By HOI ABC BLOOMINGTON (Heart of Illinois ABC) – A man from Shreveport, Louisiana has been arrested for a myriad of offenses including aggravated domestic battery and unlawful restraint after police say the man and his vehicle were identified through the city’s new automatic license plate reader system. Bloomington Police say Louis G. Wiggins, 37…… MORE
By HOI ABC NORMAL – Illinois State University says the union’s filing of a 10-day intent to strike notice is a “disappointing development” and in an abundance of caution has started contingency planning in case workers represented by the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees Local 1110 go on strike. ISU released a…… MORE
Reditus CEO Aaron Rossi has pleaded not guilty to federal charges of tax fraud.… MORE
Are you really who you think you are? Illinois may get its own law addressing “fertility fraud” – when, for example, a doctor inseminates a patient with his own sperm.… MORE
Amid an invasion of Ukraine, farmers across Illinois are feeling the pinch when it comes to fertilizer prices.… MORE
By Jake Fogal BLOOMINGTON – The City of Bloomington’s Parks, Recreation and Cultural Arts department will have Summer Registration open for Bloomington residents beginning April 13th beginning at 5:00 AM. Non-resident registration will begin April 20th. The programs and classes being offered deal with outdoor activities, sports, science, cooking and art classes, and even Zumba…… MORE
By HOI ABC BLOOMINGTON – A quarter of a million dollars is going to a local community center in honor of a longtime public servant to the Twin Cities. State Farm held a special ceremony Wednesday, looking back on the life of former executive Willie Brown. In his name, the company presented a check for…… MORE
By HOI ABC NORMAL – A TV show highlighting colleges across the country has made its way to Central Illinois. Illinois State University will be in the spotlight on the Amazon Prime show ‘The College Tour’. Crews have been in pre-production for the last two months getting to know the Twin Cities and the campus…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – Unlimited sick time for covid-related reasons, a new law Gov. JB Pritzker signed for educators, is a godsend for Angela Bulger of O’Fallon. “As a new employee, I am allotted eleven sick days,” said Bulger, an aide. “Without this legislation, any additional days missed because of covid would mean a…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – Illinois House and Senate Democrats – mostly lawmakers of color – are getting involved in what has become a big story in Springfield – racist social media posts, allegedly by a man who was on the police force. Officer Aaron Nichols resigned Tuesday, rather than sit for an interview with…… MORE
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.” …
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…
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…
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…