Category: homepage-new

After a massive manhunt that shut down the city of Boston, the man thought to be responsible for the bombings that occurred at the Boston Marathon is believed to be in police custody. NBC was the first network to report the arrests, saying Dzhokhar A. Tsarnaev was apprehended by Boston Police. The Boston Police soon confirmed these reports via tweet.

Reporters in the area claimed to hear applause from law enforcement after the arrest was made. The suspect is believed to be alive.

WZND will post more updates as this story unfolds.

NORMAL - Sigma Phi Epsilon’s National Board of Directors has withdrawn the charter of its Illinois Zeta Chapter at Illinois State University and closed the chapter. The decision is effective immediately.

The fraternity made this decision with the support of the chapter’s Alumni Advisory Council
and in partnership with University administrators. The chapter had violated previous sanctions
and expectations established by both the Fraternity and Illinois State University.

Sigma Phi Epsilon’s mission is to build balanced men. Its leadership programs and educational
efforts are based on the value of respect for self and others.

It remains unknown when the fraternity will rejoin the Illinois Zeta Chapter at ISU.

NORMAL – Four finalists have been announced for the University’s 18th president.

All candidates will visit campus and participate in open forums from 2:30-3:30 p.m. on April 22, 24, 26 and 29 in the Old Main Room at the Bone Student Center.

Karla Hughes is a tenured professor, provost and vice president for academic affairs at Morehead State University in Morehead, Ky. Prior to coming to Morehead in July 2007, Hughes served as the American Council on Education Fellow at East Carolina University, where she also was a professor and founder of the College of Human Ecology, a merger of the schools of Human Environmental Sciences and Social Work and Criminal Justice Studies.

Hughes received a Ph.D. in agriculture from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville in 1979. She will be on campus April 22.

Randy Dunn has been president of Murray State University in Murray, Ky., since December 2006. Previously he served as state superintendent of education for the Illinois State Board of Education. Dunn also was a professor in the department of educational administration and higher education at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale.

He holds an Ed.D. in educational administration from the University of Illinois. Dunn will visit campus April 24.

Timothy Flanagan has served as president of Framingham State University in Framingham, Mass., since August 2006. He also is a professor of sociology at the university. Previously he was provost and vice president for academic affairs and a professor of criminal justice at State University of New York, College at Brockport in New York.

He received a Ph.D. in criminal justice from the University of Albany, State University of New York. Flanagan has done post-graduate work at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass. Flanagan will be on campus April 26.

Larry Dietz has been vice president for student affairs at Illinois State University since June 2011. Prior to coming to Illinois State, he served as vice chancellor for student affairs and special assistant to the chancellor at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale.

A tenured associate professor of educational administration and foundations, Dietz earned his Ph.D. in professional studies in higher education administration at Iowa State University. He will be on campus April 29.

“We have a slate of outstanding finalists from a large pool of exceptionally qualified, diverse candidates,” said Michael McCuskey, who chairs the Board of Trustees and search team. “We are confident the next president of Illinois State will continue to strengthen our reputation as one of the top public universities in the nation. I want to thank the board and the entire search advisory committee for their hard work in bringing these candidates to campus.”

The search team’s goal is to have the new president in place prior to the start of the fall semester. Al Bowman, Illinois State’s 17th president, announced in December he would retire after serving Illinois State for 35 years, the last 10 as president.

For more information on the candidates, visit www.IllinoisState.edu/PresidentialSearch.

The presidential search committee includes faculty, staff and students, as well as representatives from the Alumni Association, ISU Foundation and Intercollegiate Athletics. The consulting firm of Greenwood/Asher & Associates, Inc. is assisting in the search.

CHAMPAIGN – The Boston bombings are touching the lives of Illinois runners.

The Christie Clinic Illinois Marathon is altering its security procedures at the  Champaign race.

“We’re going to be going over everything we need to do to make the race run as smoothly as possible,” said Scott Reeland, director of security at the race. “With the bombings, we just want to be prepared with more security.”

A meeting is scheduled for Wednesday to further discuss security operations.

Ten days remain until the marathon and half-marathon. More information can be found on the event’s website.

http://illinoismarathon.com/

The bombing at the finish line of the Boston Marathon has claimed the life of three spectators. Over 140 people were wounded by the two blasts that went off within second of each other around 2:50 ET yesterday.

One of those dead is 8-year-old Martin Richard. Martin’s sister lost a leg in the explosion and his mother suffered serious brain injuries. Both his mother and sister are still hospitalized from their injuries.

