Sarah Nardi

About 50% of Unit 5 employees have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine so far. 

Speaking to the school board Wednesday night, Superintendent Kristen Weikle said staff vaccinations are “one more step to help us in the return to have more of our students return to in-person learning.”

Weikle said the district has been working with the McLean County Health Department (MCHD) to hold clinics exclusively for Unit 5 employees; 200 district employees received a shot last week, with 200 more scheduled for Thursday. 

Black Americans have suffered disproportionate effects of COVID-19.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the Black community faces the highest risk of any racial or ethnic group in the country. Black Americans are more likely to contract COVID, to be hospitalized for it, and to die from it.

Parents had mixed reactions when some Unit 5 elementary students returned to full-time, in-person learning earlier this month. Speaking to the school board Wednesday night, district superintendent Kristen Weikle addressed the difficulties of making decisions around COVID-19. 

Unit 5 plans to bring its elementary students back to the classroom five days a week, starting later this week.

McLean County Health Department Administrator Jessica McKnight says she knows the public is tired of the frustration and confusion surrounding vaccine distribution.

The number of shootings in Bloomington-Normal is steady compared to previous years, but law enforcement is concerned about the increasing intensity of gun violence among young people.

Heartland Community College is reporting a sharp decline in enrollment, especially among new students. 

Enrollment in that category was down 32% on the first day of the spring term compared with this time last year. Heartland enrollment head Sarah Diel-Hunt said the community college experienced similarly low numbers in the fall, when the pandemic delayed plans for many first-time students. 

The Illinois State University Board of Trustees voted Saturday to approve a $46,000 bonus for outgoing university president Larry Dietz, who announced in November that he will retire June 30.

Typically, December is a slow month for business travel at Central Illinois Regional Airport, but this year it was practically non-existent with airport director Carl Olson saying there was “no detectable business travel activity” the final month of 2020.

During a brief school board meeting Wednesday night, Unit 5 Superintendent Kristen Weikle encouraged staff and students to reflect on the work of Martin Luther King Jr.

As Willie Halbert watched scenes of chaos unfold at the U.S. Capitol, she said she was neither shocked nor surprised.

The Unit 5 school voted Wednesday night to formally dismiss a teacher charged with sexually abusing his students. Those charges were later dropped.

Green energy advocates are warning the COVID-19 crisis is exacerbating problems like economic inequity and environmental racism.

Illinois People’s Action (IPA), a community organization with chapters throughout Illinois, hosted a virtual summit on Tuesday night to discuss the “triple threat” of climate change, COVID, and systemic racism.

“We are in the midst of a triple-layered crisis that is threatening our people and our planet’s well being,” said IPA organizer Cecilia Long.

The Bloomington City Council voted Monday night to approve a property tax levy for the 2020 fiscal year, totaling an estimated $25.6 million that will result in no change in the property tax rate. 

The levy includes financing for both the city and the Bloomington Public Library. 

The tax rate is expected to remain $1.090 per $100 assessed valuation.

Unit 5 Superintendent Kristen Weikle is advising parents and students to be prepared for a possible return to 100% remote learning due to a surge in COVID-19 cases.

Justice Tom Kilbride of Illinois’s 3rd Judicial District has apparently come up short in his bid retain his seat on the Illinois Supreme Court for a third term.

“Though votes continue to be counted, I am disappointed in the apparent outcome. I want to thank the voters of the Third Judicial District for twice placing their faith in me to uphold the sacred principles that guide our judicial system," said Kilbride in prepared remarks.

The Illinois High School Association voted on Wednesday to carry on with the high school basketball season despite a recent statewide surge in COVID-19. The decision comes just a day after the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) elevated basketball to a high-risk category.

Connect Transit will undergo yet another leadership change as interim General Manager Martin Glaze is leaving the public transit agency.