Reprinted with permission from The Pantagraph By Paul Swiech, Health Editor; Photos by David Proeber BLOOMINGTON — Gloria McKittrick, her sister Patricia Killian and brother Greg Erickson walked through the former neighborhood grocery store once owned and operated by their great-grandfather and grandparents at 1311 W. Olive St., Bloomington. “I love seeing the old, wood…

Reprinted with permission from The Pantagraph By Maria Nagle, Pantagraph reporter; Photos by David Proeber BLOOMINGTON — There were a lot children playing with 5-year-old Max Chapman in the newly opened Harmony Park on Thursday, Aug. 8, 2019, and that made his mother happy. “To see Max in his wheelchair playing right along side his peers…

Reprinted with permission from The Pantagraph By Kelsey Watznauer, Education/Public Safety Reporter; Photos by Lewis Marien BLOOMINGTON — Tip-toeing ballerinas, poetry-inspired rappers, a country rock duo, a squad of jump ropers, aspiring pop singers and a dashiki-clad drummer took the stage Saturday, Aug. 10, 2019, to celebrate the 40th annual Cultural Fest at Miller Park.…

Photos by Shannon Lankford Photography On June 6, 2019, 10 Community Health Care Clinic patients completed their months-long journey to a new smile, becoming the first set of patients to receive dentures from the CHCC dental clinic. The dental clinic is helping McLean County residents live happier, healthier lives. Clinic staff shared the stories of…

Reprinted with permission of The Pantagraph By Kevin Barlow, Agriculture Reporter HEYWORTH — A new mural in downtown Heyworth will both recognize Heyworth’s past and serve as a tribute to a former Heyworth educator and folk-art rug designer. The Depot Mural was unveiled before a crowd of about 50 people Sunday, July 14, 2019, on…

Reprinted with permission of The Pantagraph By Kelsey Watznauer; Photos by Lewis Marien NORMAL — The streets of uptown Normal were packed Saturday, July 13, 2019, as artists and art lovers endured the summer heat for the annual Sugar Creek Arts Festival. “Right now we’re considered to be one of the best festivals in the…

With names like Silver Lumentello, Custom Bikes 4 U, Muffin Squad and Old Town Rides, teams of young entrepreneurs competed to pitch their electric three-wheeled motorcycles to a panel of judges on the final day of Entrepreneur Camp. The weeklong camp at The Vault in Clinton gave participants the chance to design and build their…

Reprinted with permission of The Pantagraph By Paul Swiech, Health Reporter; Photos by Lewis Marien BLOOMINGTON — There’s a lot of pounding, scraping, drilling and hammering going on at 1311 W. Olive St. Those are the sounds of opportunity to Mary Campbell, Feli Sebastian and other volunteers involved in a community service project there. The project…

Reprinted with permission of WGLT By Laura Kennedy An artist. A teacher. An illustrator. Those were the three paths to an art career that Kendra Paitz heard about when she was growing up. Now that she’s the director and chief curator of the University Galleries in Normal, Paitz decided to show area young people all…

Reprinted with Permission from The Pantagraph By Paul Swiech, Pantagraph Health Editor; Photo by David Proeber BLOOMINGTON — Tylin Davis learned what it meant to be a father when his fiancee had a medical complication following the birth of their daughter and was rushed to emergency surgery. “I prayed to God, ‘please don’t take my…