(USDA) SPRINGFIELD – There were 5.6 days suitable for field work during the week ending August 01, 2021. Statewide, the average temperature was 74.8 degrees, 0.4 degrees above normal. Precipitation averaged 0.89 inches, 0.13 inches above normal. Topsoil moisture supply was rated 3 percent very short, 14 percent short, 76 percent adequate, and 7 percent…… MORE
Illinois State University’s Solar Car “Racying” Team is competing in a cross-country 1,000-mile adventure in the 2021 American Solar Car Challenge.… MORE
About 14,000 State Farm employees in Bloomington must wear face masks at work as McLean County is labeled by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) as a community with “substantial” COVID-19 transmission.… MORE
Gov. JB Pritzker Monday had a busy day of signing bills.… MORE
Tazewell County officials have identified a 20-year old Mason County man who died in a single-vehicle motorcycle accident.… MORE
Since Friday, the McLean County Health Department is reporting 93 new cases of COVID-19, increasing the county’s probable cases to 18,927.… MORE
By Neil Doyle BLOOMINGTON – The McLean County Fair starts on Wednesday. Local health officials are reminding people to be cautious with COVID-19 still present in the community. McLean County Health Department Administrator Jessica McKnight says they want people to enjoy the fair but there are ways to help reduce the risk of COVID-19. McLean County…… MORE
By Neil Doyle BLOOMINGTON – Gas prices continue to climb in Illinois with the average sitting at $3.36 a gallon. According to GasBuddy, prices are up 6.2 cents compared to last week and are seven cents higher than last month. GasBuddy price reports show the cheapest station in Illinois is priced at $2.99 while the…… MORE
By WJBC Staff LINCOLN – Starting today, the National Weather Service will better convey the severity and potential impacts from thunderstorm winds and hail by adding a “damage threat” tag to Severe Thunderstorm Warnings. “Destructive” and “Considerable” Damage Threat Categories NWS has developed three categories of damage threat for Severe Thunderstorm Warnings. The categories, in…… MORE
By Blake Haas BLOOMINGTON – Cases of COVID-19 are on the rise across the Twin Cities as local health officials report 35 new cases, while the rolling positivity rate increased to 4.2%. On Friday, health officials reported 155 people are isolating at home, while 18,428 people have been released from isolation and are considered recovered.…… 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…