Students attending Heartland Community College will pay higher tuition and fees starting this summer.… MORE
Category Archives: Local News
Normal apartment fire caused by repair work, residents struggling to find new homes
Fire investigators say a three-alarm fire at an apartment building in Normal last weekend was caused by repair work.… MORE
Former Bloomington Mayor Judy Markowitz passes away
Judy Markowitz, the first and only woman ever elected mayor of Bloomington, has died at the age of 82.… MORE
Gov. Pritzker issues disaster proclamation following significant winter storm
Governor JB Pritzker issued a disaster proclamation for all 102 counties in response to the dangerous winter storm that has blanketed the state with life threatening wind chills, power outages and accumulating snow. … MORE
Governor to give his budget speech Wednesday
A political science professor emeritus at the University of Illinois Springfield campus looks ahead to Gov. JB Pritzker’s budget address Wednesday.… MORE
Durbin: Another stimulus package is needed
Illinois’ senior U.S. Senator says another stimulus package could be passed in the coming weeks.… MORE
Snow removal continues across Illinois
Illinois Department of Transportation snow crews are still out trying to clear roadways across the state.… MORE
Bloomington home destroyed by fire
A home near downtown Bloomington was destroyed Sunday night by a fire.… MORE
Winter storm warning for McLean County remains in effect until Tuesday morning
A winter storm warning remains in effect until 6 a.m. Tuesday as we could see additional snow accumulations of four to seven inches, according to the National Weather Service in Lincoln.… MORE
New chairman of the Illinois Republican Party
As a new chairman looks over the Illinois Republican Party, he sees some good and some not-so-good.… 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…