Bloomington data center hearings, Basket Case Pride Night, Jettie Rhodes Neighborhood Day: Central Illinois Dailies for 6-26-26

URBANA — The legacy of a Black Central Illinois trailblazer is the inspiration for the 28th annual MLK Jettie Rhodes Neighborhood Day Saturday. The gathering is noon to 4 p.m. at King Park, 915 W. Wascher Dr., and features free food, live entertainment, kids’ fun, raffles, a blood donation drive, and community resource tables. Jettie Rhodes was a daycare owner in the 1950s and 1960s who became known for the phrase, “Who’s your neighbor?”  She advocated for programming to serve children in Urbana and also served as a city commissioner. Neighborhood Day started in 1998, the year Rhodes died. 

BLOOMINGTON — City officials plan to get started on holding large data centers in McLean County more accountable with a Planning Commission meeting in August (WGLT). Public comment will be gathered, and two public hearings in October and November are also anticipated on the regulations, City Manager Jeff Jurgens said. Bloomington decided in May to join Normal in a moratorium on data centers that use at least five megawatts of energy. Normal’s moratorium lasts until November, and the city is exploring regulations other communities have already adopted (WGLT). McLean County passed stricter regulations June 11 on data centers located on unincorporated land (Pantagraph). Head here to find the Facebook group  leading the push against data centers in the region.