Bloomington city manager says public exploration of data center issue is only the beginning

Bloomington City Manager Jeff Jurgens said the city has fielded multiple inquiries about locating a data center in the community over several years.

Normal West principal receives $10,000 leadership award

Students and staff of Normal Community West High School surprised the school principal as they celebrated her win of a leadership excellence award.

Tech literacy a goal for the new superintendent at Bloomington-based Regional Office of Education

The transition to a new regional superintendent of schools is complete. Mark Jontry retired at the end of April after serving as head of Regional Office of Education #17 since 2008. The Bloomington-based office provides direct support for McLean, DeWitt, Livingston and Logan County public schools a…

Rivian reaffirms 2026 targets as R2 production weathers Normal tornado

It’s not often that a Bloomington-Normal severe weather event makes it into a quarterly earnings report closely watched by Wall Street investors. But it did Thursday. Leaders with the electric automaker Rivian gave investors an update on the tornado that damaged a section of the new R2 plant in wes…

Central Illinois homeless advocates share different approaches to recent shelter projects

Homeless advocates from Bloomington and Lincoln took opposite approaches to finding success with recent shelter projects, as they discussed during the Women to Women Spring Forum on Tuesday at Bloomington Public Library.

Statewide housing legislation could have a big effect in Bloomington-Normal

Gov. JB Pritzker is pushing for statewide zoning changes to spark housing construction. The suite of provisions in the Building Up Illinois Developments [BUILD] legislation would remove local restrictions and allow more multifamily housing in areas currently limited to single-family homes.

Normal Community Experimental Ensemble releases 'A Moment of Yet' — an album made without sheet music

An experimental music ensemble made up of high schoolers from Normal has dropped a new LP and is preparing for a concert at the McLean County Museum of History. The album, A Moment of Yet, is released under the Bloomington-Normal indie label Black Flag Bonsai Club, launched in 2025 by composer/musi…

State lawmakers consider legislation to rein in new data center proposals

Illinois has one of the highest number of data centers in the country. But as residents worry about their water and electricity use, state lawmakers are considering legislation to rein in new data center proposals.

Peer support a critical piece of the addiction recovery puzzle in McLean County

Peer recovery support specialists are increasingly recognized as a critical piece of the puzzle guiding people through addiction recovery. And robust collaborations between McLean County's court system, community health providers and Heartland Community College are positioning the region as a state…

Striking ISU workers struggling with cost of living as work stoppage continues

Some striking dining and grounds workers at Illinois State University said they are struggling to make ends meet amid their third week with no paychecks.