Illinois lawmakers will return to Springfield next week in hopes of crafting a budget this spring after an unprecedented stretch of two straight fiscal years without a spending plan.… MORE
Category Archives: Scott Laughlin
Tri-Valley renovations intended to bolster security
Tri-Valley High School’s planned facelift is about much more than appearance.… MORE
Midwest Fiber takes over Normal drop-box recycling
A private company has taken over Normal’s drop box recycling program.… MORE
LaHood: Spending bill good for defense, bad for growing debt
U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood, R-Peoria, said the omnibus spending bill Congress passed and President Donald Trump signed last week was another example of too much government spending.… MORE
Bloomington to raise fees to help close deficit
Bloomington alderman are looking to raise a host of fees to help plug a $2.9 million deficit.… MORE
Federal funding measure approved to avoid government shutdown
The U.S. House has approved a $1.3 trillion bill to fund the federal government, but it’s unclear whether the Senate can pass the legislation ahead of a government shutdown deadline on Friday night.… MORE
District 87 one of few in Illinois to have full-time security director
A new safety officer is giving District 87 administrators an added sense of security.… MORE
Republican strategist: GOP must bridge enthusiasm gap by November
Democrats far outnumbered Republican voters in yesterday’s primaries in Illinois.… MORE
Durbin calls for drug treatment over harsher penalties to combat opioid abuse
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said drug abusers need treatment not the harsher penalties that President Trump has proposed.… MORE
Apartment fire reveals strain on Bloomington rental inspection program
Bloomington city officials say the city has enough rental property inspectors, though they have struggled to keep up with the city’s goal of inspecting properties every three to four years.… 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…