Business Barometer

Lee on Nasdaq

BLOOMINGTON — The stock of Lee Enterprises, parent of Pantagraph Media, began trading on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the “LEE” symbol on April 19, where it closed at $29.63 a share, up 3.96%.

State Farm sets hybrid workplace

BLOOMINGTON — About 40,000 people, or around 69% of State Farm’s 57,500 employees nationwide, will shift to a hybrid workplace model in July, the company said in a statement April 9, and the remaining employees will either work in an office or work remotely all of the time.

Rivian expansion moves OK’d

NORMAL — The Normal Town Council on May 3 approved three requests to foster future development and expansion for Rivian Automotive, including a site plan amendment and the annexation and rezoning of 380 acres of farmland.

Music store opens

BLOOMINGTON — Local musician Scott McCormick on April 2 opened Reckless Saint, a budding venture into vintage music, stereo equipment and ephemera with a retail storefront at 320 N. Main St., Bloomington, that aims to empower the local music scene.

First Mid acquires 2 agencies

NORMAL — First Mid Insurance Group, a subsidiary of Mattoon-based First Mid Bancshares Inc., has acquired Normal-based Truck Insurance Specialists Inc. and Hometown Insurance Inc., expanding its BloomingtonNormal area presence, particularly in the transportation industry.

Rivian, Brandt taxes abated

NORMAL — Rivian Automotive and Brandt Industries have met employment and investment targets to be eligible to receive tax abatements on their 2019 property taxes, payable in 2020.

CIRA air traffic down, reviving

Central Illinois Regional Airport logged 54,109 total passengers in the first three months of 2021, which is down 32.6% compared to last year’s first quarter but up nearly 5,000 passengers from March 2020.

Market Wagon growing

BLOOMINGTON — Market Wagon, an e-commerce business in which customers can purchase local produce and artisanal products online for home delivery, has been growing during the pandemic since opening a regional delivery hub in Bloomington in June 2020.

ISU homecoming scaled back

NORMAL — Illinois State University celebrated homecoming in early April virtually and without a football game, and uptown business owners saw the lack of excitement curtail the weekend’s usual economic boost, which is estimated at $678,000 in a typical year.

Windjammer fined

BLOOMINGTON — Windjammer, 2303 Stern Drive, Bloomington, was fined $400 in April after pleading guilty to a single violation of Tier 2 COVID-19 resurgence mitigations, which banned indoor service at bars and restaurants.

Normal OKs subdivision

NORMAL — The Normal Town Council on May 3 reapproved the preliminary subdivision plan for Greystone Fields that had been approved in 2004 but expired as residential construction slowed, and conditionally approved the final plat for the subdivision’s second addition, bringing the project’s total to 172 lots.

Farmers market opens

BLOOMINGTON — Locally grown produce and artisanal products from across Central Illinois were on full display May 1 when shoppers turned out for the first Downtown Bloomington Farmers Market of the season.

Heartland to start EV academy

NORMAL — Heartland Community College will develop an advanced training academy focused on electric vehicles and energy storage with the help of a $7.5 million state grant and $1.5 million in private company commitments.

Walgreens offers walk-in COVID shots

BLOOMINGTON — Walgreens stores across Illinois began allowing people to walk in to receive their COVID vaccine without an appointment on May 5, and Walmart and Sam’s Club stores had already begun the practice.

Bus fares to resume

NORMAL — After a year of fare suspensions because of the COVID pandemic, Connect Transit planned to resume fare collection on public transit buses in June.