City of Bloomington

Those who care about Bloomington’s history have a few more days to help shape what the city will do to preserve it.

Bloomington residents facing financial strain beacuse of COVID-19 now have another place to turn for help.

Whenever it’s safe for people to gather again, those who run Bloomington’s Grossinger Motors Arena want to be ready.

The Bloomington City Council heard presentations Monday night from several social service agencies addressing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as numerous citizens upset over last week’s vote against a possible direct aid program.

The City of Bloomington said pandemic-related workforce changes and different resident behaviors have caused brush and bulk waste to pile up at curbs around town. The public works department said in some parts of town the delay is a week or two.

“The city is in a good position, but it’s not in a great position,” City Manager Tim Gleason said Monday night in terms of the city withstanding the economic impact of COVID-19.

Bloomington City Council members signaled by a 5-4 vote Monday night they are not in favor of approving direct payments to people disadvantaged by the pandemic shutdown.

The mayor of Bloomington said Saturday evening he plans to issue an executive order expanding police power to ticket those who assemble in large numbers or who fail to abide by social distancing practices ordered by Gov. JB Pritzker to slow the flickering progress of the coronavirus through the population.

An iconic city manager of Normal has died at the age of 82.

Bloomington Mayor Tari Renner said Tuesday night he believes the city continues to make strides toward becoming a better place to live.

The Bloomington and Normal Human Relations Commissions have announced their Martin Luther King Jr. award winners for the year. The commission chooses people who reflect the ideology of the late Dr. King.

The Illinois attorney general’s office is investigating a complaint related to Connect Transit and whether it’s violating state accessibility laws.

The Miller Park Zoo has another cute dose of aww for visitors. Its red pandas have had three cubs. The litter has one male and two females, the first time the zoo in Bloomington has had panda cubs.

Red Pandas were once native to North America. There are fossils as far back as five million years. The zoo said their habitat today is in pockets of mountain areas above four thousand feet in China, Nepal, Burma, and Bhutan.

McLean County government is in the early stages of talks to move more Bloomington city offices into the county government complex.

The City of Bloomington updated its online municipal code to be more accessible to residents.

Bloomington’s Public Works director said updates to the proposed Route 9 bike lane plan reduces the number of impacted parking spaces by nearly 200.

The Connect Transit board on Tuesday approved changes to the Pink route that officials say will soften the blow when the Olive route is eliminated next week.