Courts

Worker advocates said they fear the past is prologue as they discussed the history of corporate malfeasance in hiding the dangers of asbestos at a Bloomington plant.

A longtime associate judge in McLean and Logan counties is retiring. Bill Workman was appointed to the bench in 2014. He'll step down at the end of July.

Derek Siebring, one of three people charged with the murder of Jamere Bew of Bloomington in 2023, has pleaded guilty and will serve decades in prison. His co-defendants' cases are pending.

Luis A. Monroy, 18, is charged as an adult in the 2023 fatal stabbing of Nicholas Zapata. He plans to change his plea to guilty.

Tyjohn Williams was sentenced Monday in a Champaign County courtroom for the murder of Kristian Philpotts. The aspiring veterinarian was killed while driving for the ride share company Lyft.

A McLean County program that supports abused and neglected children is expanding to Logan County.

In the case of Jadeyn and Cassandra Lacey, Judge Amy McFarland gave a directed verdict of acquittal. According to the Laceys' attorney, those are "very rarely granted."

Broadcast Music, Inc., commonly known as BMI, said they made more than 45 attempts to contact the owners of Six Strings Club, notifying them of copyright violations. Bars and nightclubs are required to license live and recorded music. That includes karaoke and cover bands.

DeWon Griffin was sentenced Monday in McLean County for his role in the 2019 murder of Tariq Houston at a party in Normal.

The American Farm Bureau Federation has backed off a deadline to eject the Illinois Farm Bureau from the federation. That deadline would have been this coming Friday.