Pantagraph (The)

In 1922, Edward C. Biasi opened a drug store on the northeast corner of the courthouse square. For the next 62 years Biasi’s was a fixture on the first floor of the Griesheim Building, with Biasi calling it “probably the…

On Dec. 22, 1945, President Harry Truman switched on the twinkling lights of the nation’s Christmas tree. This White House ceremony, now 75 years in the past, held special poignancy for the reason that the tree had remained unlit the…

This October marked the 26th anniversary of the rebirth of the Normal Theater as a town-run venue for classic, independent and foreign films. Yet the distinctive Art Moderne-designed movie house goes back much further — all the way to 1937…

Gov. James Thompson, who died Friday, was a key figure in the creation of the Diamond-Star Motors assembly plant in Normal. In August 2015, when Mitsubishi was closing the plant, The Pantagraph looked back at the story of a red…

Which of the following seminal documents in American history have been exhibited and seen by thousands of people in Bloomington: An original Thomas Jefferson draft of the Declaration of Independence; Francis Scott Key’s original manuscript of “The Star Spangled Banner”…

Today you are likely to hear it over and over — wash your hands frequently to protect yourself against contracting COVID-19. But children across the U.S. were hearing those same words in 1915, when the National Association for the Study…

Dolores Chavez was just four years old when her mother fell ill.

One of the organizing principles of the McLean County Museum of History is to collect and preserve objects and papers that help tell the stories of this area and those who have called it home — from the arrival of…

“How pleasant it is,” mused The Pantagraph of June 26, 1857, “immediately after the noontide hour of a hot summer’s day, to stroll away from the dusty streets of a noisy city, and spend an hour or two in sauntering…

It’s spring, the perfect time to get outside and a enjoy some beautiful weather! That’s right, even in this time of sheltering in place, you should get outside and enjoy some fresh air and exercise, albeit from an appropriate distance…

When we think of Easter, most people recall Easter egg hunts, bonnets, or even large family meals. But who can forget the Easter baskets filled with delicious treats such as chocolate bunnies, jellybeans, and marshmallow eggs? Children in Bloomington-Normal were…

One of the primary missions of the McLean County Museum of History is to acquire objects and papers that speak to the history of the area and its people.

In the summer of 1949, at a time when Central Illinois communities were hit particularly hard by the deadly disease polio, St. Joseph’s Hospital and Eureka Williams Corp. decided to fight back.

While the Illinois primary election has passed, it couldn’t be a better time to look back and reflect on elections of the past. Take for example the first time women were allowed to vote in McLean County. That was in…

“Do Not Fear Influenza,” read a local Red Cross notice from October 1918. “Learn how to avoid it — How to care for those who have it — What to do if you get it.”

Seventh-grader James Jones Jr. discovered a purse containing a small fortune on his way to Abraham Lincoln Grade School (1208 S. Lee St.) on the morning of Sept. 21, 1944. Jones turned in the $695 cash to his principal, Ruth…

On Sept. 11, 1908, The Pantagraph announced the death of “old Buck,” a horse who had given 13 years of service to the Bloomington Fire Department. “When the alarm summoned him to duty, he went, and he put his whole…

There is often a preconceived notion that only objects associated with the rich and famous, important events, or prominent businesses can become part of the collection of the McLean County Museum of History. But this is simply not the case.

In honor of Presidents’ Day tomorrow, we thought we would take a look back at presidential visits to McLean County over the years. It is believed that 18 presidents of the United States have visited McLean County, the first being…

As a not-for-profit institution, the McLean County Museum of History depends on the generosity of the public to “grow” its object and archival collections. It is through donations of everything from early settler Isaac Jones’ homespun, hand-stitched denim suit to…

Brandtville Center, operated by Arthur Brandt beginning in 1941, was a well-known truck stop, service center, and restaurant along Route 66 (today the southwest corner of Veterans Parkway and Morrissey Drive). The site had been home to a restaurant since…

In the 1960s and into the early 1970s, visitors to the McLean County Courthouse would see two figures stationed at the center of the main floor rotunda — Asahel Gridley and Joseph J. Johnson.

