State Rep. Dan Brady (R-Bloomington) and other House GOP members are asking for an investigation into the automatic voter registration system.… MORE
Category Archives: Local News
Mayor’s annual address notes capital projects, economic development
Bloomington Mayor Tari Renner believes the city is starting 2020 “in better shape” compared to last year.… MORE
BPD investigating possible burglary trend to start 2020
Police are reporting a possible trend of residential burglaries on Bloomington’s west side.… MORE
New hours for Bloomington’s Citizen Convenience Center
The Citizen Convenience Center in Bloomington has some new hours.… MORE
State task force to release report on ways to help children with incarcerated parents
Illinois state lawmakers and advocates are drafting a plan to help people often overlooked by the criminal justice system: The children of the incarcerated. … MORE
Report says federal tax reform could pressure local governments to hold the line on taxes
Federal tax changes from 2017 could make it more politically difficult for local governments to raise taxes, according to a report.… MORE
New Illinois Senate President makes progressive income tax top priority
Illinois’ new Senate President said the progressive income tax will be one of his top priorities, but Republicans worry the proposed tax structure would make Illinois less competitive at a time when the state’s population is declining.… MORE
Ahead of March primary, Republicans demand hearing over non-citizen voter registration errors
With early voting for the March primary set to begin early next month, Illinois House Republicans demanded an immediate hearing into how the Secretary of State’s Office improperly caused voter registration cards to be sent to hundreds of non-citizens.… MORE
Mural’s day in court comes to an end but the story continues
It’s case dismissed for artists trying to save the mural in uptown Normal, but the story doesn’t end there.… MORE
From boom to uncertainty, a volatile decade for Illinois farmers
Looking back over the last decade in Illinois agriculture, Illinois Farm Bureau Senior Economist and Policy Analyst Michael Doherty said it started with a bang but has since deflated. … 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…