Kevin McCarthy

Despite lingering concern over an ordinance to suppress problems at large-scale pop-up parties, the Normal Town Council passed the measure this week.

The Normal Town Council has authorized preparing a new tax levy increasing annual property taxes by a small amount.

Bloomington-Normal candidates for next April's municipal elections have begun filing their nominating petitions.

Meetings for the Behavioral Health Coordinating Council — a newly independent body that convenes area health and social service experts with government officials to discuss community behavioral health efforts in McLean County — are going private for the first time in the group’s history. Members say it should improve dialogue and get better results.

The newly formed Mental Health and Public Safety Fund Advisory Council — named after the fund Bloomington and Normal shared sales tax dollars create — had its first meeting on Monday, when members approved $1.5 million for new behavioral health initiatives in 2025.

The Behavioral Health Coordinating Council narrowed its scope for 2024-2025, identifying five key areas of improvement. In short, they are to educate on area resources, advance services and access for vulnerable populations, increase safe, temporary shelter, expand the behavioral health workforce and explore opportunities to share health data across service providers.

Restructuring of McLean County’s Behavioral Health Coordinating Council is complete, and as McLean County Board Chair Catherine Metsker promised when she suspended meetings in March, the group now has a defined — and codified — structure, with clear objectives.

This Saturday will mark the 30th anniversary for the the largest multisport event in Illinois south of Chicago, in McLean County.

McLean County Board Chair Catherine Metsker suspended meetings for the behavioral health advisory committee. She's given little detail about what that might mean for committee members or the public. Here's what WGLT knows so far.

The Town of Normal is one step closer to prohibiting future smoke shops from being created in Uptown. The town council voted to initiate a zoning amendment regarding tobacco establishments at its meeting Monday night.