Although an accomplished, classically trained musician, Bloomington’s Julia LeBeau was best known as the maestro of the tin can xylophone.

Editor's note: Flick is on vacation. This column first appeared in 2015.

What becomes a holiday movie most? Being released at just the right time, of course. The movie expected to emerge as the biggest holiday attraction of them all is the reawakening of the "Star Wars" franchise.

Sunday's 60th edition of the Pantagraph All-Star Baseball Game will have a distinct Illinois State flavor.

In this corner, Dr. Leslie Parrott.

Cupid's biggest day of the year may be 72 hours away, but don’t be shocked if one of the bare-bottomed little cherub's arrows grazes an ear before then.

"Ragtime" — the book, the movie and the musical — depicts America's melting pot as a cauldron spilling over into varying levels of chaos and anarchy.

BLOOMINGTON — It's the afternoon after, and the thrill isn't gone for Dan Hubbard.

The first time ever they said "I love you," it was 1974, when the world was having a nice day, every day.

BLOOMINGTON — If home is where the heart is, a new exhibit opening Monday in the McLean County Museum of History will be thumping away healthily for years to come.

Like father, like sons, to be sure.

BLOOMINGTON — The countywide mumps outbreak — which prompted increased vigilance by hundreds of McLean County residents throughout the fall — could have been worse if people hadn't responded appropriately.

In the beginning ... there was very little. Vickie Quade, co-creator of the longest-running religious comedy in Chicago history, "Late Nite Catechism," had signed on for a mere 12 performances. Two per weekend, over six weeks.

BLOOMINGTON — After getting home from Evans Junior High School, 10-year-old Vivek Abraham completes his 6th grade math homework, then studies for his online astrophysics class at Northwestern University in Evanston.

BLOOMINGTON — After getting home from Evans Junior High School, 10-year-old Vivek Abraham completes his 6th grade math homework, then studies for his online astrophysics class at Northwestern University in Evanston.

DECATUR — When Jennifer Dahn answered the call to help the recovery effort at a tornado disaster area in Washington in November 2013, she had no idea she was about to get a vision that would result in smiles and…

STREATOR — No one knows what will happen with emergency health care in this LaSalle County town after Monday. "We need a hospital in Streator," said Arlene Martell, a retired teacher and farmer's wife who lives south of Streator.

BLOOMINGTON — Little changed in Jason Hopkins' life between a 2005 arson that sent him to prison and a violent incident a decade later in downtown Bloomington that left two people with stab wounds and Hopkins behind bars on attempted…

When railroads first reached this stretch of Central Illinois in the early 1850s, the economic interests of Bloomington and the surrounding countryside turned northward to the emerging commercial and industrial behemoth of Chicago.

CLINTON — Even though Larry Martin has owned cattle for decades, he still believes it is worth his time to take more training in cattle handling. Martin’s father, a prominent auctioneer, bought him his first animal when he was only…

BLOOMINGTON — Six-year-old Cole Sanders had a legitimate reason for hoping his new sibling would be a boy. Cole, the oldest son of Neil and Erin Sanders of Bloomington, already had one sister, 2-year-old Campbell, and she was cramping his…

BLOOMINGTON — Esaw Peterson thought his golfing days were over after diabetes took away most of his vision, but help from the McLean County Veterans Assistance Commission brought golf and other activities back into his life.

CARLOCK — Through tears and laughter, Judy Laskowski tells the story of how her rural Carlock home blew up last week. "We must have had a guardian angel. I'm not sure how else we would have made it," she said.

Bobbie Baker of Bloomington had big plans for her grandchildren this year, but knew they probably wouldn't be awake. "We're having a big New Year's Eve party with all the things moms don't approve of: candy and cookies and fudge,"…

Last week, GO! counted down the top significant happenings on the past year's area arts and entertainment scene. This week, we're here to hand out some special kudos to those very same happenings, and then some.

NORMAL — And to think, Illinois State’s basketball team missed its first six shots outside the arc Wednesday night at Redbird Arena.