McLean County Health Department is reporting six confirmed cases of whooping cough in the county.  The disease is highly contagious. (Photo courtesy of CDC)

McLean County

Whooping cough cases reported across McLean County  

Six confirmed cases of the whooping cough have been reported across McLean County, local health department officials reported recently. The bacterial infection, which can spread through airborne and direct contact, is highly contagious.

Two of the six cases occurred within Normal West High School, and district officials took measures to clean and sanitize the building as a precaution before the holiday break. According to the health department, one of the infected persons within the county was an infant.

Agencies offer auto manufacturer tax incentives  

The McLean County Board last week joined three fellow taxing entities in offering a package of incentives to Rivian Automotive, the Detroit-based manufacturing company planning to purchase Mitsubishi Motors’ former North American plant in the town of Normal.

The County Board on Tuesday, Dec. 20, authorized a property tax abatement and economic incentive agreement as a sweetener in hoping to bring significant economic activity to the county within the next five years. The County Board’s overture came on the heels of similar efforts by the governing bodies overseeing the McLean County Unit 5 School District, town of Normal and Heartland Community College.  

County Board will continue meeting in morning  

Despite a concerted push by a small group of residents and a contingent of the County Board, regular monthly board meetings in 2017 will continue being held in the morning, as has long been the practice.

Proponents of a change in meeting time from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on the third Tuesday of the month argued unsuccessfully it would give the public greater opportunities to attend meetings in person. But opponents of the change were concerned about the impact the change would have on county employees. The board voted 12-7 against the switch Tuesday, Dec. 20.

Bloomington

Fired coliseum director under investigation in Minnesota

Curtis Webb, former director of the U.S. Cellular Coliseum in Bloomington, is under investigation by municipal officials in Bemidji, Minn. Webb was employed by VenuWorks, the firm contracted to oversee coliseum operations in Bloomington, and was fired in October on allegations of taking an undisclosed amount of the city’s money.

Prior to taking the reigns of the coliseum earlier this year, Webb had a similar role at Bemidji’s Sanford Center. Officials in the Minnesota town have not disclosed specific details of their investigation, other than stating the revelation in Bloomington sparked the probe.

Man facing charges in attempted murder case

Bloomington resident Darryl Brown, 51, is facing several potential charges linked to a domestic incident earlier this month in the 100 block of Downing Circle.

According to Bloomington Police, Brown threatened a woman with a gun on Sunday, Dec. 11, and fired 13 shots through a door after forcibly entering her home. Police could hear the sound of gunshots when they arrived on the scene, according to the department, and Brown was immediately arrested. Brown, who is being detained in the McLean County Jail, is awaiting sentencing on two charges: attempted second-degree murder and aggravated assault/discharge of a firearm.  

Two Bloomington businesses plan expansions

Two disparate businesses — a Sam Leman Auto Group dealership and a Kroger grocery store — will expand their operations as part of a pair of incentive deals struck in the city of Bloomington. The Leman dealership will construct a new showroom and dealership on an undeveloped 6-acre site south of the Morrissey Crossing Shopping Center and vacate its existing aging facilities at 1502-1508 Morrissey Drive.

Kroger has announced plans of moving its store along College Avenue in Normal and building a larger store on currently undeveloped land along Veterans Parkway in Bloomington.

Normal

Town officials warn of solicitors scamming residents

Solicitors have been spreading false and unlawful information about the town of Normal’s electric aggregation program, municipal officials announced recently. In a news release outlining the issue, town officials said there has not been any change in the current aggregation system.

Neither the town nor its electric supply provider, Constellation Energy, is currently involved in any type of door-to-door solicitation activity. All legal solicitors within the town must obtain a permit and go through a background check. The Normal Police Department is asking anyone concerned of suspicious solicitation activity to contact the department at (309) 888-5030.

Seeking long-term savings, town refinances debt

In a move touted as saving town taxpayers $2.2 million in ensuing decades, the Normal Town Council on Monday, Dec. 19, voted in favor of a plan to refinance $24.7 million in bonds this spring. The bonds, which currently have an interest rate of 4.56 percent, were initially taken out in 2007. The initial timetable for repaying the debt — due by June 1, 2036 — remains in place as part of the refinancing plan.

–McLean County News Briefs–