Bloomington residents have a chance to tee off on proposed changes to Prairie Vista Golf Course.… MORE
Category Archives: Scott Laughlin
Rep. Davis: Gas tax not a long-term solution for infrastructure plan
Only a small fraction of the funding included in President Trump’s proposed $1.5 trillion infrastructure plan actually comes from the federal government.… MORE
Renner: Welcoming ordinance needs public resolution
Bloomington mayor Tari Renner said he was following the guidance of the Illinois Municipal League when he questioned the legality of an email sent by five aldermen asking the so-called welcoming ordinance be pulled.… MORE
Bloomington rejects Towanda Barnes improvements in 5-4 vote
Bloomington alderman aren’t ready to pour $450,000 into a road project that McLean County officials say is one of its most dangerous intersections.… MORE
Bloomington council won’t privatize garbage pickup
Bloomington aldermen have chosen not to investigate privatizing solid waste pick-up to see if it might help close a $2.9 million budget gap.… MORE
Bloomington aldermen hire consultant to perform city manager search
Bloomington aldermen have decided to conduct a national search for the next city manager even though the man serving in an interim capacity has won over some city leaders.… MORE
Emotions run high as council blasts Renner’s tactics in ‘welcoming city’ debate
The debate over a ‘welcoming city’ ordinance intended to protect undocumented immigrants in Bloomington may have severed any goodwill that existed between Mayor Tari Renner and aldermen reluctant to enact the resolution.… MORE
Survivors, families recall being ‘saved’ by St. Jude
Friday marks the second and final day of the WJBC and Radio Bloomington St. Jude Radiothon.… MORE
ISU athletics lays groundwork to raise funds for new indoor practice site
Illinois State’s athletic department is starting to gauge interest in a new indoor practice facility to complement Horton Field House, not replace it.… MORE
Normal to consider McLean County solid waste, recycling plan
Normal could take the first step on Monday night toward strengthening its recycling guidelines.… 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…