Government and Politics

The Dean of Students office at Illinois State University and the campus PRIDE organization are condemning bigoted vandalism of Greek houses by members of a campus fraternity.

Illinois candidates for governor talked agriculture policy at an ag sector roundtable Wednesday consisting of more than 100 industry leaders. The session was held in McLean County at Shuler Farms in rural Lexington.

McLean County courts hope to use data on juvenile offenders to reduce adult crime and punishment in central Illinois. The effort has two prongs — improving interventions for troubled children, and a potential specialty court for offenders aged 18 to 25.

Garrett Scott, a longtime Normal Town Council member, speech pathologist, and chess educator who helped thousands of school children learn and play chess, has died. He was 78.

The Bloomington Election Commission is looking for its fourth executive director in two years as the November election approaches.

Normal Mayor Chris Koos would like to see the community develop guidelines for a shovel-ready industrial park, something the Economic Development Council has begun to talk about. But during a WGLT interview on Sound Ideas, he shied away from specifying what the town should provide to make it happen.

More than two thirds of adult Illinoisans gambled last year (68%), and almost 4% have a gambling problem, according to a study done for the state Department of Human Services. DHS said the study showed 3.8% of residents of the states have a gambling problem. That's 383,000 people. An additional 7.7%, approximately 761,000 people, are at risk for developing a gambling problem .

The Town of Normal is moving ahead with work on the proposed Trail West and East Project in Uptown even though a development agreement is not yet in place. City Manager Pam Reece said there's a lot to be done to prepare for the start of construction next spring.

The estimated price of the Uptown Underpass Project in Normal could go up by 25% because of inflation.

A group of cannabis industry professionals wants to build a marijuana retail store in Bloomington.