By HOI ABC BLOOMINGTON – Elected leaders who have the final say whether a solar farm will sprout up in southwest Bloomington are holding off on a decision in hopes local workers will be used to build the project. Cypress Creek Renewables wants to build the county’s second solar farm, to be located in Dale…… MORE
By HOI ABC BLOOMINGTON – The Bloomington City Council is backing Mayor Mboka Mwilambwe’s pick to fill a council vacancy even though an alderman complained the selection is part of the mayor’s plan to move the council to the right. Monday night, the council voted 6-2 to approve Grant Walch to replace Jamie Mathy as…… MORE
By HOI ABC NORMAL – A consultant is being hired to draw up a master plan to build another part of Uptown Normal, and the town’s manager is getting a raise following town council action Monday night. The council voted 5-2 to hire a Chicago-based firm to plan for Uptown South, which encompasses about eight…… MORE
By Dave Dahl WASHINGTON – Two Republican candidates for governor, on stage in Tazewell County Monday night, stressed the importance of their Christian faith. “If we have to do one thing to save our great state of Illinois,” said Jesse Sullivan, “it’s this: we need to deepen our relationship with God: as individuals, as a…… MORE
By HOI ABC BLOOMINGTON – The city of Bloomington is a step closer to turning a downtown eyesore into a housing solution. Monday night, the council unanimously passed an agreement between the city and a developer to revitalize the CII East building downtown. The privately-owned building on East Street has been vacant for many years,…… MORE
By HOI ABC NORMAL – The Normal Town Council has taken the first step toward reviving plans to redevelop a large part of Uptown Normal even as one council member said the town appears to be setting the wrong priorities. The council voted 6-1, with Stan Nord voting no, for a memorandum of understanding to…… MORE
By HOI ABC NORMAL – The Town of Normal has been working to redevelop the Uptown area for more than half a decade. That dream may soon become reality as the council will review the plans from a new developer at Monday night’s meeting. Eagle View Partners has submitted plans for Trail East and Trail…… MORE
By HOI ABC BLOOMINGTON – Bloomington council members approved a larger, $269 million dollar budget Monday for fiscal year 2023, up 7% from this year. The highlight is nearly $57 million in capitol improvement projects. It also increases public safety spending by 10%. One council member voted no, in part because she felt city staff…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – For those who may have been asleep when the Fiscal Year 2023 budget was passed in the wee hours, Gov. Pritzker and other Democrats reinforced their highlights Saturday morning at the Capitol. “Gas, grocery, and property tax relief,” Pritzker said in his office. “More support for local government than ever…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – Some things about the last day of session were new – adjourning in April, not May, for one. Not new – partisan disagreement. Just before 6 a.m. Saturday, lawmakers passed a FY 23 budget of $46.5 billion, one Republicans say is salted with one-time gimmicks that will expire after a…… 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…