U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood said accusations outlined in the indictments against former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and two former aides need to be taken very seriously.… MORE
Category Archives: Scott Laughlin
District 87 superintendent: Cursive writing one more state mandate
District 87 Superintendent Barry Reilly said he doesn’t have a problem with cursive writing, but he does have a problem with so many state mandates.… MORE
Festival of Trees adds kickoff breakfast
The Baby Fold’s annual Festival of Trees has added a new opening day breakfast to help kick off the 24th annual event next month.… MORE
Rep. Brady expects Right-to-Work ban to overcome veto
State Rep. Dan Brady, R-Bloomington, told WJBC’s Scott Laughlin he will vote against the override of the Collective Bargaining Freedom Act.… MORE
LaHood: No appetite for reducing retirement incentives
By Eric Stock WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood called it the ‘dumbest thing he’s ever heard,’ a plan that would have sharply reduced tax incentives in 401(k) retirement savings. PODCAST: Listen to Scott’s interview with LaHood on WJBC. “This is a program that has worked,” LaHood said. “It has incentivized people to save,…… MORE
Bloomington author offers guide book to Lincoln’s legal days in Central Illinois
The well-worn backroads of Central Illinois that Abraham Lincoln traveled on horseback during his days as a lawyer are depicted in a new book written by a Bloomington author.… MORE
ISU astronomer: NASA strikes gold in detecting star collision
A recently-revealed collision of two neutron stars is shedding new light on some of the mysteries of our universe, including how gold was created.… MORE
Durbin ’embarrassed’ by opioid-enabling bill
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin said Congress must take the blame for passing a measure during the Obama administration that its critics say undermined enforcement efforts to combat the opioid epidemic.… MORE
McLean County to host opioid summit
Police and prosecutors will be meeting in Normal next month to look for ways to combat the growing opioid epidemic in McLean County and across the United States.… MORE
Ex-alderman: Bloomington ‘culture’ enables fraud to fester
A former Bloomington alderman said she sounded the alarm for years about misconduct in the management of the city-owned arena, but city officials didn’t want to listen.… 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…