Both Bloomington and Normal are exploring if private trash collection is as an alternative to a tax-supported, municipal service. That’s a dead end. … MORE
Category Archives: Opinion
WJBC Voices: Asking questions of government
One of the motivations to serve in public office for me is a “watchdog” curiosity.… MORE
WJBC Voices: Bells Still In Tune
Recently, at the Normal Theater, I watched (for the umpteenth time) “Bells of St. Mary’s”. I don’t know whether it was because I hadn’t watched it in several years or whether it was the theater setting instead of a tv screen, but this time I noticed little things that I didn’t remember from earlier viewings.… MORE
WJBC Voices: We’ll pay one way or another – Recycle or Dump?
Here’s a bit of shocking news that many don’t realize – By Christmas 2018, the McLean County landfill will be closed. Maxed out. No more room for trash and debris.
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WJBC Voices: Remember the Mitsubishi Motor plant in 1996?
Remember the Mitsubishi Motor plant in 1996? That news made The New York Times and a car plant representative stated that they were “surprised and horrified by the manner that the incident had been brought to the public’s attention.… MORE
WJBC Voices: The ‘Meathead’ as historian
Only a meathead would try to make a silk purse out of a sow’s (or boar’s) ear. But one did.… MORE
WJBC Voices: Only the brave run for office
It isn’t easy to be brave and stand for participation in government at the risk of having your personal values and ethics questioned.… MORE
WJBC Voices: Bloomington – is there a marriage counselor in the house?
Is there a marriage counselor in the house? No, I’m not having any problems at home. … MORE
WJBC Voices: Divisiveness and The First Amendment
The issues involved in the NFL kneeling-for-the-Anthem flap have attained all the orderliness of a plate of spaghetti, having become so muddled that there probably as many reasons any players do what they do and fans react the way they do as there are players and fans.… MORE
WJBC Voices: All things in moderation
The last few weeks have been difficult for all of us. As we are reeling from images of two hurricanes, we learn of a heart-breaking local murder-suicide, then to wake up to the latest news of a massacre in Las Vegas, a location many of us have frequented.… 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…