Expansion of news and media literacy instruction is coming to Normal Community and Normal West high schools. Unit 5 was accepted for the News Literacy District Fellowship to provide $30,000 in grant funding over the next three years, beginning in the fall.

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Farmers in Illinois are two years deep into a fight to raise the the estate tax exemption for family farm operations in the state. The current rate of $4 million has remained for well over a decade and farmers in Illinois are lobbying state lawmakers to increase it to $6 million. The Family Farm Preservation Act was originally introduced by State Rep. Sharon Chung, D-Bloomington, and State Sen. Dave Koehler, D-Peoria, in 2024.

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Unit 5 schools' superintendent said public feedback helped shape the district's plans to realign school enrollments. A committee of school board members and educators completed a multi-year process on Thursday when it presented a final recommendation to the school board. That recommendation avoids two of the most controversial options the district considered — closing Carlock Elementary northwest of Normal and repurposing Glenn Elementary south of the Illinois State University campus. The district's survey showed heavy opposition to the option that included relocating students from both schools.

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