Driver services facilities across Illinois will be closed for a few weeks due to COVID-19.… MORE
Category Archives: State News
IDPH reports 15,415 new cases of COVID; Record one-day testing
The Illinois Department of Public Health Friday reported 15,415 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus, a new single-day high, and 27 additional deaths.… MORE
Sen. Durbin: Republicans want “to do away” with Obamacare with no plan in place
Those who had to buy their own health insurance before the Affordable Care Act became law are recalling the bad old days.… MORE
There’s trouble in toyland
Holiday gifts should not hurt a child, but unsafe toys remain on the market. That is where “Trouble in Toyland” and the attorney general’s “Safe Shopping Guide” come in.… MORE
Governor warns elected leaders who don’t take COVID seriously
While Illinois recorded 12,702 new coronavirus cases and 43 more deaths, that’s not all from Gov. JB Pritzker’s coronavirus briefing Thursday.… MORE
Republican senator and a Democratic representative call for hearings on the state’s response to COVID-19
A Republican senator and a Democratic representative Thursday shared a Zoom call to say not enough is being done … by not enough people … in the state’s coronavirus response.… MORE
State health officials announce 12,657 new cases of COVID, 145 additional deaths
No COVID-19 update Wednesday from the McLean County Health Department or Gov. JB Pritzker because of Veterans Day, but health officials released the new numbers across the state.… MORE
Corn and soybean yields in Illinois are showing positive numbers
The USDA has an update to the 2020 yield forecast.… MORE
Veterans Day Freebies
Don’t forget to call the businesses prior to stopping by to make sure the local franchise will be honoring the National giveaway.… MORE
Fall veto session canceled in Springfield
As Illinois House Republicans urged their Democratic colleagues to join them in trying to boot longtime House Speaker Mike Madigan (D-Chicago) out of office, those same Republicans Tuesday suggested that a cancellation of the fall veto session – made official late Tuesday afternoon – would be tied to Madigan’s job security as speaker.… 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…