in Downs and has served in the role since 2014. The board will make the official…… MORE
The McLean County Health Department is issuing guidance for the Thanksgiving holiday as county officials report 153 new cases of COVID-19 over the weekend.… MORE
As prices at the pump continue to decrease, a recent report details the lack of travel this Thanksgiving holiday.… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – Doctors and public health professionals battling what they call “misinformation” say the media is a problem in at least two ways. “We haven’t had a pandemic or a real big public health problem in quite a few years, and in that time technology snuck in on us,” said Gail O’Neill,…… MORE
By Neil Doyle BLOOMINGTON – The airline industry is still being impacted by the worker shortage and that is causing some services to get suspended here locally. Delta announced its suspending service to Detroit from Central Illinois Regional Airport in Bloomington. CIRA deputy director Fran Strebing spoke with WJBC’s Scott Miller. “We worked in conjunction…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – As you plan your Thanksgiving Day menu, plan on spending a little more than you did last year. The American Farm Bureau Federation says the national average for dinner for ten this year is $53.31, fourteen percent more than last year. The Illinois average is $58.15. “Probably one of the…… MORE
By Neil Doyle NORMAL – The holiday season is upon us and the Normal Theater has released its holiday programming schedule. Theater Manager Adam Fox spoke with WJBC’s Scott Miller. “Kicking off on Black Friday with Home Alone, following up on Saturday afternoon with Miracle on 34th Street, and Sunday with The Muppet Christmas Carol,”…… MORE
By Neil Doyle SHIRLEY – No kids were injured but the bus driver suffered minor injuries after a car struck a Heyworth school bus Friday morning in Shirley. The McLean County Sheriff’s Office says the accident happened around 7:30 a.m. at the intersection of 1155 East Rd. and 850 North. Authorities say a passenger car travelling…… 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…