The Town of Normal is looking to preserve artifacts from the COVID-19 pandemic through a community time capsule.… MORE
Category Archives: Local News
Illinois gas prices up 10 cents over the week
By Neil Doyle BLOOMINGTON – Gas prices in the state are up 10 cents over the week, averaging $3.43 a gallon, according to GasBuddy’s survey of 4,378 stations in Illinois. According to GasBuddy, prices are 2 cents lower than a month ago, but just over a dollar higher than a year ago. The cheapest station…… MORE
Consumers and manufacturers in Illinois are debating Right to Repair
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – The Right to Repair movement – allowing customers and repair shops to bypass the manufacturer in fixing their electronics – is coming to Illinois. The movement, says Illinois Public Interest Research Group director Abe Scarr, is “diverse, bipartisan, and growing: we just want to fix our stuff. But, increasingly, manufacturers…… MORE
‘Potentially large fire’ stopped by Bloomington Fire Department
By HOI ABC BLOOMINGTON – One person was injured and one adult and three children were temporarily displaced after a structure fire at a home converted to apartments that was quickly stopped by Bloomington firefighters. At around 4:24 a.m. Thursday, the fire department was dispatched to the fire in the 900 block of West Market…… MORE
Connect Transit suspending bus fares as cases of COVID-19 surge
Amid rising cases of COVID-19 in McLean County, Connect Transit is suspending bus fiars and late-night services.… MORE
Snow Leopard dies from COVID-induced pneumonia at Miller Park Zoo
A 11-year old Snow Leopard has died from COVID-induced pneumonia at Miller Park Zoo.… MORE
District 87 closed due to COVID-19; Unit 5 closed due to weather on Friday
Due to the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the twin cities, all District 87 schools are closed on Friday.… MORE
Some Republicans say Illinois is losing the war on crime
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – State Rep. Patrick Windhorst (R-Metropolis) says the word’s on the street – Illinois is soft on crime. “When the recent bail reform of 2017-18 went into effect,” the former Massac County prosecutor said at a House Republican news conference in Springfield Wednesday, “the individuals who were arrested quickly learned they…… MORE
Gov. Pritzker to work remotely following close contact with COVID-19
By Neil Doyle CHICAGO – Following close contact Tuesday with a state employee who tested positive for COVID-19, Gov. JB Pritzker will work remotely out of an abundance of caution. According to a news release, the governor tested negative for COVID-19 as recently as Wednesday morning and is fully vaccinated and boosted against COVID-19. The…… MORE
Illinois DCFS director mourns the loss of an investigator who was fatally stabbed
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – A news conference the day after a fatal stabbing – that killed an Illinois Department of Children and Family Services investigator near Springfield – offered little new information. What it did offer was DCFS director Marc Smith’s attempt to console Deidre Silas’ loved ones. “We’re not avoiding any responsibility,” Smith…… 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…