The FBI and other local authorities are still investigating the incident. Today, President Barack Obama called the events in Boston “an act of terror”.

Stay tuned to 103.3 WZND or log on to WZND.com for updates on the Boston Marathon bombing

BLOOMINGTON – Skeletal fragments from four individuals have been found at a remote site along the Mackinaw in Gridley Township.

The remains were initially found on April 8th. The Illinois Historic Preservation Agency’s Human Skeletal Remains Protection Coordinator was notified and accompanied members of the McLean County Sheriff’s Department Tuesday afternoon.

Based upon examination of the fragments, the IHPA expert has determined that the remains were redeposited from another location. The bones come from one child, one adult female, one adult male, and a third adult. No origin has been noted, but they could come from as recent as 200 years ago or as old as several thousand years.

More information from IHPA will be released after the investigation has concluded.

The Illinois Historic Preservation Agency’s (IHPA) Human Skeletal Remains Protection Act Coordinator arrived in Bloomington this morning, Tuesday, April 9^th 2013 and accompanied members of the McLean County Sheriff’s Department and Coroner’s Office to the remote site along the Mackinaw in Gridley Township. The site was documented via photography and additional remains were recovered during today’s three hour search. Based upon an examination of the fragments recovered over the past two days, the IHPA expert has formed the following preliminary opinion: the remains more than likely have been redeposited from another location up river; the fragments are from a minimum of four individuals (one child, one adult female, one adult male, and a third adult); and currently the remains are of unknown origin, as recent as 200 years ago or as old as several thousand years. Due to these findings, the McLean County Coroner’s Office is releasing the site to the IHPA and they have taken custody of the skeletal remains in order to further classify. This ends the Coroner’s Office formal inquiry into this matter. Thank you.

Bloomington will have a new face for mayor for the next four years.

Tari Renner was voted mayor of Bloomington, edging out John Hanson and Lex Green.

Renner celebrated with friends, family, and supporters at Rosie’s in downtown Bloomington. After results came in that Renner won, Hanson called to congratulate his opponent.

Over in Normal, results from McLean County did not come in so quickly. Citing technical difficulties, the server was down for a significant amount of time last night. Candidates for mayor, JeVaughn Martin, Victor Connor, and current mayor Chris Koos waited until 9:15 p.m. to get voting results.

After much anticipation, Chris Koos was named mayor for a third term. His city council will have a few new faces, as well as returning ones. Cheryl Gaines, Scott Preston, and Kevin McCarthy will serve on Normal City Council.

Normal– A local business man will no longer serve on the Illinois State University Board of Trustees.

Illinois Governor Pat Quinn allowed Bob Dobski’s term on the college’s governing board to expire when the governor took no action to renew his seat within sixty days of its expiring.

Governor Quinn has appointed Bartlett resident Robert Churney to the Board of Trustees of Illinois State University. Churney, a 1987 Illinois State College of Business graduate, is an insurance broker on the board of the Assurance Agency in Schaumburg. Pending Senate confirmation, Churney’s term will run until January 2019.

Joanne Maitland’s term on the board has also expired. There is no word on who will replace Maitland.

Both Dobski and Maitland are on the committee to find a replacement for University President Al Bowman. They will continue to serve on that committee.

Election season has arrived yet again, but this time the hype will not center around national candidates that the public knows little about – it’s local people.

In Bloomington, Steve Stockton will step down from his post as mayor. Three candidates are vying for his position: Teri Renner, political science professor at Illinois Wesleyan University; former alderman John Hanson, and Lex Green.

All three candidates have experience leading. One of the biggest issues discussed this election season has been the downtown Bloomington bar and entertainment problems.

“If elected, I would revamp the liquor commission,” said Hanson. “I would really like to improve the communication between this liquor commission and the downtown task force.”

In Normal, mayor Chris Koos will run for a third term. On the ballot against Koos is Victor Connor and JeVaugn Martin. Additionally, city council seats are available.

“I’m excited for tonight’s results,” said Koos. “Keeping the council team in tact is important, but we’re looking for a strong group and a new addition could help us get to that point.”

Voter turnout is expected to be higher than in past years, reaching up to 35 percent of registered voters in Bloomington and Normal. But that’s nothing compared to the high turnout in November’s presidential election.

“I think it’s disappointing because local government touches the lives of people on a day-to-day basis,” said Koos. “I would like to see more people at the polls.”

Stay updated with WZND’s full coverage of both elections throughout the day.