By ERIN DRUMMMedill Illinois News [email protected] SPRINGFIELD — Intellectual and developmental disability service organizations are bracing for potential cuts to Medicaid and Medicare from the federal government under congressional Republicans and President Donald Trump. About 3.9 million Illinoisans are enrolled in Medicaid. Of that total, 44% of Medicaid recipients are children, 9% are seniors and…… MORE
BLOOMINGTON, Ill. (WMBD) — Lake Bloomington and Lake Evergreen are being cleaned of algae. This comes after an increase in microcystin, which is a naturally occurring toxin that can form on growing algae. The city’s water department and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency have been monitoring the water quality closely since a spike in algae occurred in January. Testing confirmed…… MORE
President Donald Trump’s administration is pulling back $477 million from Illinois that was to be used to prevent infectious disease and treat mental health and substance abuse issues.… MORE
Illinois voters casting ballots in the April 1 consolidated elections will not be required to show proof of U.S. citizenship, despite an executive order issued this week by President Donald Trump.… MORE
I grew up off a gravel road near a town of 60 people, a place where cows outnumber people. … MORE
The Atlantic on Wednesday released the entire Signal chat among senior national security officials, showing that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth provided the exact timings of warplane launches and when bombs would drop — before the men and women flying those attacks against Yemen’s Houthis this month on behalf of the United States were airborne.… MORE
An assistant state’s attorney in Peoria County who oversees juvenile abuse and neglect cases has been arrested in Woodford County for having a stolen firearm in her vehicle.… MORE
A new mixed-reality app out of Illinois State University allows you to train to save a life from anywhere.… MORE
In the frantic seconds before a 15-year-old was shot by a Bloomington police officer, cries to “Put the gun down, don’t be stupid” were heard over and over again.… MORE
NORMAL – Three candidates are all vying for the title of Mayor for the town of Normal. Council member Chemberly Harris, Incumbent candidate Chris Koos and Council member Kathleen Lorenz are the three people residents of Normal can vote on in the upcoming consolidated election. Below is why the candidates are running, the issues they…… 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…