Chris Koos

Gov. JB Pritzker visited Rivian’s new manufacturing plant in Normal on Tuesday and suggested that the company’s new R2 model could open up the market for EVs to middle-income buyers in the same way that Ford’s Model T did for regular cars a century ago.

Data centers are getting a lot of attention in Bloomington. In Normal, not so much — both in inquiries by business and concerns from the public.

Officials representing McLean County, Bloomington and Normal said “the system worked” by implementing an all-hands effort during Friday’s powerful thunderstorms.

The new version of the proposed Trail East and West development project in Uptown Normal would be primarily residential housing on the north side of the traffic circle straddling Constitution Trail. And a controversial mural on a building in the project footprint would likely be torn down.

Pope Leo XIV has told the mayors of Bloomington and Normal that authority must be understood as service. The Pope referred to the example of Christ, who came “not to be served but to serve.”

McLean County Board Chair Elizabeth Johnston said she disagrees, in part, with Twin City mayors Dan Brady and Chris Koos who have criticized the performance of the Bloomington-Normal Economic Development Council. Johnston said she thinks the EDC has delivered a lot of bang for the buck.

The head of the Bloomington-Normal Economic Development Council has submitted his resignation. Patrick Hoban led the EDC for six years. This opens the door to a broader discussion of the role of the EDC in the Twin Cities.

A $1.9 million federal grant announced by U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin will fund engineering and construction of the new stretch of trail that will extend the current endpoint at Gregory Street and Parkside to the west and south.

Single-family housing starts grew in Normal last year by nearly 49% — though the total number only reached 55.

An upcoming strategic planning retreat for the Normal Town Council will help focus on issues for the next several years. Mayor Chris Koos said one idea that has surfaced in focus groups is a sports complex.