Bloomington aldermen heard pleas from District 87’s superintendent Tuesday night to minimize the impact tax increment financing has on the school district.… MORE
Category Archives: Politics
Attorney General candidate says state failing #MeToo test
Illinois Attorney General candidate Erika Harold says Springfield has failed its #MeToo test.… MORE
Rep. Brady: ‘Encouraged’ by state budget talks as deadline looms
Illinois’ key budget deadline is barely a week away and one of the state’s budget negotiators says he believes lawmakers can break a three-year trend and get a budget done on time.… MORE
County Board’s vice chair thinks he knows Rauner’s view on Rivian
McLean County Board vice chairman Jim Soeldner said he suspects Governor Rauner supports Rivian Automotive, and recent comments about the automaker were critical of Illinois’ business climate but not Rivian.… MORE
Rauners move back into Governor’s Mansion in Springfield
Gov. Bruce Rauner’s family have a “This Old House” story to tell in officially moving back into the Governor’s Mansion in Springfield, and one thing they’re looking forward to most is being able to cook their own meals again.… MORE
Normal’s Koos applauds ‘robust’ debate on Uptown TIF
Politics sometimes makes for strange bedfellows, and that was indeed the case as local taxing bodies decided it was OK to keep certain properties off their tax rolls another 12 years to help spur development in Uptown Normal.… MORE
Unit 5 board backs TIF extension for Uptown Normal
The Town of Normal now has the blessing of all six affected taxing bodies to keep certain properties off their tax rolls to stimulate Uptown development.… MORE
EDC shares Rauner’s concerns about Illinois business climate
Local economic developers say recent business expansions in Bloomington-Normal have more to do with what’s happening in McLean County than in Springfield.… MORE
Governor’s surprise phone call to WJBC: ‘I love Rivian’
Illinois’ chief executive said he is cheering for the success of Rivian Automotive, which received state tax credits and other incentives to begin making electric cars at the former Mitsubishi Motors plant in Normal.… MORE
Normal’s Reece: Taxing body approval for Uptown TIF preferred, not required
Normal’s city manager said the town government will continue pursuing an extension of a tax increment financing district for Uptown Normal even if an affected taxing body or two are opposed to the idea.… 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…