By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – With four days to go in the session, House and Senate Democrats now have some bills which would make it easier to be a cop. A reporter noted that the presentation featured an all-white cast. What progress is the cop community making to earn the trust of the Black community?…… MORE
By HOI ABC NORMAL – A federal mediator will now be involved after no agreement was made between Illinois State University and their worker’s union, AFSCME Local 1110. ISU and the union met twice last week hoping to come to an agreement over their contracts. Union workers have been working without contracts for the past…… MORE
By Jake Fogal BLOOMINGTON – Beginning April 16th, the Hopedale Wellness Center is collaborating with Kelly O’Keefe Martial Arts to offer a self-defense class for women. From 10:30 to Noon at the Wellness Center, women ages 13 and up are invited to learn self defense skills that will extend beyond discovering how to protect yourself.…… MORE
By Jake Fogal BLOOMINGTON – Gas prices in Illinois continued to inch down over the week, but are still well above four dollars, averaging $4.42 a gallon. According to GasBuddy, prices in the state are 26 cents higher than a month ago and $1.41 higher than a year ago. GasBuddy price reports show the cheapest…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – Five days remain in the 2022 spring legislative session in Springfield. Lawmakers want time to campaign for the June 28 primary, later this year because of the delayed Census numbers. The main piece of business is to craft a budget, which State Rep. Tim Butler (R-Springfield) says seems to have…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – It’s not even Easter yet, but an Illinois Senate Democratic proposal looks like Santa’s big bag, and practically all Illinoisans have been good. “The beauty of the plan is that the package benefits taxpayers. The earned income tax credit is a permanent increase,” State Sen. Elgie Sims (D-Chicago) told a…… MORE
Eureka College is matching the net tuition cost for all Lincoln College students who decide to transfer to Eureka.… MORE
By Jake Fogal BLOOMINGTON- The City of Bloomington has a vast surplus of mulch available free for the public. “Recent trimming and tree maintenance have produced a vast surplus of mulch,” said Dave Lamb, City Forester and Assistant Superintendent of Parks, adding “We are happy to provide this service for the community.” There are two…… MORE
By HOI ABC BLOOMINGTON (Heart of Illinois ABC) – The McLean County State’s Attorney’s office filed formal charges Thursday against a Bloomington man accused of shooting another man near the downtown area Tuesday night. The six felonies against Charles Bell, 33, include aggravated battery by firing a gun, a Class X crime carrying a maximum…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – A bittersweet backdrop – the recent deaths of two Black transgender Chicago women – accompanied State Sen. Mike Simmons (D-Chicago) as he commemorated Transgender Day of Visibility at the Capitol Thursday. “In my role as Illinois’ first openly gay senator,” Simmons told a statehouse news conference, “I want to make…… 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…