WGLT Jeremy DeHaai center, was the only Unit 5 school board member to vote against a universal masking requirement to begin the school year during the board s meeting Wednesday night.
The Unit 5 school board voted 6-1 Wednesday evening to require all students, teachers, and other staff to wear masks in schools at the start of the year to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Superintendent Kristen Weikle said the district will reassess the requirement about Sept. 21, which is two weeks after students return from the Labor Day break.
That date, she said, is intentional. Throughout the pandemic, holidays have provided a greater chance for spikes in cases of COVID-19 as families travel and socialize outside their usual patterns.
Originally published on April 6, 2021 11:29 pm
It looks like that there won’t be any turnover on the Normal Town Council.
Incumbents Kevin McCarthy, Scott Preston, and Chemberly Cummings appear to have held onto their seats, according to unofficial results from Tuesday s election. Incumbent Mayor Chris Koos also won re-election.
Nine candidates competed for three open spots on the council. McCarthy (17.1%), Cummings (13.5%), and Preston (13.5%) were the top three vote-getters.
Two blocs of candidates emerged during the election: Those who want the town to play an active role in shaping the future, and those who advocate for a more minimal brand of government.
Ryan Denham / WGLT
Originally published on April 2, 2021 5:24 pm
We’re nearing the end of a local election cycle unlike any other in recent history.
The pandemic has limited the personal contact that’s typically the foundation of Bloomington-Normal city council elections. That’s been partially replaced by a barrage of social media ads and campaign mailers funded by unusually large campaign contributions from outside groups. And candidates themselves are bunching up in larger ideology-driven slates than we’ve seen recently.
The sense among those interviewed by WGLT is that there is simply more at stake.
“It’s fascinating to see how seriously some groups and some individuals are taking this election,” said Joseph Zompetti, an Illinois State University professor and expert in political communication.
Originally published on April 2, 2021 9:18 am
Candidates competing for three open seats on the Normal Town Council sparred Thursday over how best to handle town finances and infrastructure, future development, and whether divisive politics is tainting town governance.
Pantagraph Media hosted the forum, moderated by Central Illinois Editor Chris Coates. He asked candidates what they viewed as Normal’s recent successes, what policy ideas they’d bring to the table if elected, and how they’d prioritize infrastructure funding, among other questions.
The hour-long debate was livestreamed, due to pandemic restrictions. Eight of the nine candidates took part, including incumbents Chemberly Cummings, Kevin McCarthy and Scott Preston, along with challengers David Paul Blumenshine, Steve Harsh, Brad McMillan, Karl Sila and AJ Zimmerman.
Much of the debate in the Normal Town Council and mayor's races has centered on taxes, debt and town essentials, including roads and water. But several