Good morning, Normal.

Langston Pates, a former inmate, now serves on the McLean County Reentry Council as he works to help others access housing, jobs, and health services after facing many reentry challenges when he returned home in April 2019.

He shared his redemption story during Second Chance Month and the council will host its 4th Annual Reentry Resource Fair on May 3 (602 S. Main Street in Bloomington).

Ethan Jeffreys, a 23-year-old first responder serving El Paso and Normal, died Monday morning after a short battle with stomach cancer.

Friends and colleagues plan to honor his service with a visitation on Friday at 4 p.m. at Christ Community Church in Gridley — with his burial scheduled Saturday morning in El Paso — as they pay tribute to his dedication.

Heartland Community College will host an emergency response exercise on Friday (1 p.m.) on its North campus to simulate a lithium-ion battery fire in its Electric Vehicle Lab, with local responders and Health Sciences students taking part; the drill will briefly evacuate the Advanced Manufacturing Center and Student Commons Building.

Millikin University and Illinois Central College have partnered to let ICC graduates with an AA, AS, AFA, AES or AAS and a 2.0 GPA automatically transfer to Millikin to complete a bachelor's degree in two years—eligible students can join honors and scholarship programs—this partnership starts in the 2025-2026 school year.

Seven Heartland Community College students placed in the National Professional Agriculture Student conference — held March 17–20 in Sheridan, Wyoming — where their skills in agribusiness were recognized.

At Carle BroMenn Medical Center, a new flag raising awareness about organ donation was raised Wednesday in a ceremony honoring National Donate Life Month and now flies alongside the U.S. & Illinois state flags.

Hospital leaders and representatives from Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network spoke about the life-saving impact of organ donation.

Rivian 5K Charity Run

10:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. — Heartland Community College — Entry fee required — Participate in a fun run supporting local nonprofits with refreshments and an after party.

Children's Day/Book Day Celebration

2-4 p.m. — Illinois Art Station — Free entry — Celebrate reading with engaging activities for children and families.

Unit 5K Fun Run

2 PM — Maxwell Park — Registration fee required — Participate in the 4th Annual Unit 5K to support local education initiatives.