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🌱 What ISU’s latest board decisions mean for projects around Normal
Normal, Illinois Patch AM: a 4 min readGreetings Normal! Your go-to source for what's happening in town is here. Stay in the loop and read on. ☀️
In today's newsletter:
- What ISU’s latest board decisions mean for projects around Normal
- How will moving Fire Station No. 2 change Normal’s emergency response?
- How ISU’s new surplus budget and flood repairs affect Normal residents
Also on today's calendar: Open Gaming [07/26/2026] and 5 more events.
Today's riddle: What kind of shoes do frogs wear? 🤔 (Answer below!)
- Saturday: A stray morning shower; humid, with a high of 80 and low of 69 degrees.
- Sunday: Partly sunny; warmer, humid, temps: high: 88, low: 75. 🌶 Hot!
- Monday: Periods of sun, hot and humid, with a high of 95 and low of 73 degrees.
📰 News we're reading
1. Board of Trustees action items, July 24, 2026 (illinoisstate.edu) — Illinois State’s trustees in Normal approved a $600.4 million FY2027 operating budget with a $3.2 million surplus and greenlit major flood-repair contracts, including work by SERVPRO of Normal. They also advanced big capital projects like the new STEM-focused Science Complex, exterior repairs at 302 School Street, a solar array at Campus East, and several new named labs and athletic facilities that will reshape campus over the next few years. 
2. Coverage roundup: Normal Fire Department and its stations, staffing, response times and funding (pantagraph.com) — Normal’s fire services are under intense review as town officials, firefighters, and residents debate relocating Fire Station No. 2 and grapple with ambulance fees and Medicaid reimbursement. A new $8 million northeast station is under construction, while the council has already approved a 2027 budget with higher spending and a sizable deficit that shapes future fire operations.
3. ISU board approves budget at a surplus; 3% merit raises set for nonunion employees (wglt.org) — Illinois State University in Normal just approved a $600.4 million budget with a $3.2 million surplus and merit raises up to 3% for about 1,550 nonunion employees starting October 1. Trustees also funded more than $3 million in repairs after June 11 flooding dumped over 3 inches of rain on Normal, overwhelming both campus and town systems and damaging key academic buildings and a School Street residence hall.
4. Sheriff's Lt. Jon Albee picked to weigh in on mental health sales tax spending (wglt.org) — Money from a shared Bloomington-Normal-McLean County sales tax will soon be guided in part by incoming sheriff Jon Albee, now appointed to a five-member advisory council. The group helps decide how the 1% tax supports local public safety, jail operations, and behavioral health services that Normal residents rely on.
5. FUSE program has led to fewer arrests among people with mental illness, substance use disorders (wglt.org) — A countywide FUSE program funded in part by a Bloomington-Normal sales tax is cutting jail bookings for people with serious mental illness and substance use disorders. New data show participants are arrested less often after enrolling, even as judges navigate Illinois’ cashless bail rules and look to FUSE as a key alternative for some non-detainable offenses.
📸 Around Normal
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🗓
Upcoming Events in
Normal
Add your event to our calendar and newsletter!
★ Featured events ★
-
Normal CornBelters vs. Rex Baseball →
The Corn Crib, 1000 W Raab Rd, Normal
6:30 pm
Saturday July 25
Want to see your event featured? Click here!
Other local events
-
Rocky the Rattler →
Normal, IL Calendar Normal, IL 61761
6:00 am -
Power Up Scavenger Hunt
Town of Normal Parks and Recreation Department - Normal IL 61761
6:00 am -
Rocky the Rattler
Town of Normal Parks and Recreation Department
6:00 am -
Anderson Aquatic Center Hours →
Normal, IL Calendar Normal, IL 61761
11:00 am -
Karraker Aquatic Center Hours →
Normal, IL Calendar Normal, IL 61761
11:30 am -
Open Gaming [07/26/2026] →
Red Raccoon Games, 301 N Main St, Bloomington
12:00 pm -
Power Up Scavenger Hunt
Town of Normal Parks and Recreation Department - Normal IL 61761
6:00 am
Sunday July 26
Monday July 27
📣 Normal Shout Outs!
Want to say something great about someone in town? Click here to submit your Shout Out to Patch AM! It's free!
🗓 Events Nearby
-
Plant Talk
Town of Normal Parks and Recreation Department Normandy Gardens - Normal IL 61761
9:00 am -
Rolling Along with Liz Holden →
Bloomington Public Library, 205 E Olive St, Bloomington
1:00 pm -
Nuns World Tour →
The Barn III, 1451 Timberline Rd, Goodfield
5:30 pm -
Power Up Scavenger Hunt
Town of Normal Parks and Recreation Department - Normal IL 61761
6:00 am
Saturday July 25
Sunday July 26
Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.
Want to see your business here? Click here to connect with local customers.
💬 Chatter
What your neighbors are talking about on social media
- Wal-Mart posted a job opening for Maintenance Custodian Associate in Normal. Apply here.
- Heartland Community College posted a job opening for Adjunct Faculty Pool in Normal. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Normal here.
Ok Normal! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!
-- The Patch AM Team
P.S. The answer to today's riddle: Open-toad (Thank you Harold W. for sending it in!)
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Submit it here!
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