WEBVTT - WGLT Newscasts - 6:05pm 8-27-2026

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<v Speaker 1>From the WGLT newsroom, I'm Lizzie Siles. Investigators are still

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<v Speaker 1>searching for the cause of a home explosion in rural

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<v Speaker 1>Bloomington late Tuesday night that has critically injured 3 people.

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<v Speaker 1>Danvers fire chief Glenn Rosecrans says it took 6 hours

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<v Speaker 1>to put out the flames related to the explosion. Fire

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<v Speaker 1>crews then spent several more hours extinguishing a burning pipe

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<v Speaker 1>in the destroyed basement. NICOp had already shut off the

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<v Speaker 1>natural gas

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<v Speaker 1>line.

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<v Speaker 2>They were able to dig up the yard out closer

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<v Speaker 2>to the main.

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<v Speaker 2>And actually cut and capped the line out there and

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<v Speaker 2>then that fire from that other pipe continued to burn,

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<v Speaker 2>so it was not being fed by

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<v Speaker 1>NCO. The McLean County sheriff says all eight victims' conditions

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<v Speaker 1>are the same as yesterday. Bloomington City Manager Jeff Jergens

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<v Speaker 1>says he's proud of how the public conducted itself at

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<v Speaker 1>a forum on data centers. Jergens says a lot of

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<v Speaker 1>good ideas came out and that other communities have had

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<v Speaker 1>to cancel similar forums after things got heated, even if

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<v Speaker 1>people disagree on things.

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<v Speaker 1>You know, we're willing to come together and listen and

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<v Speaker 1>learn and then make what we believe is the best

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<v Speaker 1>decision for our community. The city has two planning commission

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<v Speaker 1>hearings set on data centers this fall, October 1st and

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<v Speaker 1>November 5th. More than 650 phone calls came into Bloomington

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<v Speaker 1>and normal emergency call centers during the recent thunderstorms, at

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<v Speaker 1>times overloading dispatchers. 911 system manager Brandon Lacy says the

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<v Speaker 1>county has 8 workstations at.

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<v Speaker 1>Metcom and Bloomington has 7. Even with all those positions

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<v Speaker 1>manned and the amount of phone calls that they got

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<v Speaker 1>during that time, you cannot answer every single Lacey says

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<v Speaker 1>there's an automated callback system in place which puts people

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<v Speaker 1>back into the 911 queue if they indicate it's an emergency.

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<v Speaker 1>Governor JB Pritzker says he needs help from the federal

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<v Speaker 1>government to make childcare more affordable at a campaign stop.

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<v Speaker 1>In Towanda, Pritzker said it's one of the largest expenses

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<v Speaker 1>for working families. If we can reduce the cost of

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<v Speaker 1>that for working families, it makes an enormous difference in

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<v Speaker 1>people's ability to go to work. I think it happens

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<v Speaker 1>to be, I'll just say it outright, a parent's rights issue.

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<v Speaker 1>Pritzker says. Smart Start Illinois and a new Department of

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<v Speaker 1>Early Childhood are efforts to stabilize the industry. I'm Lizzie Si.