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Kent Karraker, who was in his 80s, grew up in southern Illinois and became an executive at the Illinois Farm Bureau. He was elected to the Normal Town Council in 1983 and elected mayor 10 years later.
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The mayor of Normal said a potential ban on more smoke shops in Uptown relates to the purpose of the district. Mayor Chris Koos said the idea behind Uptown is to have an area that gets used 18 hours a day, and not just by university students but by the community. That requires a mix of businesses.
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Manager Yvonne Wilson emphasized the bands and artists are not at fault for the damages and placed blame on concertgoers whose actions have ranged from “chaotic” to “not normal behavior.”
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The Town of Normal is seeking input via a survey aimed at gauging what environmental priorities community members want the town to focus on in future development projects.
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The Federal Railroad Administration is giving Illinois $95.1 million for passenger train service. Some of that will go toward the Chicago-to-St. Louis corridor that includes Bloomington-Normal, Pontiac and Lincoln in central Illinois.
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Uptown will be full of art—inside and out, with a new exhibition at University Galleries during Sugar Creek Arts Festival. And the Midwest Toy and Comic Fest moves to Parke Regency for its second year.
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A new report on the financial condition of the Town of Normal shows higher fund balances than at this time last year. The increase of close to $3.5 million across all funds comes from increased consumer spending related to growth in the community workforce.
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Here are some highlights from the Sweet Corn Circus in Uptown Normal on Aug. 26-27, 2023. It included performances by Gamma Phi Circus at Illinois State, Cirquemania, Maestro Jones and the Front Street Collective, and Iron Spirit Pro wrestling.
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Bloomington-Normal has nearly $2.7 million in potential projects included in an appropriations bill that has advanced from a subcommittee to the full appropriations committee in the U.S. House.
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Eight months ago, a housing coalition in Bloomington-Normal asked for help, and a share of Town of Normal and City of Bloomington pandemic relief money to support as people go through rental assistance, eviction avoidance, and affordable housing programs. But the lack of housing and affordable housing is a much broader issue than one advocate can solve.