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Restrictions on face masks proposed around country, but ACLU of Illinois has concerns
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Just four years ago, a mask requirement for indoor spaces was issued in Illinois at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and masks were still required on the Chicago Transit Authority and other mass transit as recently as the spring of 2022.But now, there is a growing movement of lawmakers and communities who want to ban masks. Civil liberties advocates have some major concerns about that idea.In surveillance videos of crimes being committed, the perpetrators are often wearing masks over their noses and mouths. In many cases, the coverings help hide the faces and identities of those...
Changes in human relations ordinance signal Normal is a welcoming community
Mayor Chris Koos says the decision by the Town of Normal to add specific protections from discrimination for transgender and non-binary people to the human relations ordinance is a necessary public signal. "It gives comfort to the population that's affected by this ordinance. I think that's the overarching [theme]. We're...
ICYMI: Make Music Normal turned 10 years old this weekend
In its first year, Make Music Normal didn't actually take place all in Uptown Normal. Instead, it was a buskers festival — artists playing around town in what Normal Civic Arts Manager Adam Fox described as "planned spontaneity." "The problem with planned spontaneity is that it's really hard to...
Aaron Rossi handed 5-year prison sentence in federal fraud cases
Former Reditus Laboratories CEO Aaron Rossi will spend five years in federal prison on his guilty pleas to felony charges of mail and tax fraud. Rossi, 40, will also be required to pay a $1 million fine and more than $2.1 million in total restitution, with $1.9 million going to Central Illinois Orthopedic Surgery (CIOS), the Bloomington practice that employed him at the time of the crimes.
Illinois officials urge residents to avoid at-home fireworks this Fourth of July
After the Consumer Product Safety Commission reported that nearly 10,000 fireworks-related injuries and eight fatalities occurred in 2023, officials in Illinois are urging the public to leave the explosives to the pros. On Monday, the Illinois Fire Safety Alliance held an event ahead of the Fourth of July holiday, urging...
Farmer City Police looking for naked home invasion suspect
FARMER CITY, Ill. (WCIA) — The Farmer City Police Department is looking for a man who illegally entered a house over the weekend while naked and appearing intoxicated. Department officials posted on Facebook that officers were called to a house on Richardson Street at 1:30 a.m. for a report of a naked man who entered […]
Bloomington plastics recycler complying with public disclosure requirements
A plastics recycler in Bloomington now appears to be complying with Bloomington-Normal Water Reclamation District efforts to find out what was going on at the site on South Bunn Street, between Croxton and Bell. Earlier this year, the water reclamation district [BNWRD] threatened disconnection and revocation of the wastewater discharge...
A new academic community at ISU focuses on developing intergenerational relationships
A new academic group at Illinois State University hopes to contribute to a growing body of research and practices that foster relationships between people of different generations. Eight faculty members — seven from the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences and one from the Department of Geography, Geology, and the...
Sorensen takes victory lap for sewer separation and Vernon Avenue project funding in B-N
Bloomington and Normal city officials are thanking Democratic U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen for his help in securing nearly $5 million in federal spending for the community. The Interior Department appropriations bill will pay for more work on storm and sanitary sewer separation in Bloomington, storm water drainage work in Normal, and redesigning and constructing a part of Vernon Avenue near Colene Hoose Elementary School.
Undocumented immigrants now eligible for standard Illinois driver's licenses
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Under an Illinois law that went into effect Monday, undocumented immigrants are now eligible for standard driver's licenses in Illinois.It is a change that seeks to reduce the stigma around driving without citizenship, and to make the roads across the state safer.For more than a decade, undocumented immigrants have been able to drive legally in Illinois so long as they passed their road test and had proof of insurance—under legislation signed into law in 2013 by then-Gov. Pat Quinn. This new law takes things one step further by changing the look and language of their former licenses.What...
Pritzker signs 49 bills impacting elections, hunting, mobile park residents and more
(The Center Square) – Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker enacted 49 bills Monday that touch on elections, hunting, mobile home park residents, criminal justice, education and more. House Bill 4621, effective immediately with some provisions taking effect July 1, 2025, creates the Office of Statewide Pretrial Services within the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts. The move allows the office to provide pretrial services to circuit courts and counties that don’t currently have pretrial services agencies. There has been an explosion of pretrial hearings since cash...
Aimee Hutchison Legatzke earns Golden Apple Award
The College of Education (COE) is proud to celebrate the accomplishments of impactful educators across our community. COE alum and current School District U-46 teacher Aimee Hutchison Legatzke, ’03, was honored with the 2024 Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching for her profound work in her kindergarten classroom.
Illinois officials react to SCOTUS presidential immunity ruling
(The Center Square) – Reaction to the U.S. Supreme Court granting "absolute immunity" to the president of the United States when acting in his core constitutional duty is getting reaction from Illinois elected officials. Monday’s ruling comes in response to former President Donald Trump's claim that he has presidential immunity against the charges brought against him over actions he took as president. He is the first former president to face criminal charges. ...
Pritzker could sign reusable tenant screening bill, further regulating landlords
(The Center Square) – Illinois could become the latest in a string of states to enact a measure seeking to save renters money on repeated application costs with House Bill 4926 on Gov. J.B. Pritzker's desk. The measure would amend the Landlord and Tenant Act to allow a tenant to use what’s called a reusable tenant screening report when applying to rent properties. Proponents say the bill can save renters money by letting them get their own basic screening from a third party. The screening...
Martin Luther King Jr. statue returns to Illinois Capitol
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — After nearly two years, a statue honoring a civil rights icon is available for the public to view again. The Illinois Secretary of State’s office confirmed the Martin Luther King Jr. statue would stand again at its pedestal across from 2nd Street facing the Capitol starting Monday. Officials previously announced the […]
Bloomington police to step up traffic enforcement on the Fourth of July
BLOOMINGTON – The Bloomington Police Department warned that they will step up traffic enforcement for the Fourth of July holiday this week. According to a Bloomington police news release, from July 2 to 8, officers will be working to keep impaired drivers off the road and ticket unbuckled motorists.
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