Town of Normal

Rising interest rates have blocked the hoped-for start of construction this spring on a flagship development project in Uptown Normal.

Town of Normal Finance Director Andrew Huhn said during a daylong budget workshop for the town council that a lot of the increase will be funded by projected double-digit revenue growth, mainly in sales and income tax receipts.

Bloomington and Normal issued a combined 244 permits for new home construction in 2022. That’s up 51% from the year before, with more building planned for 2023.

Normal Mayor Chris Koos is conditionally endorsing doing away with bus fares in the Twin Cities, but says he still wants to see a concrete proposal before fully committing.

The issue of whether three people can run for offices in Normal that are currently non-elective is now in the hands of the McLean County Circuit Court.

Bloomington-Normal could soon see the opening of its third cannabis dispensary, and then a fourth.

The head of Bloomington-Normal's bus system said his organization will forgo nearly $1.4 million in funding from the City of Bloomington and Town of Normal next budget year. Those are dollars for capital projects David Braun said Connect Transit doesn't need right now.

Phoenix Investors doubled the facility's size as part of a more than $60 million project. Electric automaker Rivian has leased the existing building for storage, and plans to occupy the half-million-square-foot addition.

The new $1.7 trillion federal spending plan just signed into law includes millions in earmarks for projects in McLean County, including Illinois State University’s nursing college, a new pedestrian and bike path along College Avenue, and a sewer project in Heyworth.

It could be time to discuss one of the proposals in a 2019 Connect Transit special working group report, says Normal City Manager Pam Reece, because it's an unusual development — an organization asking for less money instead of more.