Normal Township Supervisor Sarah Grammer is calling for removal of the entire Connect Transit board, which voted earlier this week for a series of fare increases and the elimination of a bus route.… MORE
Category Archives: Local News
Country artist Luke Combs coming to Bloomington
The 2019 Academy of Country Music Award-winner for New Male Artist of the Year is coming to Bloomington.… MORE
City’s new economic development office seen to emphasize downtown, improve ties with Normal
The four staffers on Bloomington government’s new economic development office claim to have quite a few irons in the fire just about 2 1/2 weeks after the city council created the department.… MORE
UPDATED: Grand jury indicts accused cop killer
A grand jury has handed up a 75 count indictment against Floyd Brown. He’s the Springfield man accused of shooting to death a McHenry County Sheriff’s Deputy March 7, then leading authorities on a high speed chase that resulted in his capture on I-55 near Lincoln. … MORE
Renner: Raising gas tax was least objectionable option
Bloomington Mayor Tari Renner says doubling the local gas tax to eight cents a gallon was the city’s best option.… MORE
Electrical fire breaks out at Parkside Junior High
An electrical fire broke out Wednesday morning at Parkside Junior High School in Normal.… MORE
Connect Transit delays fare hike amid emotional appeals
Bloomington-Normal’s public transit system has not raised fares for one-way rides in a dozen years, and it will wait a little longer to implement a series of fare increases.… MORE
Twin-Cities man charged in Joliet killing
A man from Normal is suspected of killing an elderly man Sunday night at Harrah’s Casino Hotel in Joliet.… MORE
Aldermen OK video gambling fee, business owner calls it “government greed”
A Bloomington business owner said charging city establishments a fee for each video gaming terminal is “government greed at its worst.”… MORE
Council narrowly approves doubling local gas tax for street repairs
Bloomington aldermen were divided Monday night, narrowly approving an increase in the local gasoline tax that will double to eight cents a gallon starting May 1.… 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…