Scott Preston

The Uptown underpass project, first proposed 10 years ago, was approved Monday night by the Normal Town Council with a sunset provision on tax increases needed to complete financing.

To get the decade-old Uptown underpass project over the finish line will require increases in food and beverage and hotel-motel taxes. That staff recommendation emerged at a special town council meeting on Wednesday evening.

The contract calls for a 15% raise spanning four years, including a 6% hike in 2024, a 5% raise in April 2025 and then 2% raises in 2026 and 2027.

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.

Republican Scott Preston conceded late Tuesday night after Chung pulled ahead by about 1,500 votes.

Democrat Sharon Chung and Republican Scott Preston have attracted big money in their run for the Illinois House. Bloomington-Normal hasn’t seen a House race this competitive or costly in modern history.

Republican hopeful Scott Preston held a news conference Monday, criticizing Democratic opponent Sharon Chung's support for the failed graduated tax initiative during a candidate debate six days earlier. Meanwhile, a recent state Democratic Party mailer on behalf of Chung calls Preston and tax hikes a "love story for the ages."

Illinois House candidates Sharon Chung and Scott Preston outlined differences on taxes, the budget and criminal justice during a debate Tuesday evening at Illinois State University.

You can expect big money from outside of Bloomington-Normal to finance one of the marquee Statehouse races in Illinois in November. Democratic McLean County Board member Sharon Chung of Bloomington faces Republican and Normal Town Council member Scott Preston in the 91st District.

There were primaries in both major parties, an indicator the 91st is one of the increasingly rare districts in Illinois that are balanced enough to avoid a predetermined partisan outcome.