By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – Outrage over gas prices made for rich Republican fodder at a campaign announcement starring State Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia). The senator, one of six Republicans who want to be governor, wants the legislature back in Springfield to do something about the gas tax. The state’s share had been 19 cents…… MORE
By HOI ABC CHENOA – New dashcam video shows an Illinois State Police trooper trying to help the driver of a traffic stop near Chenoa, before being attacked. The 11-minute video, obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, shows state trooper Matthew Niehaus conducting a traffic stop on Randy Turner for speeding, allegedly at 109 miles…… MORE
A 16-year old Bloomington boy was sentenced Wednesday to 2 1/2 years in a state prison for juveniles for bringing a loaded handgun to school.… MORE
The world’s largest Corvette show is returning to its roots this weekend in the twin cities for the first time since the ’70s.… MORE
Schools will be able to teach students about proper gun storage under a new state law.… MORE
An anonymous donor is gifting $5 million to Illinois State University to set the stage for the next generation of teachers.… MORE
The crash that caused the death of an Earlville woman has claimed another life, this time of a child.… MORE
One of the Republicans running for governor, Jesse Sullivan, told reporters in Springfield Tuesday he wants to defund teachers’ unions, partly by making it easier for teachers to opt out of teachers’ unions.… MORE
An uptick in cases of COVID-19 is putting the McLean County Health Department on high alert.… MORE
A 34-year-old Posen, Illinois, man is behind bars in McLean County for his alleged involvement in a robbery of a Bloomington pawn shop.… 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…