A backup in processing applications for a FOID card is frustrating gun owners and the state lawmakers who represent them.… MORE
Category Archives: Local News
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
Financial Advisor: “This was kind of a surprise” reacting to recent Fed rate cut
For the first time since 2008, the Federal Reserve cut interest rates on Tuesday by 50 basis points, and one local financial advisor was surprised with the move.… MORE
Portion of West Monroe Street closed Thursday for parking garage repairs
Deck work on the Market Street parking garage Thursday will cause some minor closures in downtown Bloomington.… MORE
ISU officials present FY2021 budget proposal in Springfield
Representatives from Illinois State University were at the Capitol Tuesday morning to present their budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2021.… MORE
More complaints flood the Capitol
Illinois House Republicans say majority Democrats are holding the brakes on any reductions in property tax in Illinois.… MORE
Kankakee girl stands for lemonade
Eleven-year-old Hayli Martenez (cq) took a piece of her late grandmother’s advice — when you make lemonade, use honey rather than sugar — to try to make some money for her family.… MORE
Illinois’ top doctor answers questions about coronavirus
It didn’t sound like a compliment Tuesday, when the chair of the Senate Public Health Committee called Illinois’ coronavirus procedure “convoluted,” but that’s how State Sen. Patricia Van Pelt (D-Chicago) summed up what she heard from the director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, Dr. Ngozi Ezike.… MORE
FedEx plane makes emergency landing at Central Illinois Regional Airport
A spokesperson from Central Illinois Regional Airport (CIRA) confirmed a FedEx plane made an emergency landing at the airport Tuesday morning.… 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…