By 25 News BLOOMINGTON – Local Republican leaders have chosen who will replace outgoing State Sen. Jason Barickman (R-Bloomington). Barickman chose to resign after winning re-election in the new 53rd District. Current 106th State Rep. Tom Bennett (R-Gibson City) will now take his place, receiving 87% of the vote from party chairmen. Normal Town Council…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – The lawmakers who will take their oath of office Wednesday will be paid a base salary of $85,000, up $14,000 from the pay of the previous General Assembly. That nugget was buried in a bill which does many other things – for one, giving the governor a “closing fund” to…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – A bill expanding protections for abortion seekers and providers who come to Illinois from out of state has passed the Illinois House. When State Rep. Blaine Wilhour (R-Beecher City) asked the sponsor, State Rep. Kelly Cassidy (D-Chicago), about babies born alive but then dying because of botched abortions, Cassidy said…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois legislature is partway through its big goal of the 2023 lame duck session: ban the sale of assault weapons. The bill which passed the House in a post-midnight vote actually only bans the sale of new assault weapons and grandfathers in everyone else. House Speaker Chris Welch (D-Hillside)…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – Whether the Illinois House and Senate can pass an assault weapons ban – or any other kind of gun control measure – during these few remaining lame duck days, members of both parties agree: the killing has to stop. The latest proposal is borne of the Highland Park July 4…… MORE
Gov. Pritzker is comfortable that the Illinois Supreme court will uphold the no-cash bail portion of the Safe-T Act.… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – A Kankakee County judge, presiding over a consolidated group of more than sixty lawsuits by state’s attorneys, says the state’s law to eliminate cash bail effective Sunday is unconstitutional. Early reaction to the ruling is conflicted as to whether any part of the “pretrial fairness act,” part of the overall…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – The red-shirted forces of Moms Demand Action gave State Rep. Denyse Wang Stoneback (D-Skokie) a standing ovation Tuesday, when she summed up her opinion of the National Rifle Association: “A money-making operation from gun manufacturers based on half of the text of the Second Amendment,” she said during a House…… MORE
By 25 News BLOOMINGTON – A split McLean County board will also have split leadership. Board member John McIntyre will retain his seat as chairman, a position he’s held since 2016. Joining him as Vice-Chair will be Democratic member Elizabeth Johnston, who has sat on the board since 2016. Both represent District 5, covering the…… MORE
By WJBC Staff BLOOMINGTON – State Sen. Jason Barickman (R-Bloomington) announced on Monday his retirement from the Senate at the end of his current term, which expires Jan. 10, 2023. Barickman has served in the General Assembly for 12 years. He currently represents the 53rd District, which covers parts of McLean, Livingston, Woodford and Ford…… 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…