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Boy charged in connection with Thursday afternoon shooting in Normal
NORMAL, Ill. (WMBD) — A boy has been arrested in connection with a mid-day shooting in Normal that left one man with non life-threatening injuries. The youth, whose age was not released by Normal Police, is charged in McLean County Circuit Court with attempted murder, aggravated battery, aggravated discharge of a firearm, mob action and other weapons counts in connection with the Thursday afternoon shooting in the 100 block of West Shelbourne Drive.
State suspends law license of Bloomington lawyer for misappropriating money
The state of Illinois has suspended the law license of a Bloomington attorney for misappropriating money from insurance cases and neglecting clients. The Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission has issued what's often called a soft disbarment for Gregory Oltman, equating to an indefinite suspension. Oltman won't be able to practice law for a minimum of three years, must petition for reinstatement, and has to go through a commission hearing before the state Supreme Court considers lifting the suspension.
Judge hears arguments in bid for retrial of Bloomington murder case
A Decatur man sentenced to 45 years in prison following the murder of a 20-year-old Bloomington man in 2018 is petitioning the court for a new trial. Attorneys for Anthony Grampsas, now 24, have filed a post-conviction petition arguing that new evidence from three individuals involved in the 2018 home invasion and shooting indicates Grampsas is innocent.
Openings delayed for two Central IL pools ahead of Memorial Day weekend
CENTRAL ILLINOIS (WCIA) — A couple Central Illinois pools won’t open this weekend after dealing with setbacks. Board President Denver Piatt of the Paxton Park District said they have been without a recreation director and the pool isn’t ready. He said they’re finishing up staffing certifications, and they need to get the pool cleaned before […]
Attempted murder charge filed for 2 alleged shootings on Bloomington’s east side
BLOOMINGTON (25News Now) - A Bloomington man is charged with attempted murder for allegedly firing a gun at a car, targeting one of its occupants, earlier this month. Charges allege Daqwan Davis, 22, fired a gun on Tuesday, May 7, at a car in the 1800 block of Lawndale Way and again in the 1300 block of Mount Vernon Drive, only about a block from each other near Veterans Parkway and Clearwater Avenue. Court documents indicate Davis also lived in the area, on Dogwood Lane.
Not guilty plea entered for arrested ISU protesters
NORMAL (25News Now) - Seven students arrested at Illinois State University (ISU) in early May after refusing to end a sit-in outside the president’s office have pled not guilty Thursday. Each of the students pled not guilty to a criminal trespassing charge, according to the McLean County State Attorney’s...
Mount Pisgah Baptist Church reopens with support from Bloomington faith community
Two months after being displaced by a extensive vandalism, members of Mount Pisgah Baptist Church in west Bloomington will return to their church on Sunday. Senior pastor Timothy Mark Harris said while cleaning crews repaired the damage done in March, church services relocated to Second Presbyterian Church downtown. They immediately followed Second Presbyterian’s regular services.
Violence prevention agencies work to keep kids safe as school year winds down
CENTRAL ILLINOIS (25News Now) - For some Central Illinois students, this week marked the end of the school year, meaning a little more freedom, but it also means an uptick in juvenile crimes. To combat that, agencies like the Normal Police Department enforce nighttime curfews for minors. The rule is...
Listen: It's the end of the school year — and for some educators, the end of an era
When District 87 teacher and coach Joel Misukonis started working at Bloomington High School in 1990, there were no computers in the building — and it would be around 10 years or so before they were a common sight on teachers' desks. "When I graduated college, there were only,...
Dust Storm Shuts Down Sections of I-55 Near Bloomington, Illinois Authorities Urge Motorist Caution
Chaos ensued on Illinois roadways as a menacing dust storm descended upon central Illinois, leading to the closure of parts of Interstate 55. The Illinois State Police diligently worked to manage the fallout as visibility plummeted to near zero at times, forcing troopers to shut down the stretch of I-55 near Bloomington, as reported by the Chicago Tribune. Motorists were urged to immediately seek out alternative routes, with officials rerouting northbound traffic onto Route 136 eastbound, Route 51 northbound, and I-74 westbound, and southbound vehicles onto I-74 eastbound, Route 51 southbound, and Route 136 westbound.
4 sentenced for bungled gun store burglaries
A federal judge has sentenced four people for their parts in a gun store burglary ring that tried to grab weapons from five counties in Central Illinois, including McLean. Dezmond Hardy, 23, Shaleik Ward, 20, Terrence Daniels, 23, and Erika Garner, 22, are all from Peoria. They admitted attempting and failing to break into gun stores in Bloomington, LeRoy, Lincoln, Decatur, Spring Valley, and Taylorville in August 2023.
3 arrested in connection to 2023 Bloomington armed robbery
BLOOMINGTON (25News Now) - Bloomington Police arrested three people who they say were responsible for an armed robbery in November 2023. Two of the suspects, 28-year-old Andrew J. McConnaughay of Hudson and 30-year-old Scott P. James of Bloomington are facing a slew of charges, including armed robbery with a firearm, possession of a weapon by a felon, robbery, aggravated battery with great bodily harm, and mob action.
UPDATE: Most outages resolved after Tuesday’s wind storm
UPDATE (8:20 a.m.) — By rush hour, most outages were resolved in the Tri-County area with only about 150 or so customers still without electricity, according to the Ameren Illinois outage map. Bloomington-Normal reported only four customers without power, the map stated. High winds from the storm downed trees...
2 arrested in connection to 2022 Normal shooting
NORMAL (25News Now) - Normal Police arrested two men who they say are suspects in a 2022 shooting. The suspects, Eric L. Clark-Phifer and Demetrius D. Moore, both 32 and from Bloomington, are facing a slew of charges. Phifer was charged with two counts of aggravated unlawful use of a...
Law enforcement reminding teens of curfew
CENTRAL ILLINOIS (WMBD) — An informal survey of cities, counties and towns within central Illinois found that most have ordinances or rules that are based upon the state of Illinois statute. Under Illinois law, a youth under 17 can not be out past 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Weekends,...
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