As Bloomington considers hiring a new city manager, there are two challenges that are paramount – council unity and economic stabilization.… MORE
Category Archives: Voices
WJBC Voices: ‘Cheerleading’ for Uptown
No one is a bigger cheerleader for Uptown Normal than me, a 55-year resident who ran around in “blighted downtown Normal” as a kid.… MORE
WJBC Voices: We are beginning to welcome autism
As April ends, so does Autism Awareness month. There are some local signs of progress, though much still to do.… MORE
WJBC Voices: Leadership McLean County
There are a few experiences in our lives that we can call pivotal. … MORE
WJBC Voices: Son of a preacher man
My dad was a preacher, but not in the Reverend Mr. Black sense. … MORE
WJBC Voices: Obama’s children
On Saturday, March 24, there is a march in downtown Bloomington against gun violence. … MORE
WJBC Voices: They still don’t get it
One of the questions posed in “Blowin’ in the Wind” is “how many times can a man look away and pretend that he just doesn’t see?”… MORE
WJBC Voices: Paying our fair share
No one wants to pay more taxes. I do appreciate the services our taxes support. But one thing we all want to assume is that we are ALL paying our “fair share.”… MORE
WJBC Voices: Respect for citizen volunteers
This past few months, I’ve witnessed over 30 hours of McLean County Zoning Board of Appeals hearings. … MORE
WJBC Voices: Illinois’ gubernatorial paradox
The qualifications of any presidential candidate are suspect if one considers the size of the ego required of anyone who thinks he or she can do that job.… 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…