SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Transportation today announced lane closures for U.S. 24 near El Paso beginning Monday, Oct. 2. The closures are needed for roadway improvements on U.S. 24 from one mile east of El Paso to 2.5 miles east of El Paso. At least one lane will remain open in each direction during…… MORE
Yearly Archives: 2017
Bloomington-Normal jobless rate remains lowest in state
Unemployment across the state continued to drop during August with Bloomington-Normal again leading the state with the lowest jobless rate.… MORE
Most Illinois students still not reading, adding at grade level
The latest test scores show Illinois schools are once again falling short.
… MORE
Raoul joins race for Attorney General
State Sen. Kwame Raoul is the second Democratic entry in the race for Illinois Attorney General.… MORE
Sports On Air
Sports On Air… MORE
Illinois State University receives $1 million for scholarships
Illinois State University is using a $1 million dollar gift to establish a scholarship program that helps students who have faced significant financial challenges.… MORE
Bloomington to begin search for new city manager
Bloomington aldermen are expected to meet soon to discuss its search for a new city manager. David Hales is leaving in November to become Joliet’s city manager.… MORE
Bloomington man kills his children and himself
Bloomington Police say a man killed his children, set fire to his home, and then killed himself in the basement while his wife slept in a bedroom in their northeast Bloomington home. … MORE
Suspect in fatal hit-and-run tied to November home invasion in Normal
The man accused of leaving the scene of a fatal crash in southeast Bloomington a week ago now faces charges for a home invasion and armed robbery that happened 10 months ago in Normal.… MORE
Illinois Wesleyan football looks to avenge North Central, North Park defeats
Jordan Hassan was just a sophomore playing special teams when Illinois Wesleyan football lost to North Park for the first time in three decades in 2015.… 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…