By Ron Ulmer Let’s think out of the Box today, I just hope my cat never does. What if we could increase vehicle mileage while simultaneously reducing air pollution and traffic accidents? Last week I drove a hands-free combine guided by GPS. If farm equipment can be guided by satellite, certainly satellites could be used…… MORE
Category Archives: Opinion
WJBC Forum: Get rid of violent crime zones
We’ve had another mass shooting in America and the first thing our President does is get on his stump and claim; this is why we need strict gun control laws.… MORE
WJBC Forum: TPP takes our power away
Almost 20 years ago, this country had a huge debate over the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA?… MORE
WJBC Forum: Changes on college campuses
Through my job, I take students on campus visits regularly to Illinois state university and private colleges. … MORE
WJBC Forum: Sales tax thoughts
Last month the City of Bloomington and the Town of Normal Councils approved a sales tax increase for their respective communities.… MORE
WJBC Forum: Budget impasse victims
What would you do if tomorrow was payday and you were informed there would be no paycheck?… MORE
WJBC Forum: A crisis of conscience
I knew that in my retirement, one thing that I wanted to do was to get more involved in my community.… MORE
WJBC Forum: Bloomington and General Custer
One of the expectations for the Bloomington Budget Task Force was that it would engage in some thinking that was “outside the box.”… MORE
WJBC and Suzi Davis Travel Scavenger Hunt
WJBC is sending you on a scavenger hunt to win a seven night trip to the Riu Santa Fe in Los Cabos, Mexico! … MORE
WJBC Forum: Muslim refugees
Europe, the Gulf States, and the “West”, including the United States have been given the opportunity of a lifetime to destroy ISIS, with the influx of tens of thousands of Muslim refugees fleeing from Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan. … 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…