Image courtesy of the City of Bloomington BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - Dutch Bros Coffee is continuing its expansion into Illinois with a new Bloomington location, a project expected to bring more traffic and renewed energy to the city’s busy Empire Corridor. According to City Manager Jeff Jurgens, the company will invest about $1.7 million in the new site. The location was selected with the help of a private developer who had […]
Image courtesy of the City of Bloomington NORMAL, Ill. - The city of Bloomington is introducing a new Proactive Property Management Maintenance initiative. The city’s Community Impact and Enhancement Department is leading the initiative as part of a community-wide revitalization effort. Its primary goal is to keep neighborhoods safe, clean, and well-maintained. Before this effort, the department had relied on complaints about property violations. Director of Community Impact and Enhancement […]
Image Courtesy of Illinois State University NORMAL, Ill. - The City of Bloomington has had issues with its water supply since January of last year. Assistant Water Director Brett Lueschen and Water Purification Superintendent Scott Joyce explain why this is happening. “We've noticed in the last few years that maybe the levels of the taste and odor compounds, MIB and geosmin specifically, are higher than they were in the past," […]
Image courtesy of the City of Bloomington BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - On the first Friday of each month, downtown Bloomington lights up with music, sales and a strong sense of community for “Shop First Friday,” an event designed to celebrate and support small, locally owned businesses. Downtown Development Specialist, Taylor Kern, said the idea grew out of a nationwide movement that highlights the importance of shopping small, especially during the holiday […]
Image Courtesy of National Register of Historic Places BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — The former State Farm building in downtown Bloomington will soon be redeveloped into a $68 million housing project. Following a meeting on April 14, the City of Bloomington and Urban Equity Partners (UEP) reached an agreement on the proposals, with construction expected to begin as early as this year. Bloomington’s Economic Development Manager Ellen Robertson attended Monday’s discussion. “There […]
BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - Residents in the Bloomington-Normal area have been noticing an unpleasant taste and smell to their water. However, with recent improvements to the water treatment process, residents should begin to notice a significant improvement. Deputy City Manager Sue McLaughlin shared about a new system that should make a difference for residents.“Just Wednesday afternoon we started feeding powdered activated carbon (PAC), which is a compound that will address the […]
BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - A series of antisemitic flyers were posted around downtown Bloomington this past weekend. The flyers were posted at various businesses with no clear direction, save for the one posted at the office of the McLean County Democrats. The posters had many targets, including the Biden Administration, feminism and Blackrock, a large investment firm that’s often been the target of antisemitic conspiracy theories. According to Bloomington police officer […]
Image provided by the City of Bloomington NORMAL, Ill. - The City of Bloomington announced the appointment of Jeff Jurgens as the new City Manager, effective May 6, 2024. He will succeed Tim Gleason, who will be stepping down a day before. Jurgens served on Bloomington's Corporation Council for almost a decade, although he was still in private practice. In 2020, he "came in house," meaning he left his law […]
Image Courtesy of the City of Bloomington NORMAL, Ill. - The City of Bloomington and the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) held an event this week to present upcoming transportation projects impacting the community. The presentation was held on Feb. 26 and was open to the public for viewing. The informative session provided residents with a look at upcoming projects. Director of Operations and Engineering of Bloomington Kevin Kothe spoke […]
