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In an early press conference Friday morning, Illinois State University announced Dr. Timothy Flanagan as their new president.

Flanagan comes from Framingham State University in Massachusetts, where he served as president since 2006. He also served as a Provost at State University of New York College of Brockport between 1998 and 2006. The Board of Trustees selected him over 40 other candidates. Student Trustee Aaron Von Qualen attributes part of this decision to the fact that Flanagan is a “student’s president.”

Among his goals, Flanagan wishes to sustain the University’s prestige in the state while also helping it grow the way President Al Bowman has over his tenure in the position. He also wants to be active with students and bring faculty members closer with them.

Flanagan will begin his service as ISU’s president on August 15. President Al Bowman will officially step down from the position on May 15.

Five are dead from gunshot wounds in a Southwestern Illinois town. Early this morning, the bodies of a grandmother, young couple, and two small children were found in their home in Manchester, IL. A sixth victim was found alive and taken to the hospital.

The victims are reported to be Joanne Sinclair, 65, Brittany Luark, 22, Roy Ralston, Nolan Ralston, 5, and Bradley Ralston, 1. The sixth person, reported to be Cassidy Ralston, 7, was taken to St. John’s Hospital in Springfield.

They lived in a first floor apartment of a housing development, according to police spokeswoman Monique Bond.

The suspect was apprehended after a ten-minute chase, and shots were fired at 8:00 AM this morning. He was taken to the hospital after sustaining injuries and was pronounced dead. His name has not been released.

Manchester is a town of 300 people 50 miles southwest of Springfield. This is the first murder in over 40 years.

WZND will update this story.

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.

Police arresting Dzhokar Tsarnaev

Nearly 22 hours after the MIT shooting Thursday night, the Boston Police end its manhunt of the second suspect in the Boston bombings. Dzhokar A. Tsarnaev, 19,  is in custody of Boston Police, nearly 18 hours after his brother, and second suspect in the Boston bomings,  Tamerlan died in a shootout with police. The standoff occurred in a backyard of a Watertown home. Dzhokar was hiding in a boat in the backyard when police surrounded the subject. The standoff lasted a little over an hour.

During the standoff there were reports of multiple shots fired. Police used flash bangs and tear gas to try and subdue the victim, without fatally injuring him. A negotiator was able to get Dzhokar to surrender, and the picture to your left shows police arresting suspect number two.  Dzhokar did end up sustaining gun shots wounds to the neck and leg, although police believe he sustained those injuries in Friday morning’s shootout. He was transported to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center after being arrested.

Dzhokar is said to be a Chechen man who has lived in the U.S. as a legal resident for at least a year. Suspect number one,  26, died in a shootout with police Friday morning around 2:00 AM E.T., he is said to be the brother of Dzhokar.

As of 12:05 PM E.T. Saturday, Dzhokar is still in the hospital recovering from injuries.He will not be read his Miranda rights before questioning. The government says that when there is an imminent danger to public safety, they can question the subject without Miranda warnings. Dzhokar may also be charged while still in the hospital.

Video of gunfire before the arrest of Dzhokar.

 The four day search for the Boston bombing suspects is finally over, but lets remember those who lost their life in this tragedy. The three that died in Monday’s bombing were Martin Richard, 8, Krystle Campbell, 29, and Lu Lingzi, 23. On Thursday, chaos broke out near Boston when gun shots were heard on the MIT campus. Later that night it was confirmed that 26-year-old MIT officer Sean Collier was shot and killed.

Along with the four deaths, there were 178 people injured in the Boston bombing, many still remain in the hospital. The terrorists behind all the bloodshed and violence have been taken care of. Tamerlan is dead, and Dzhokar is in custody.

DEAD: Tamerlan ARRESTED: Dzhokar

Over a 23 hour period, media outlets were trying to keep up with the always-evolving story. I did so as well. Below is my timeline of the manhunt that started on Thursday night and lasted until Friday evening. Included in it are videos of the shootouts, eyewitness photos and Boston Police scanner and Twitter updates.

