McLean County

Rural McLean County fire departments are getting a look at how drones can help them when fighting fires.

A clean audit of the McLean County Mental Health and Public Safety Fund won't wipe away all the disagreements over how the county spends sales tax money shared by Bloomington and Normal.

After a pause, wind farm development could take a step forward in McLean County, according to County Board Chair Elizabeth Johnston. A battery energy storage system attached to a wind farm is moving ahead in McLean County.

McLean, Champaign, Ford, Marshall and Tazewell counties are included in the proclamation, which makes additional state resources available to assist response and recovery efforts.

Two childcare providers described an industry where good intentions run into real financial and bureaucratic walls. At least for now, some left standing in McLean County seem more interested in propping each other up than fighting over what's left.

Brady Stoewer, 24, of Normal was eligible for probation after pleading guilty to one count of criminal sexual abuse of a minor. A judge issued the 4.5-year sentence during an all-day hearing Friday in McLean County Court.

The Ecology Action Center said in its regular greenhouse gas emission inventory report that McLean County reduced emission levels by 10%, and local governments by 15% since 2008. It's equal to more than 200,000 metric tons of emissions.

There were about 300 fewer members in the fall of 2021 than there had been before, but steady gains each year since then have put current membership at just under 1,000.

New data spanning more than two decades of court records in McLean County shows two-thirds of people convicted on criminal charges do not reoffend.

The county-led program, in place since 2019, has contributed to fewer jail bookings for participants, including a steep decline in DUI and traffic charges.