Bloomington and Normal Human Relations Commissions are seeking nominations for the 2018 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Awards.… MORE
Yearly Archives: 2017
Unit 5 board appears ready to declare district safe for immigrants
Unit 5 school board members seem to be unified in declaring the district a safe and welcoming place for all students, including so-called dreamers whose parents might be undocumented immigrants.… MORE
District 87 seeks drop in tax rate
District 87 schools in Bloomington would collect almost $44.5 million in property taxes next fiscal year, a one percent increase from the current fiscal year.… MORE
Illinois Wesleyan women picked to win CCIW; men tabbed 4th
Illinois Wesleyan was selected to win the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin women’s basketball title this season.… MORE
Rep. Brady expects Right-to-Work ban to overcome veto
State Rep. Dan Brady, R-Bloomington, told WJBC’s Scott Laughlin he will vote against the override of the Collective Bargaining Freedom Act.… MORE
Renner: Council spat shouldn’t impact city manager search
Bloomington Mayor Tari Renner said he doesn’t believe the public dust-up between he and city council will discourage good candidates from applying for the permanent city manager post.… MORE
Obituaries: Jacobs
Obituary for Gladys Jacobs
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Home Sweet Home, Midwest Food Bank aim to feed thousands on Thanksgiving
Home Sweet Home Ministries is partnering with Midwest Food Bank in order to acquire 2,000 turkeys this holiday season, as part of their give thanks campaign.… MORE
Unit 5 school board to consider declaration embracing immigrants
A resolution declaring Unit 5 schools as a welcoming district, particularly for immigrant families, is ready for school board consideration.… MORE
Zimmerman jury allowed to hear circumstantial evidence
McLean County prosecutors will be able present to a jury circumstantial evidence about accused killer Kirk Zimmerman’s shrinking finances, and how he may have traveled to Indiana to buy a gun used to kill his ex-wife in Bloomington almost three years ago.… 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…