The recent trial revelation of a racist remark by a Bloomington Police officer, shows again how volatile racial issues are, despite a 1960s Civil Rights movement and the election of a mixed race Presi… MORE
Category Archives: Opinion
WJBC Forum: Breaking barriers-police community dialogue
I read several articles on police community relations to prepare for this forum.… MORE
WJBC Forum: ISU steps up
As a U of I alum, I've been following (and for most years suffering with) the Fighting Illini since I graduated many years ago.… MORE
WJBC Forum: Please – Never give up
I remember listening to the morning sports show on the BBC in November of 2011 when the word came down that Wales national soccer team manager Gary Speed had taken his own life.… MORE
WJBC Forum: When will peace come?
Happy New Year!… MORE
WJBC Forum: 2015 predictions
Since I was very young, at the end of each year, I contemplate about what the New Year would bring.… MORE
WJBC Forum: It’s stopped – get off for awhile
As I thought about what I would say in my Christmas address to the nation, it occurred to me that nothing I say, here or elsewhere, is likely ever to be etched in anything, anywhere.… MORE
WJBC Forum: It’s Stopped – get off for a while
As I thought about what I would say in my Christmas address to the nation, it occurred to me that nothing I say, here or elsewhere, is likely ever to be etched in anything, anywhere.… MORE
WJBC Forum: Sports, holidays, and Christmas
I'd like to be single-minded about the holidays. But, there's so much going on it seems.… MORE
WJBC Forum: Thank you President Wilson
This week Illinois Wesleyan University President Richard Wilson announced his retirement.… 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…