Friday’s Timeline:

8:44 PM E.T. Suspect number two is put into custody by Boston Police after hour long standoff. The manhunt for the two Boston bombings suspects is over, with one dead (Tamerlan), and one in custody (Dzhokar).

8:15 PM E.T. ABC eyewitness report:  neighbor went to check boat behind his house today, saw blood, climbed up ladder to open boat’s cover, saw a body, called police.

7:55 PM E.T. ABC reports police using flash bangs on the suspect. More shots are fired in Watertown.

7:33 PM E.T. NBC reports suspect 2 is believed to be in the boat. They believe he is alive. Worried he has explosives. Police believe there are explosives on the boat.

Gawker’s photo of Watertown backyard where suspect is believed to be in that boat

NBC photo of the boat police say the suspect is in

7:14 PM E.T. Multiple reports say police have the remaining bomb suspect cornered. Reports say suspect number two is pinned down. Tear gas is being used to subdue the subject.

7:07 PM E.T. The Boston Globe reports that  a source says ‘bomb suspect’ is pinned down in Watertown.

6:58 PM E.T. CNN correspondent hears ‘multiple gunshots’ going off in Watertown. Supposedly the gun shots came after a police search.

3:05 PM E.T. The AP reports that UMass Dartmouth students saw Dzhokar Tsarnaev on campus this week after Monday’s bombings.

2:35 PM E.T. Massachusetts’ police call off search for the ’99 Honda Sedan. Police say that they have that car.

2:18 PM E.T. Police are seeking a vehicle with Massachusetts plates that read 116-GC7. The vehicle is said to be a  green ’99 Honda Sedan. There is a possibility that the suspect is in the car. Police say not to approach the vehicle.

12:31 PM E.T. A bomb squad is examining a vehicle with Massachusetts plates in Niagra Falls. The streets of Boston, besides authorities, are almost completely empty.

Both suspects are identified with surveillance footage before Monday’s bombing at the Boston Marathon. Below is a link to the footage released Thursday night.

Thursday Night/Friday Morning’s Timeline:

Thursday night, around 10:48 PM E.T. gunshots were heard outside on MIT’s campus. It was later determined that a MIT police officer Sean Collier was shot and killed. Shortly after the MIT shooting, the two suspects in the shooting robbed a 7-11 and hijacked a car. The suspects were confronted by police, and a police chase ensued. During the police chase it was reported that “several explosives were discharged” out of the window.

Around 11:49 PM E.T.  the police chase ended in a shootout in Watertown, a town 10 miles from the MIT campus. Police were able to corner Boston bombing suspect number one. Police reported in a press conference that suspect number one had explosives strapped to him, and that he detonated them, injuring himself, and at least two officers. Suspect number one was confirmed dead around 3:00 AM E.T. Suspect number two got away on foot, and Boston Police pursued him on foot. Police were not able to arrest suspect number two.

Police conducted a house-by-house sweep of the Watertown area after they arrested suspect number one, suspect number two is still on the run. Around 3:08 AM E.T. police asked residents in the area to stay inside and not let anyone into their home.

Police officers declared a manhunt and released the most recent photo of suspect number two. The photo is from a surveillance camera at a 7-11 store in Massachusetts, from a robbery on Wednesday night .

Suspect On the Run: Dzhokar A. Tsarnaev

Around 5:03 AM E.T.  police called for school buses to come and evacuate Watertown residents.

At a press conference around 5:30 at Beth Israel Hospital, doctors explained that suspect number one arrived at the hospital with severe injuries that included gun shot wounds, and burns from a blast. He had traumatic injuries to his torso, possibly from a bomb.

All pubic transportation in Boston was shut down. Around 5:45 AM E.T. Boston Police release a tweet saying that MBTA service has been suspended.

So roughly 381,000 people in Boston are being told by police to stay in doors. Police say suspect number two is highly dangerous and may have explosives strapped to him.

