Politics and Government

There’s a lot of questioning and online pushback happening in Bloomington-Normal right now concerning the arcane subject of municipal electricity aggregation.

Mayor Mboka Mwilambwe thinks it's worth paying the redeveloper of the downtown State Farm building a bundle over the next two-plus decades to get the project completed.

Over the last decade, state funding for Illinois State University has dropped by more than a third after inflation. And it has declined as a share of the total university budget for more than three decades. That could change if the state legislature passes a measure this spring.

Republican state Rep. Regan Deering of Decatur said the move would provide a big economic boost to the region and improve coordination between farmers and agribusiness leaders.

Ambassador Geeta Pasi concludes her tenure in the first-of-its-kind position at ISU this semester, and gave her final remarks last week in a public presentation.

A large crowd of protesters gathered in downtown Bloomington on Saturday afternoon for a "Hands Off!" rally to speak out about actions taken by President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk.

Mayor Chris Koos of Normal has won a 6th full term in office, defeating challengers Kathleen Lorenz and Chemberly Harris.

A Trump administration effort to remove the federal government from wide swaths of American life continues to spread. Libraries and museums in Bloomington-Normal and around Illinois also will feel the impact.

The City of Bloomington says levels of a toxin produced by algae are rising in Lakes Bloomington and Evergreen. The city said in a statement it will be treating parts of the lakes to manage algal growth, starting Thursday.

For the last few months, Illinois State University and faculty union negotiators have had help from a federal mediator. Contract talks are ongoing, but the future of the mediation service is in doubt.