Politics and Government

The Bloomington Public Library has presented two options for expansion to the city council. One costs $20.7 million, the other $2 million more. The difference is a two-level parking structure.

The Town of Normal is starting coronavirus testing this week for firefighters who have not been vaccinated. City Manager Pam Reece said it's in response to an executive order from Gov. JB Pritzker.

The developer of the Trail East project in Uptown Normal has pulled out of the deal. Bush Construction tells the town the time is not right to go ahead.

A new report from the Chicago Civic Federation shows most county circuit court clerks in Illinois will lose about 11% of their general fund fee revenue when cash bail is eliminated in 2023. Bond payments can go to a variety of things, including court-ordered fees, fines, restitution, and bond processing fees. It's that last category that helps fund circuit clerk operations.

Some people have moved beyond the anguish of 9/11. For others, the pain is raw and new two decades later. For many 9/11 is history that has shaped the nation. Others believe it continues to echo in our national image and policies.

Two decades after the 9/11 attacks, the nation has not yet deeply reconsidered the national security response to the tragedy and whether the rights of citizens have eroded, according to the ACLU of Illinois.

Town of Normal financial planners said in a report to the town council that fiscal trends are largely positive or stable with only a couple areas of worry. Mayor Chris Koos acknowledged one of those is mandated fire and police pension contributions.

The Bloomington City Council Monday evening expressed an appetite to expedite the next two phases of the Locust-Colton sewer separation project and other measures in the wake of record flooding and sewage backups during heavy rainfall in late June.

The Central Illinois Regional Airport in Bloomington will get almost $2.9 million in pandemic relief money from the federal government, U.S. Sens. Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin announced Thursday.

The mayor of Normal hopes the massive federal infrastructure bill will include money for water treatment plant upgrades in Bloomington-Normal.