Charlie Schlenker

Homebuilders in Bloomington-Normal are playing catch up in meeting the growth of the last decade, the more recent expansion of the labor market, and projected future growth.

Curt Richardson of Normal found out as an adult that a fertility doctor had defrauded his parents decades earlier. Now, he's working to pass laws to "take some of that power back for victims."

Rising interest rates have blocked the hoped-for start of construction this spring on a flagship development project in Uptown Normal.

Interest rates are up significantly, and as homebuilders look at the approaching spring construction season, they will be faced with choices on how to finance construction and how long they think they'll have to wait before they can sell a new housing unit.Normal City Manager Pam Reece says the rate increases have slowed the construction market. But in this interview with Charlie Schlenker, Reece says the hikes have not stopped construction plans. Listen to the full interview above.

Town of Normal Finance Director Andrew Huhn said during a daylong budget workshop for the town council that a lot of the increase will be funded by projected double-digit revenue growth, mainly in sales and income tax receipts.

Bloomington and Normal issued a combined 244 permits for new home construction in 2022. That’s up 51% from the year before, with more building planned for 2023.

History connects people through time. And learning how the past links to the present is basic to understanding the human condition. In our series on transplants to the Twin Cities, WGLT has found history matters to several people who have moved to central Illinois.

Normal Mayor Chris Koos is conditionally endorsing doing away with bus fares in the Twin Cities, but says he still wants to see a concrete proposal before fully committing.

A Bloomington family found a ring-tailed lemur in a garage, a long way from its native Madagascar.

Thomas Keyser will become the dean of the Illinois State University new engineering college in April. He currently serves as dean of the College of Engineering, Technology, and Management at the Oregon Institute of Technology.