From USDA SPRINGFIELD – There were 6.2 days suitable for field work during the week ending August 08, 2021. Statewide, the average temperature was 72.3 degrees, 1.5 degrees below normal. Precipitation averaged 0.10 inches, 0.85 inches below normal. Topsoil moisture supply was rated 8 percent very short, 17 percent short, 70 percent adequate, and 5…… MORE
The Livingston County Health Department reports a “sharp increase in COVID-19” as the county reports 83 new cases and one death.… MORE
A man from Normal has pleaded guilty to killing a Bloomington man who authorities say suffered more than 72 stab wounds.… MORE
The Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) is looking for partners to launch a unique restaurant meal pilot program to provide meals through SNAP customers.… MORE
The search for a new Chief of Police in Bloomington is nearing an end as the selection committee has narrowed its choice to two finalists after a months-long search.… MORE
The variant is new, but the message is the same: get vaccinated. … MORE
The McLean County Health Department reports 113 new cases of COVID-19 and one additional COVID-related death since Friday.… MORE
By Neil Doyle BLOOMINGTON – Illinois gas prices are averaging $3.33 a gallon, which is down 2.7 cents compared to last week. According to GasBuddy, prices in the state are still up 5.7 cents compared to last month and $1.05 compared to this time last year. GasBuddy price reports show the cheapest station in Illinois is…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Taylorville) supports the decision of House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) to remove all his nominees, including Davis, from the select committee investigating the Capitol security break of Jan. 6. “In the end I’m disappointed, because I wanted a chance to talk about the security failures…… MORE
By Neil Doyle NORMAL – Illinois State University students will start to move-in this week and there will be some lane closures around campus. There will be lane closures on Fell Avenue from Mulberry Street to Beaufort Street throughout move-in which runs Aug. 9 to Aug. 15. Town officials are asking drivers to allow for extra…… 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…