The director of the University of Illinois-based Council on Teacher Education says the state’s Teach Illinois recommendations are about to make the teacher shortage worse, not better.… MORE
Category Archives: State News
Gov. Rauner praises health care fraud prevention efforts
When you ask how Illinois can rein in state spending, the answer is frequently “Cut waste, fraud, and abuse.”… MORE
GoFundMe page set up for Normal West bus driver’s medical bills
By Katherine Murphy NORMAL — Mark Kuhn, driver of the Normal West JV basketball team bus, remains in serious condition after last week’s head on collision with a semi. Coach Steve Price is still hospitalized in fair condition. To help pay for Kuhn’s medical bills a GoFundMe account was set up by Kuhn’s family.…… MORE
ISU looks to buy land for farm expansion
Illinois State University governing board will decide later this week whether to buy 80 acres of land to expand the university’s farm in northern McLean County.… MORE
Ford County man sentenced to 140 years for child molestation
An elderly Ford County man, who pleaded guilty to sexually molesting three children, will likely spend the rest of his life in prison.… MORE
Area soldier is part of history after Bush farewell
By Howard Packowitz BLOOMINGTON – It’s back to work this week at Arlington National Cemetery for a Central Illinois native who’s now a part of history. U.S. Army Captain Chris Blanchard was the officer in charge of eight pallbearers who carried former President George H. W. Bush’s casket at the National Cathedral in Washington.…… MORE
Inmates will continue to see copays for medical care after bill dies
Medical copays for Illinois prison inmates will remain in place after the legislature failed to override a veto of a bill that would have cut them.… MORE
IDOT asks drivers about roads, railways, rest stops
The Illinois Department of Transportation wants to know about the state’s roads, railways, and rest stops.… MORE
Pearl Harbor remembrance held at Lake Springfield
On a sunny but chilly day on Lake Springfield, sons and daughters performed the customary wreath-laying into the water to conclude the state’s annual Pearl Harbor remembrance.… MORE
Illinois prison inmates help with clean up after Taylorville tornado
The city of Taylorville is getting a hand in the tornado recovery effort from the same people who grew all of the flowers at the Illinois State Fair: volunteer inmates.… 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…