-
In the last 15 years, McLean County has gone from one craft brewery to eight, and another just over the county line in Fairbury. There are six in Bloomington-Normal alone. At some point, craft brewers will start competing and there won't be room for more — but not yet.
-
The Senate Appropriations Committee has advanced spending bills that include money for the McLean County Historical Society. The measure includes $550,000 to help the Museum of History continue making online copies of photo negatives from The Pantagraph newspaper archives.
-
When someone moves to Bloomington-Normal, it's easy to connect with many people who play your favorite sport. Soccer, baseball, tennis, volleyball, basketball and even pickleball players have one-stop shopping.
-
The author and activist Bell Hooks once wrote “rarely, if ever, are any of us healed in isolation. Healing is an act of communion.” The story of a Bloomington-Normal woman's effort to get lifesaving heart surgery is an example of just that.
-
The Normal Public Library board has taken the next step in the project to remove asbestos from the library. Workers discovered asbestos fireproofing flaking off structural beams in 2020 during a bathroom renovation.
-
Bloomington Mayor Mboka Mwilambwe said he has a big vision for the annual Juneteenth celebration at Miller Park, emphasizing that marking the end of slavery is important for the entire community.
-
The U.S. Army has made the mayor of Normal a distinguished member of the 506th Infantry Regiment, a designation given to those who preserve the history and traditions of the unit.
-
Unlike young children on a car ride chanting, "Are we there yet," zoo animals can’t tell you when they’re bored to tears. Some of them don’t even have tear ducts. It’s the job of zookeepers to make sure the animals in their care stay active — mentally as well as physically.
-
It will be expensive to remove asbestos from the Normal Public Library. Estimates range from $3.5 million to more than $5 million if other improvements are done at the same time.
-
The grant is part of 58 awards totaling $6.6 million through the Route 66 ($3.7 million) and Tourism Marketing Grant Programs ($2.9 million) to boost local tourism efforts and attract visitors to drive along the historic highway.