By Neil Doyle BLOOMINGTON – Gas prices in the state dropped about a penny in the last week, averaging $3.49 a gallon on Monday. According to GasBuddy, prices in Illinois are 15 cents higher than a month ago and a $1.32 more expensive compared to this time last year. GasBuddy price reports show the cheapest…… MORE
By Blake Haas BLOOMINGTON – As Democrats from across the country continue to debate President Biden’s Build Back Better plan, a central Illinois Congressman says now is not the time to pass the massive bill as the nation faces mounting debt. U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood (R-Dunlap) told WJBC’s Scott Miller this is “not the time…… MORE
By HOI ABC NORMAL – The driver of a car that collided late Friday morning with a First Student school bus in Normal has died from injuries he suffered in the crash. McLean County Coroner Kathy Yoder said Gavin Lartz, 19, of Normal, was pronounced dead about 4:30 p.m. at Carle BroMenn Medical Center’s emergency…… MORE
By HOI ABC NORMAL – The driver of a car is in critical condition after a collision with a school bus in Normal, according to police. It happened at the intersection of Main and Summit just before noon Friday. There were no students on the bus during the crash. The driver of the bus is…… MORE
A Bloomington doctor faces 40 years behind bars in federal prison for allegedly unlawfully dispensing and distributing controlled substances.… MORE
By HOI ABC BLOOMINGTON – For one Bloomington High School student, his college decision was made easier with a huge college scholarship. Walker Burns is a senior, and on Thursday he was honored with a scholarship for $200,000. The Navy’s ROTC scholarship is only awarded to five students in the Midwest area, and Burns was…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – The new congressional map is headed to the governor’s desk. Highlights, if you will, include sprawling, strangely shaped districts, potential primaries, and hard feelings. “The people will get the type of government that we have designed for them,” said State Rep. Ryan Spain (R-Peoria) late Tuesday. “A government that is…… MORE
By HOI ABC NORMAL – Rivian is planning its biggest expansion to date at its electric vehicle factory in northwest Normal, but it’s not clear what the company wants to do with all of the extra space. Rivian filed plans with Normal’s town government requesting approval of an amended site plan for a 623,000 square…… MORE
The Illinois Manufacturers Association (IMA) is looking to fill manufacturer jobs throughout the state through a statewide education and policy tour.… MORE
Throughout October, men around the country are raising money to help fight breast cancer through the Real Men Wear Pink campaign.… 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…