Pooling resources to help local non profits and other charities made for an eventful night in Tazewell County for a new organization.… MORE
Category Archives: Local News
Scoring a Goal: Members of Chicago Blackhawks staff hosts hockey clinic at Bloomington school
Designed to teach kids the foundations of hockey, members of the Chicago Blackhawks staff donated equipment and training sessions to Washington Elementary School.… MORE
Pritzker, public health officials address coronavirus
For the third time in seven days, the governor and state public health director held a news conference to talk about coronavirus in Illinois.… MORE
US Bank to assume State Farm Bank’s existing accounts
U.S. Bank will assume State Farm Bank’s existing deposit and credit card accounts, according to a news release Thursday.… MORE
Former Illinois Congressman Aaron Schock comes out as gay
Former Central Illinois Congressman Aaron Schock has come out as gay, according to a post on his Instagram account Thursday morning.… MORE
Public health officials announce fifth case of coronavirus in Illinois
A fifth case of coronavirus has been confirmed in Cook County, according to state health officials.… MORE
McLean County want bond revoked for man freed in decades-old Bloomington murder
McLean County prosecutors want a Bloomington man behind bars again for his father’s murder after a judge granted the man a new trial for the 1991 killing.… MORE
Lawmakers want to fix FOID frustrations
A backup in processing applications for a FOID card is frustrating gun owners and the state lawmakers who represent them.… MORE
Three men identifed in fatal Interstate 55 plane crash
The three people who were killed in a plane crash Tuesday on Interstate 55 have been identified.… MORE
State Fire Marshal reminds residents to ‘Change Your Clock, Change Your Batteries’
Daylight saving time is this weekend, a good reminder to check your smoke alarms and review fire-safety plans, according to the State Fire Marshal’s Office.… 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…