By USDA SPRINGFIELD – There were 3.6 days suitable for field work during the week ending June 27, 2021. Statewide, the average temperature was 71.0 degrees, 2.9 degrees below normal. Precipitation averaged 2.74 inches, 1.84 inches above normal. Topsoil moisture supply was rated 7 percent very short, 10 percent short, 51 percent adequate, and 32…… MORE
By HOI ABC BLOOMINGTON – A teenager from Normal is accused of punching a McLean County correctional officer. He has now been charged with aggravated battery. According to officials at the Mclean County Detention Facility, 18-year-old Omarr Parks-Bullock allegedly punched a correctional officer on Sunday after his physical restraints were removed. The time of Sunday’s incident…… MORE
By Neil Doyle BLOOMINGTON – After severe weather over the weekend that caused flooding throughout the Twin-Cities, the City of Bloomington is adding free bulk waste pick-up days starting next week. The special collection will begin July 6 and run for approximately two weeks. Crews will suspend brush pick up during that time frame so the…… MORE
Illinois State university’s 19th President is bidding farewell to the campus.… MORE
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) is in on the talks toward a new infrastructure bill. And he says people asking, how do you pay for it, are asking the same question he is.… MORE
A local insurance agency is reporting over 1,200 claims in Illinois after severe weather left many in the Twin Cities with flooded basements.… MORE
A Bloomington man remains behind bars on gun, drugs, and traffic charges after authorities say he fled the scene after backing into a Street Crimes Unit vehicle.… MORE
By Neil Doyle BLOOMINGTON – A local nonprofit sustained some significant damage from the severe storms over the weekend. Home Sweet Home Ministries, located at 303 East Oakland Avenue in Bloomington, says they are still dealing with the impact of weekend storms. Overnight on Friday and during the day on Saturday, flood waters poured into…… MORE
By Neil Doyle BLOOMINGTON – A Bloomington business will be setting up a temporary office after a fire over the weekend on the city’s south side. Ron Smith Printing, located at 2425 South Main Street, says a fire caused extensive damage to their business. In a Facebook post, the company says a temporary office will…… MORE
By Neil Doyle MCLEAN – Roads across McLean County were flooded Friday night due to severe weather and Interstate 55 was badly damaged during the heavy storms. In a Facebook post, Mt. Hope-Funks Grove Fire Protection District says I-55 near McLean is closed indefinitely until the road is repaired and the bridges are inspected. The…… 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…