A Rotary International initiative to have each member plant a tree this year is leading to one club sprucing up the west entrance to Bloomington.… MORE
Yearly Archives: 2017
LaHood: Federal indictments ‘very serious’
U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood said accusations outlined in the indictments against former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and two former aides need to be taken very seriously.… MORE
Obituaries: Wills
Obituary for Charlie Wills… MORE
ISU’s Pence named MVC Defensive Player of the Week for record 9th time
Illinois State libero Courtney Pence has been named the Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Week for the fourth time this season, the league announced Monday. … MORE
Illinois report card shows improvement, but many students lack basic proficiency
By Cole Lauterbach/Illinois Radio Network SPRINGFIELD – Three years into new testing metrics, Illinois’ public school students still are largely not proficient in math or English. Released Tuesday, the Illinois Report Card for the 2017 school year showed that the state’s students are still in need of improvement on the basics. The results of the…… MORE
Hiding under your coverage: Halloween and insurance
There’s more than one thing that can go awry during All Hollow’s Eve, with spirits and goblins and ghouls all around; checking your coverage is logically sound. … MORE
ISU coaches teach ‘aggressive’ athletes not to take it out on women
Illinois State University’s Head Football Coach Brock Spack says his athletes are “very aggressive people,” so he’s sending a message that it’s not acceptable to take out their aggression on women.… MORE
Mulberry Street in Normal closes
Mulberry Street between Linden Street and Constitution Boulevard was closed on Monday and is expected to remain closed through Friday.… MORE
Millions of dollars still missing from dubious, Quinn-era Neighborhood Recovery Initiative
State Senator Jason Barickman said there still aren’t proper controls in place to keep tax dollars from being wasted on what some have called politically connected anti-violence programs that had little or nothing to show for the millions of dollars they received from the state.… MORE
State Farm conducts ‘active shooter’ drill
State Farm Insurance conducted an “active shooter” drill Monday, but the Bloomington-based company said the exercise is not due to any threats or recent mass shootings.… 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…