After a work stoppage postponed three Bloomington Bison pro hockey games this weekend, players are set to report back to their teams with a tentative labor agreement in place.

Specs Around Town will soon be under new ownership. Julie Kubsch is retiring and has sold the boutique eyewear store to Jenna Bixby-Nehl, who will take over Jan. 6.

Hockey players in the ECHL went on strike Friday over unresolved contract negotiations, postponing at least three Bloomington Bison games and threatening dozens more.

Tazewell County Coroner Charles Hanley said the coroner’s office was called to the 31000 block of Illinois Route 9 east of Mackinaw about 4:30 a.m. Wednesday for a single-vehicle crash.

WGLT.org’s most-read stories of the year include reporting about Bloomington-Normal’s largest employers, coverage of local tragedies that shook the community, and heartwarming stories about finding love and opening a new business.

The Illinois State football team is headed to the FCS national championship game on Monday, Jan. 5, in Nashville. Here’s what fans should know if they plan to watch or travel to the game.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled against President Trump on Tuesday, refusing to reinstate, for now, Trump's ability to send National Guard troops into the state of Illinois over the objections of the governor.

On the heels of Illinois State football’s trip to the Football Championship Subdivision title game, the athletics department has announced a $2.5 million gift to the football program.

Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias’ still praised some of the “inflammatory, profane, offensive or too difficult to read” vanity license plate requests turned down in 2025, a small portion of the nearly 56,000 applications it received this year, according to the office.

The law bars immigration enforcement from taking place inside or within 1,000 feet of state courthouses. The federal government claims states can’t dictate where federal agents make arrests.

See WGLT's best photos of 2025, featuring work of Bloomington-Normal visual journalists Emily Bollinger and Sami Johnson.

The union that represents hockey players on the Bloomington Bison and other ECHL teams said it plans to go on strike starting Friday, alleging the league violated federal labor law during contract negotiations. The ECHL says players will lose their housing, medical benefits and pay if they do.