After closing due to a COVID-19 scare, Destihl Brewery will be reopening one of its locations.… MORE
Category Archives: Local News
Remote learning option at Tri-Valley schools won’t be taught by local teachers
Like many other communities during the COVID-19 pandemic, children and their families in the Tri-Valley school district in Downs face a difficult choice how to return to school this fall, either to receive in-person or online instruction.… MORE
McLean County Health officials announce 11 new COVID-19 cases
McLean County Health officials report 11 new cases of Coronavirus, increasing the county total to 472 cases.… MORE
LaHood: $600 federal unemployment benefits should be lowered
Senate Republicans on Monday released their $1 trillion coronavirus relief package.… MORE
Bloomington’s Miller Park Zoo to welcome monkey, antelope exhibit with the help of state dollars
Bloomington’s Miller Park Zoo will soon welcome new occupants, paid for with a grant from the state government.… MORE
Illinois’ two major cash crops moving along
Warm and wet were the watchwords of last week in the farm fields of Illinois, according to the USDA crop report.… MORE
Durbin remembers late Congressman John Lewis
Lawmakers and people across the country are paying their respects to the civil rights icon and late Congressman John Lewis of Georgia.… MORE
Bloomington-Normal eateries praised for putting COVID safety ahead of profits
A Bloomington City Council member is praising several restaurants in the Twin-Cities which temporarily closed their doors this weekend because of COVID-19 concerns.… MORE
Unit 5 working with First Student to ensure students are safe amid COVID-19 pandemic
While Unit 5 students have an option for online or in-person learning, student transportation will look slightly different, according to the new superintendent.… MORE
Three new COVID-19 cases in McLean and Livingston County
McLean County Health officials announced three new Coronavirus cases on Monday, bringing the county total to 461 cases.… 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…