The new Normal: How one Midwestern town got swept up in the electric vehicle boom
CNN
Mike O'Grady still remembers the fear he felt on Mitsubishi's last day in Normal, Illinois, in 2015. The factory had sat on the outskirts of Normal and its twin city, Bloomington, since 1988.
O'Grady, then an executive with the Bloomington Normal Economic Development Council, stood outside the manufacturing plant and watched as its 1,000 workers exited for the last time. The plant had its good years, peaking at 3,000 jobs. Tax revenue from the its SUV production had been huge, he recalled. He worried about the impact on the school district. O'Grady had feared this day might come. Two years prior, he reached out to Mitsubishi and was assured the plant wouldn't leave town, he said.More Related News