One of Bloomington Mayor Tari Renner’s picks to fill future vacancies on the Connect Transit board is being asked to withdraw his name from consideration for the job.… MORE
One of Bloomington Mayor Tari Renner’s picks to fill future vacancies on the Connect Transit board is being asked to withdraw his name from consideration for the job.… MORE
Leaders of Bloomington-Normal’s transit system said Tuesday evening they’re prepared to defend their budget to Normal’s Town Council in two weeks, but the transit board’s chairman indicated it’s unlikely a bus route running through north Normal will be saved.… MORE
The Normal Town Council is considering holding up the budget for the Twin-Cities public transportation system because of the planned elimination of a bus route that goes through north Normal.… MORE
There’s a new administrator running McLean County government.… MORE
May 31 was not the adjournment date, after all.… MORE
Bloomington Mayor Tari Renner’s controversial remarks that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas does not act like an African-American overshadow other statements Renner made at the same open house about Connect Transit board representation.… MORE
Normal Town Council member Stan Nord confirmed on Wednesday he has paid a disputed sewer connection fee for land he owns on Normal’s west side, avoiding a legal battle between Nord and the town government.… MORE
Bloomington has mapped out the boundaries for its cultural district, but Grossinger Motors Arena is not part of the district.… MORE
An agenda item considered routine was not routine at all Tuesday night for the Bloomington City Council.… MORE
By Howard Packowitz BLOOMINGTON – The authority to hire Bloomington police officers and firefighters would shift from a volunteer commission to the city manager, under a proposal before the city council Tuesday night. City Manager Tim Gleason was a 21 year veteran of the Pekin Police Department, rising to the rank of Lieutenant before becoming…… MORE
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.” …
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…
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…
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…