Around 6:45 AM E.T. the AP reported  that both suspects are from the Russia region near Chechyna and have lived in the U.S. for at least one year.  The surviving suspect is identified as Dzhokhar A. Tsarnaev, 19, of Cambridge, Mass.

Classes have been cancelled at local schools, including MIT. Boston Workers are told not to come into work, because of the intense manhunt that is still in progress.

This story is very fluid at this moment, and it continues to evolve. As of now, Dzhokar A. Tsarnaev (suspect number two) is still on the run. He is said to be armed and extremely dangerous.

WZND will update you with this story.

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.

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.

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.

BLOOMINGTON – April is national 9-1-1 Education month, and local police departments are encouraging schools and leaders to inform to the public about the appropriate use of 9-1-1.

Bloomington Police Communications manager, Darren Wolf, said the most important message is dialing 911 when it’s an emergency.

“Kids should not be playing with phones, you know the 9-1-1 is for emergencies only and the important message is that 9-1-1 is used for emergency only,” said Wolf. “If the phone is tied up or they hang up, call, or missdial, or a child is playing on the phone, that is taking resources away from an actual emergency.”

This month-long campaign is designed to help citizens of all ages recognize the importance of 9-1-1 and their role when calling 9-1-1.  Locally, the Bloomington Communications Center urges citizen to know where they are when the dial 9-1-1, as well as to remain calm and ready to listen.

Wolf also mentioned that the police department is looking into a texting component of 9-1-1.

National Public Safety Telecommunications Week is also celebrated in April.

BLOOMINGTON - Bloomington Police are asking for the community’s help in locating suspects involved in the March 13 robbery at Red Roof Inn.

Video of the suspects was captured last Thursday morning shortly before they entered the hotel on W. Market Street and beat the lone attendant, leaving with an undisclosed amount of cash from the business. The suspects were caught on camera at the TA Travel Center Truck Stop.

NORMAL, Ill. - The Normal Police Department is still investigating a sexual assault that happened Friday morning. A female ISU student was fondled by an unknown male suspect at 3 AM while walking on Constitution Trail near Cherry Street. She was able to fight the man and run away, however the police are still looking for the suspect.

Aaron Woodruff, Chief of the ISU Police Department, said, “We encourage students to take safety into their own hands, and to make sure they are walking in groups.”

Woodruff said that the police department has not changed its practices in response to recent crime activity on and around the campus.

“We still have the same amount of officers going out each night,” said Woodruff. “It’s just that students need to be more careful and not walk alone or be intoxicated when they walk to their destinations.”

The aforementioned case is still under investigation.

Anyone with information about the assault should contact the Normal Police Department.

BLOOMINGTON–A Bloomington woman has reached a tentative plea with local prosecutors in the case of her daughters death. The plea will allow Candis Ethridge to avoid trial for child endangerment because she failed to protect her three year old daughter Destiny Cox from her boyfriend David Gharrett. The plea will offer probation for Ethridge and also will allow her not have to do any additional time in jail. David Gharrett is facing murder charges for the death of Ethridge’s daughter.

PRINCETON- Wednesday at around 3 o’clock in the afternoon, a male subject holding a shotgun walked into Princeton High School through the north entrance. The gunman moved throughout the school arriving at his destination in the hall way outside of the lower level classrooms.

The Princeton Police responded to the scene and immediately evacuated the building to secure the school. Upon police entry, the gunman, Blake R. Schimdt age 18 of Princeton was sitting alongside the hall with the shotgun in hand while seeming to be highly emotional and distressed.

After long negotiations, police were able to recover the weapon from Schimdt and take him into custody. Schimdt was then taken to Perry Memorial Hospital for evaluation.

There were no reported injuries and case remains under investigation with uncertain charges.

On Sunday police reported a minor being charge with a DUI, possession of drug equipment, and a hit and run. The boy was seen in the parking lot of the McDonalds on south main where he hit a car then took off. Lucky for him the police was in the same parking lot, and did not let the kid get far.