Early Voting Numbers Continue To Grow

Nearly a million people in Illinois will have one less thing to do tomorrow.  The Illinois State Board of Elections said on Saturday that 800 thousand people have already voted this year.  The state's early voting numbers  numbers are certain to grow today.  Election officials say more people may vote early this year than they did in 2016.

Normal Proterty Tax Update

Normal residents can expect to pay less in property taxes to the town of Normal next year. Nomal's levy is expected to remain at $13 million while the  equalized assessed valuation is expected to increase from $869 million to $880 million. Next year, however, the town of Normal expects to pay less into the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund. That cost is predicted to fall from $1.72 million to $1.4 million which is th primary reason for the offset.

Lincoln Prison Chaplain Files Federal Discrimination Lawsuit

A prison chaplain from central Illinois is pushing ahead with a federal discrimination lawsuit against the state.  Colleen Bennett-Houston says she was harassed about her hair and clothing almost immediately after being hired at the Logan Correctional Center back in 2012.  She was fired in 2016.  An arbitrator ordered her rehired, but Bennett-Houston's lawsuit says the Illinois Department of Corrections was slow to do that, and is still retaliating against her for speaking out about her treatment. 

Northpoint Elementary School is Closed Friday

Northpoint Elementary School is closed Friday due to a water main break. The break is near the school's parking lot off E. College Ave.. According to a statement release by Unit 5, "In addition to having no running water or working bathrooms, it would be dangerous to have students in school without a working fire hydrant near the building, which is currently the case."

Miller Park Zoo Free on Elections Day

Miller Park Zoo is offering free admission to everyone on Election Day. Originally, free admission was to be offered to those with "I Voted" stickers. The free admission for was decided upon after the legality of the "I Voted" sticker offer was questioned.

Teachers To Request $350-Million More For Pension Payouts

Officials from the Illinois Teachers' Retirement System say they need at least 350-million dollars more from next year's state budget to make their payments.  Officials told reporters with the Illinois News Network this week that the public teachers' retirement fund is only 40 percent funded, and would need almost 74-billion dollars to reach 100 percent.  Some state lawmakers say the pension system needs to be reformed instead, and that teachers' benefits have increased more than one-thousand percent in the last three decades, making them unaffordable. 

Bloomington Shooting Death Victim ID'd

Officials have identified 27-year old Trevonte D. Kirkwood of Bloomington as the man shot and killed Tuesday night in the 1300 block of North Oak Street in Bloomington. Coroner Kathy Davis said he died of multiple gunshot wounds. No arrests have been made in the shooting.