Even as education funding has increased, legacy pension costs have squeezed out money that could otherwise be used to boost teacher pay, reduce class sizes and pay for additional support staff, according to a new study that blames pension costs for an uptick in teacher strikes in recent years.… MORE
For some Illinois residents, preparing for the next recession could involve moving more than money. … MORE
Drivers in Illinois sent more than $200 million in additional gas taxes to Springfield since in the first two months after the state’s motor fuel tax doubled.… MORE
Bloomington’s cannabis task force is recommending the city council allow regulated marijuana sales for recreational use, but task force members are not unanimous in that view.… MORE
Normal Police have arrested a man wanted for allegedly violating terms of his bond in a Kane County armed robbery case.… MORE
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources is reminding residents that after a collision with a deer, a motorist who wants the venison can keep it, but there are a few requirements. … MORE
Police have released the name of a man who fled from officers Wednesday in Downtown Bloomington and was later taken into custody in Peoria.… MORE
A Democrat has announced her candidacy for McLean County Coroner.… MORE
Students from Illinois State University’s Black Homecoming Committee met with the university president on Wednesday to discuss their protests about inequality on campus.… MORE
Bloomington Police avoided danger to themselves and perhaps the public by not chasing after a suspected drug offender who escaped from the downtown area and fled to Peoria.… 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…