The Normal Town Council voted to approve extending a moratorium during its meeting on Monday.… MORE
Category Archives: Local News
Bloomington Fire Dept. mourns firefighter Kyle Walder’s loss
The Bloomington Fire Department is mourning the death of a firefighter who died off duty.… MORE
UPDATED: Normal house fire causes damage to garage; melts neighbor houses siding
A garage received major damages and occupants were displaced after a fire broke out in Normal on Sunday.… MORE
New supplier park and jobs coming to Normal, says Rivian and Gov. Pritzker
Rivian will build a 1.2 million square-foot supplier park in Normal as part of a $120 million investment in the area that will see close to 100 new jobs.… MORE
Former Gov. George Ryan dead at 91; remembered for corruption conviction, halting death penalty
Former Illinois Gov. George Ryan died Friday morning at 91, more than two decades after leaving office for the last time and 12 years after his release from federal prison.… MORE
Senate leaders split on community college bachelor’s degree proposal
Two Democratic leaders in the Illinois Senate openly expressed their disagreement this week about Gov. JB Pritzker’s proposal to allow community colleges to offer four-year bachelor’s degree programs in certain high-demand employment fields.… MORE
On May Day, thousands march for immigrant, labor, women and LGBTQ+ rights
Michelle Nolasco, a 20-year-old DePaul University student from Orland Park, Illinois, held a sign that read: “I was supposed to be at school … Instead, I am here, fighting for mi familia y mi gente,” meaning “my family and my people.”… MORE
Former Illinois Governor George Ryan, who served time for corruption, dies at 91
Former Illinois Governor George Ryan, who served time in prison for corruption, has died at 91.… MORE
Plan to overhaul higher education funding meets U of I opposition
A plan to overhaul the way Illinois funds public universities is running into stiff opposition from the state’s largest higher education institution, the University of Illinois System.… MORE
Driver of Chatham fatal crash had clean toxicology, Illinois State Police confirm
Illinois State Police released preliminary toxicology results that showed no drugs or alcohol in the system of a driver who crashed into a central Illinois after-school program, killing four young girls.… 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…