Corn growers intend to plant 10.9 million acres in 2024, down 3 percent from 2023. … MORE
Category Archives: WJBC’s Top Stories
State bill to eliminate sub-minimum wage for tipped workers is advancing
It could be state law for workers who depend on tips to make the minimum wage – with tips on top.… MORE
Illinois bill would give a three-dollar-an-hour raise to “direct service providers”
People who care for the developmentally disabled say they are due for a raise of three bucks an hour.… MORE
Minnesota man sentenced to 80 years for 2021 Bloomington fatal shooting
A Minnesota man will spend 80 years in prison for shooting and killing a Bloomington man in 2021.… MORE
Rivian plans to show off new electric vehicles in Normal this weekend
Central Illinois residents can get a first look at the future of Rivian Automotive this weekend in Uptown Normal.… MORE
Rivian says first-quarter production figures on track to meet goals
By WMBD-TV NORMAL – Rivian announced it’s on track to meet its 2024 production goals on Tuesday. According to Rivian, it produced 13,980 vehicles at its manufacturing facility in Normal in the first quarter. This is in line with Rivian’s goal to produce 57,000 vehicles annually. The Normal facility also delivered 13,588 during the first…… MORE
Pizza Payaa owner has top ten win in international pizza contest
By WMBD-TV BLOOMINGTON – A local pizza maker raked high in the International Pizza Expo 2024 competition on March 20 in Las Vegas. According to a news release from Pizza Payaa, its owner, Adam Elpayaa, competed against 500 other pizza makers around the world and ranked 9th for Detroit-style pizza and 14th overall for pan pizza. The pizza he made was…… MORE
Outgoing city manager reflects on time in Bloomington
Bloomington City Manager Tim Gleason has made it official and will be leaving his post to become the next city manger in Decatur.… MORE
Normal Fire Department to have paramedic-level care in all front line engines
Paramedic-level emergency medical care is now available from not just ambulances, but from all front-line fire engines in the Town of Normal. … MORE
Republican Senate Leader: “The Governor needs to lead” when it comes to Prisoner Review Board
If anybody did not smell a rat at the Illinois Prisoner Review Board, Illinois Senate Republicans say, last month’s death of an eleven-year-old boy – allegedly at the hands of a man the PRB released a day before – should leave no doubt.… MORE
Blogs
Labor Day – Expanding voting rights for all
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.” …
Is federal mobilization the answer?
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…
In these troubled times, to my fellow white Americans
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…
Workers’ Memorial Day – Remember those whose job took their life
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…