By Neil Doyle BLOOMINGTON – Gas prices in Illinois are down 5.2 cents over the past week, averaging $3.23 a gallon. According to GasBuddy’s daily survey of 4,378 stations in Illinois, gas prices are 7.2 cents lower than a month ago, but still up a dollar compared to this time last year. The cheapest station in Illinois…… MORE
By USDA SPRINGFIELD – September yield forecast for 2021 season. Corn: Planted area is estimated at 11.0 million acres, down 3 percent from last year. Harvested area, forecast at 10.8 million acres, is down 3 percent from 2020. Based on September 1 conditions, the Illinois corn yield is forecast at a record 214 bushels per…… MORE
By HOI ABC BLOOMINGTON – The latest surge in COVID-19 cases is prompting City of Bloomington staff to recommend a continuation of its ban on utility shutoffs. City aldermen Monday night are being asked to extend the ban until the end of this month, but staffers said it’s likely to be the last “blanket moratorium” even…… MORE
In McLean County, a former sheriff’s lieutenant is remembering heading to New York City right after the 9/11 attacks to help with recovery efforts at Ground Zero.… MORE
Illinois’ newest candidate for governor is trying to explain who he isn’t.… MORE
The McLean County State’s Attorney Office has released a preliminary report into the officer-involved shooting that left three dead, including the shooter.… MORE
Their families know – when you leave for your workday as a firefighter, you may not come home. That’s why there are ceremonies such as the annual firefighters’ memorial service outside the Capitol. … MORE
A Livingston County man is facing charges after investigators say he allegedly stabbed two other people.
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By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – That big energy bill has finally come together in Springfield. Fossil fuels would be on their way out in favor of wind and solar. Backers say it puts Illinois to a clean energy future. State Rep. Tim Butler (R-Springfield) says the bill’s no good for the city-owned coal utility here.…… MORE
By HOI ABC NORMAL – Planners support a proposed truck stop and RV park in north Normal, but they’re not in favor of allowing builders to put up a sign that would soar above Interstate 55. Normal Planning Commissioners Thursday evening voted unanimously for rezoning 30.5 acres of farmland to build Loves Truck Stop and RV…… 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…