Sound Ideas

U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood is voicing full-throated support for the massive Republican tax and spending bill, despite past opposition to Medicaid cuts and concern over the mounting federal budget deficit. LaHood represents parts of Bloomington-Normal.

McLean County Nursing Home Administrator Tim Wiley said the county-run skilled nursing facility isn't anticipating a change in strategy in the wake of Congress approving steep cuts to Medicaid.

Starting July 17, the federal government's Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration [SAMHSA] will no longer offer specially trained counselors for LGBTQ+ youth on its suicide prevention hotline.

The leaders of the Bloomington-Normal Community Land Trust say they've made lots of progress since forming two years ago. They plan to buy and at least begin rehabbing their first home sometime in 2026.

A Chicago-based nonprofit advocating for people living with criminal records is branching out, with its first chapter launching in the Bloomington-Normal area. Fully Free BloNo chapter hosts a kickoff party 3 p.m. Saturday, July 12, at Bloomington's Miller Park.

The Bloomington-Normal Area Convention and Visitors Bureau has received a $150,000 state tourism grant to further restore Sprague’s Super Service in Normal ahead of Route 66's 100th anniversary next year.

Nancy and Ben Pounds' Bloomington yard is featured as part of a 10-home garden tour benefiting the David Davis Mansion.

Tuesday was the first day colleges and universities can make direct payments to student-athletes. This stems from a settlement in a landmark case involving student compensation. Illinois State University Athletics Director Jeri Beggs called it the most dramatic change ever seen in college sports.

For the first time, the City of Bloomington is regulating an industry that it says has been a source for sex trafficking and other illicit behavior. Two massage therapists share their views on the new regulations.

This term’s Supreme Court decision that allows states to ban gender-affirming healthcare for adolescent transgender minors is causing fear, frustration, and resolve in the LGBTQ+ community in Bloomington-Normal.