Politics and Government

The state of Illinois is giving the Central Illinois Regional Airport $3 million to build an air cargo road. The grant is for half the $6 million estimated cost of the project. A federal grant and airport money will make up the rest.

Illinois State University leaders say they're "currently consulting with our state officials and legal counsel to determine what this decision means for affected students and the university."

Bloomington Election Commissioner Diana Hauman has resigned in the face of a complaint about social media posts she made in May, rather than face a court fight over her status as a commissioner.

A resident of the Town of Normal has accused council member Kathleen Lorenz of yelling and swearing at town workers about town leadership during an early evening incident in Uptown.

The Normal Town Council has adopted a new strategic plan for the next three years. Mayor Chris Koos talks about some of the details.

The City of Bloomington will get help from the public service arm of a realtors organization to revitalize several west side neighborhoods. The Counselors of Real Estate Consulting Corps will send a team to survey a broad batch of community stakeholders and write a proposal.

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin says a national housing bill is likely to become law even though President Trump is holding it hostage. The president last week canceled a signing ceremony for what's called the 21st Century Road to Housing Act until Congress acts on his voting security bill.

U.S Sen. Dick Durbin said the struggle to improve dental care for low-income people is going the wrong way in Washington. During an appearance at Chestnut Health Systems in Bloomington, Durbin said that's particularly true for children.

Rising gas prices caused by the U.S. war with Iran have caused a significant bump in the national inflation rate. A number of stopgap policy proposals have come up to ease the pain at the pump. It’s questionable whether those ideas really matter.

Bloomington appears ready to more aggressively market naming rights opportunities for the former Grossinger Motors Arena in Downtown Bloomington. Sponsorship by the auto group ended in 2022, and the city has called a news conference next Wednesday to highlight revived use of the building.