Wednesday, the Normal Town Council voted to extend both emergency COVID-19 orders until Jan. 1.… MORE
Category Archives: Headlines
Should you get a flu shot during the COVID-19 pandemic?
Even with the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, a Bloomington Doctor encourages everyone to get the flu shot this year.… MORE
McLean County Health Dept. advocates for more contact tracers
McLean County has seen such a surge in cases, its contract tracers are no longer able to keep up.… MORE
Illinois State University to adapt U. of I. testing
While Coronavirus cases continue to rise at Illinois State University, the campus will soon get a helping hand from a neighbor 53 miles from campus.… MORE
Even with no state fair, projects are still underway
Even with no Illinois State Fair in 2020, fair manager Kevin Gordon says there’s still work to do at the fairgrounds in Springfield.… MORE
Help for minority-owned business
For small business people, the during-and-after weeks of COVID-19 could be the right time to grab a share of the economy.… MORE
IDOT secy: Alleged behavior “not acceptable”
A Senate hearing Thursday about transparency and equity at the Illinois Department of Transportation gave IDOT Secretary Omer Osman a chance to answer serious allegations. … MORE
Apparent anti-police slur spray-painted in Uptown Normal, NPD says
Using black spray paint, vandals drew graffiti at multiple locations in Uptown Normal and at Illinois State University, apparently showing their disdain for police, authorities confirmed early Thursday morning.… MORE
Unit 5 board okays emergency purchase of COVID-19 protective dividers for in-person learning
School administrators in Unit 5 have the authority now to make emergency purchases of equipment to protect students and staff from COVID-19.… MORE
McLean county leaders discuss new COVID-19 mitigation’s in a closed-door meeting
With McLean County’s rolling positivity rate over 8%, Bloomington’s top elected official says a closed-door meeting on Tuesday with local school and county leaders discussed how to slow the spread of COVID-19.… MORE
Blogs
Labor Day – Expanding voting rights for all
By Mike Matejka Because of COVID, there is no Labor Day Parade this year. It’s always a great event for our everyday workers to march proudly down the street and enjoys the festive crowd. If there had been a parade, this year’s Labor Day theme was to be “150 years of struggle: your right to vote.” …
Is federal mobilization the answer?
By Mike Matejka As President Donald Trump threatens to send federal marshals into Chicago, over the objections of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, recall another Illinois Governor who protested the incursion of armed federal personnel into the city. Those federal troops, rather than calming, escalated the situation, leading to deaths and violence. Illinois poet Vachel Lindsay…
In these troubled times, to my fellow white Americans
By Mike Matejka Our nation is at a unique watershed in human relations. African-Americans have been killed too many times in the past before George Floyd, but the response to this man’s death is international and all-encompassing. I was a grade-schooler during the Civil Rights 1960s. I watched Birmingham demonstrators hosed and the Selma – Montgomery…
Workers’ Memorial Day – Remember those whose job took their life
Looking around our community, when we say employer, most will respond to State Farm, Country, or Illinois State University. We too often forget those who are building our roads, serving our food, or our public employees. COVID-19 has made us more aware of the risk. Going to work every day for some people means…