By WMBD-TV ILLINOIS – Illinois, the Land of Lincoln, is home to over 12 million people as well as many beautiful towns and cities among the cornfields. The Prairie State is listed at #36 on the U.S. News 2023 Best States list. Illinois has moved down six spots from 30 in 2021. The states were ranked in…… MORE
By WMBD-TV ILLINOIS – Four years after the last census, almost a dozen small communities in the Midwest are going to be counted again in hopes of getting a new grocery store or more state funding to build roads, fire stations and parks. Eleven small cities in Illinois and Iowa are the only municipalities so…… MORE
By WMBD-TV CHICAGO – There are actually more people in Illinois than the 2020 Census originally counted. Governor JB Pritzker announced Wednesday that there were over 45,000 Illinois residents omitted from the Census because they were in places such as group homes and residence halls. “I’m pleased that the Census Bureau has recognized the undercounting…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – David Letterman would be proud. Illinois comptroller Susana Mendoza is out with a top ten list of her office’s accomplishments in 2023. Most of them have to do with paying things off – and paying things off early. “We’ve gone from a 210-business-day payment delay, which is almost nine and…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – Free speech on campus has been a big topic in 2023, with the president of one university stepping down and other presidents under criticism. Safe space for free speech? Not so fast, says Lena Shapiro, a clinical assistant professor and inaugural director of the First Amendment Clinic at the University…… MORE
By WMBD-TV SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois State Police (ISP) along with the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) announced an increased police presence on Illinois roadways for the upcoming holiday. An ISP news release states that nearly 200 law enforcement agencies state-wide will be working overtime through the end of the year “Getting behind the wheel…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – With the 100th anniversary of Route 66 coming in 2026, preparations are building. Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau director Scott Dahl has an update on a couple of Springfield attractions. The recently installed Route 66 Experience at the Illinois State Fairgrounds, open year-round, has a new addition: a replica of…… MORE
By Dave Dahl Small businesses in America are more pessimistic than they were last year about how the nation’s economy is doing. “Small business owners continue to express pessimism about the direction of our economy. As the economic drivers of our communities, local businesses serve as a barometer of economic health,” said Noah Finley, NFIB…… MORE
By WMBD-TV CHICAGO – Illinois underwent its 10th straight year of population decline, according to the Illinois Policy Institute. An Illinois Policy Institute news release states that this year, roughly 83,839 people left the state, or one for every 6 minutes and 16 seconds. However, population outmigration has slowed to pre-pandemic trends after two years of…… MORE
By WMBD-TV SPRINGFIELD – The minimum wage will increase for Illinois residents in 2024. According to an Illinois news release, starting Jan. 1, the minimum wage will see a $1 an hour increase from $13 an hour to $14 an hour. Tipped workers will also see a minimum wage increase to $8.50 an hour, and…… MORE
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.” …
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…
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…
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…