Vigil planned for Bloomington teen injured in hit-and-run crash

candles
The candlelight vigil is planned for 8 p.m. at Forest Park. (Photo courtesy Pixabay)

By WJBC Staff

BLOOMINGTON – Community members will gather for a candlelight vigil in Bloomington tonight to show support for a 16-year-old boy who is fighting for his life after he was hit by an alleged drunk driver.

The boy was critically injured in the crash on Six Points Road on Monday night when his bicycle was hit by a van. The driver fled the scene.

The teen is in critical condition at a Peoria hospital. His family is planning to take the boy off of life support tonight, holding out hope he will be able to breathe on his own.

The vigil is scheduled for 8 p.m. at Forest Park, 1813 Springfield Road.

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…