Downs

Bloomington-Normal Youth Activists along with 50 community members took to the streets in Downs on Wednesday to peacefully protest racism and police brutality.

Small-town officials in McLean County said they were all on board with the proposed Heart of Illinois multicounty regional reopening plan right up until a Peoria area official said they would go ahead even without approval from Gov. JB Pritzker. 

The pandemic has stretched across all 50 states. The novel coronavirus has hit major cities the hardest and spread slower in rural areas. But residents of small towns in central Illinois said they nonetheless worry about the likelihood of the pandemic striking their communities.

A portion of Interstate 74 near Downs was closed Thursday night as horses broke loose after a crash.