Michele Steinbacher
CorrespondentMichele Steinbacher is a WGLT correspondent. She joined the staff in 2020.
Steinbacher previously worked as a reporter at The Pantagraph in Bloomington, and taught communication at Heartland Community College.
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The fiscal 2024 budget is nearly 16% higher than last year’s plan, and is built around the county’s 2023 levy bringing in about 13% more money than the 2022 figure.
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Unit 5 is proposing a nearly $151 million property tax levy for 2023, about 10% more than last year. But the district plans to lower its overall tax rate.
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A partnership between Unit 5 and Eastern Illinois Foodbank brings a monthly food pantry to Normal West. Now, a local chapter of the National Pan-Hellenic Council has made volunteering at the events a core part of its community outreach.
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Normal will require landlords to give tenants advance notice before entering their residences, with an ordinance the Normal Town Council approved Monday.
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The Bloomington Fire Department still expects its first responders to be paramedics. But under the new policy, if a new firefighter doesn’t have the paramedic certification, BFD staff will train them.
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Unit 5’s strategic planning initiative is gaining momentum, with a draft expected by March, the school board heard during its meeting on Wednesday.
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The new policies, for employees not covered through collective bargaining agreements, are expected to cost the town about $250,000 annually.
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Randall Knapp replaces longtime board member John McIntyre, who until September served as board chair.
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A steady stream of city leaders, business owners and residents walked a circuit of posters depicting possible changes, while members of the city’s design team were at each station to field questions.
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The city will borrow the money from public loan programs, and pay Champaign-based Clark Dietz up to $2 million for engineering designs.