WGLT Newscasts - 3:33pm 6-17-2025

Published Jun 17, 2025, 8:35 PM

This newscast aired at 3:33pm on 6-17-2025 on WGLT.

From the WGLT newsroom, I'm Ben Howell. A lot of things can delay big transformational projects. One is a lack of resources. Bloomington Mayor Dan Brady says it took him 9 years to get the state to build a system for electronic birth and death records, partly because there was competition for money. And when we got up to certain levels of millions of dollars that caught the eyes of the budgeters, Brady says the system didn't move forward until a coalition pressed for passage of a dedicated funding source, fees.

Certified copies of birth and death records. Bloomington's two city-run entertainment venues more than doubled attendance over the last year. Arts and Entertainment marketing manager Josh Mobach says the downtown area and the Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts attracted more than 250,000 visitors. He attributes that to landing more and better shows. We're also bringing a higher concentration of high demand events to the community as well. The inaugural season for the Bloomington Bison hockey team also helped boost the numbers.

A lawmaker who represents parts of Bloomington says she's disappointed by the lack of influence she had as a first term lawmaker. Republican Representative Reagan Deering says she came into the job thinking she was going to make a difference. I wish I knew how little power I would have. I came in very optimistic. As part of the minority party, Deering says the party's members were not being heard as the session continued.

OSF Saint Joseph Medical Center in Bloomington has a new and improved ICU unit with more beds, bigger spaces, and fresh technology. Director of inpatient services, Courtney Beer says the pandemic revealed a need for helping critically ill patients.

We are becoming a regional transfer center and so we're not only getting patients from within the Bloomington Normal community.

OSF recently announced plans to hub cardiovascular care for East Central Illinois at Saint Joe's, and the Central Illinois Congress.

A woman says her name was on the hit list of the suspected killer of a Minnesota state lawmaker. US Representative Nikki Budzinski posted on social media that Capitol Police told her she was in the gunman's notes. Fifty-seven-year old Nance Bolter has been charged with the murder of a former Minnesota State House Speaker and her husband, and also for shooting and wounding another state senator and his wife. Authorities found notebooks in the suspect's vehicle, which named 45 elected Democratic officials across the country. I'm Ben.

WGLT Newscasts

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