Category Archives: Local News

Governor Pritzker calls Twin Cities state’s center for electric vehicles

Governor Pritzker calls Twin Cities state’s center for electric vehicles

By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – Bloomington-Normal is the place to be for electric vehicles in Illinois. Rivian is the main event there, but Gov. JB Pritzker Tuesday helped cut the ribbon on Heartland Community College’s expanded Advanced Manufacturing Training Center, where students can learn about, among other things, EV’s. The project benefited from $7.5 million…MORE

NAACP holds its voting empowerment workshop

NAACP holds its voting empowerment workshop

By WMBD-TV BLOOMINGTON – The Bloomington-Normal NAACP was empowering voters at a workshop at Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church in Bloomington on Saturday. The workshop included officials from the Bloomington election commission offering training on how to register voters, instructions on how to access voter registration, and eligibility information. The NAACP was founded in 1909 and…MORE

Hundreds come out to Miller Park for the 25th annual Polar Plunge

Hundreds come out to Miller Park for the 25th annual Polar Plunge

By WMBD-TV BLOOMINGTON – Hundreds of people took the plunge into the frigid waters of Miller Park Lake in Bloomington. “As the lead up it was like 700 plungers, then it was 800, I show up today and find out we’re at 900 plungers and to be out here and just the atmosphere. It’s amazing,”…MORE

Severe storms could impact Central Illinois on Tuesday

Severe storms could impact Central Illinois on Tuesday

By Chris Yates (WMBD-TV) PEORIA – A strong storm system is expected to drag a cold front through Central Illinois Tuesday night triggering strong to severe thunderstorms from the Ozarks to the Great Lakes. The Storm Prediction Center has placed Central Illinois within a Level 2 Risk (Slight Risk) for severe storms. Key Takeaways Severe…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…