The state’s two major cash crops have begun 2020 on a strong note.… MORE
Category Archives: Local News
Bloomington businesses to receive partial refund on video gaming fees
Bloomington city government will return some of the money it received from businesses with video gambling machines because the gaming terminals have been shutdown during the COVID-19 pandemic.… MORE
MCHD announces four new COVID-19 cases, moves total to 92 confirmed cases
The McLean County Health Department reports four new cases of COVID-19 in the county, bringing the total number to 92 as of Monday.… MORE
GoFundMe raises money for healthcare workers in McLean County
By Heart of Illinois ABC BLOOMINGTON – Mike Kraynak and Dean McCullough have been friends for about 15 years. Both gentlemen wondered how the coronavirus pandemic would impact McLean County. “We wanted to do so much, but we had to narrow it down and that’s when we wanted to focus on healthcare workers because they have…… MORE
Local man arrested for DUI, reckless driving after striking a pedestrian
A local man was arrested for driving under the influence and leaving an accident scene after hitting a person and several other objects.… MORE
Illinois residents rally again in Springfield
When the government puts up a sign saying, “Speed Limit 65,” not many cry that it’s an encroachment on our freedoms.… MORE
Coronavirus cases in Illinois now over 43,000
The Illinois Department of Public Health on Sunday announced 2,126 new cases of coronavirus.… MORE
Anti-stay-home rally in Springfield
About a hundred protesters braved a chilly drizzle Saturday for a rally outside the Capitol in Springfield. The “Orphans of the American Dream” are against the “stay home” order Gov. JB Pritzker is extending through May 30.… MORE
Now 88 cases of COVID-19 in McLean County; Over 41,000 cases statewide
The McLean County Health Department announced one new coronavirus case Saturday, bringing the county total to 88.… MORE
Two more test positive in Livingston County
Two more Livingston County residents have tested positive for COVID-19.… 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…