A University High School family is paying it forward after their son survived a heart attack thanks to a quick response from medical personnel.… MORE
Category Archives: Scott Laughlin
District 87 superintendent to meet with Rivian automotive
District 87 superintendent Barry Reilly says he hopes the start-up electric car company Rivian Automotive, could be more than just an economic boost for the community, it can also provide hands-on experience in the classroom.… MORE
Koos: ‘Cooling off’ period required before action on Metro Zone termination
Normal mayor Chris Koos said the town will need some time to decide what it will do should Bloomington disband the metro zone agreement, a decades-old pact in which the Twin Cities share tax revenue on the west side.… MORE
McLean Co. Sheriff: Immigration enforcement unchanged under Trump
Don’t expect to see an increase in immigration enforcement in McLean County, despite calls from the Trump administration to have local police work with federal immigration officials on rounding up illegal immigrants.… MORE
U-High trainers ‘just doing their job’ in CPR rescue
The two trainers who successfully performed CPR on a University High School basketball player during practice last week say they did what anybody would have done.… MORE
Jontry: Social service cuts impact Illinois schools
By Eric Stock BLOOMINGTON – School officials will be keeping a close ear to what Gov. Bruce Rauner plans to say about education in this annual budget address today. Regional Superintendent of Schools for McLean, DeWitt, Livingston and Logan counties Mark Jontry, told WJBC’s Scott Laughlin and Patti Penn, he wants to see the governor’s…… MORE
Caterpillar move to have ‘ripple effect’ on Central Illinois economy
Economic developers in McLean County are offering help to their counterparts in Peoria who are trying to regroup after Caterpillar announced plans to move its global headquarters.… MORE
Barickman ‘hopeful’ as school funding panel issues final report
A commission that has created a framework to change Illinois’ school funding formula has produced its final report.… MORE
Bradley: Dems will fight Gorsuch, but won’t stop confirmation
Illinois State University legal scholar Bob Bradley said he expects President Donald Trump’s nominee to the Supreme Court Neil Gorsuch will win confirmation, but he expects Senate Democrats will try to turn the tables on the Democrats after President Barack Obama’s choice for the high court last year never got a hearing.… MORE
App helps Bloomington set priorities for pothole patching
Potholes are the top complaint Bloomington residents have registered on the city’s new mobile app.… 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…