Connect Transit has announced that service will be suspended early Monday and Tuesday evening in the interest of public and employee safety.… MORE
Category Archives: Local News
BPD: Man arrested for hit and run after rally in downtown Bloomington
A Bloomington man is in custody for a hit and run that happened Sunday night following a rally in the downtown area, according to police.… MORE
A new beginning for area businesses and their customers
Business owners and their customers saw light at the end of the tunnel, as Gov. JB Pritzker’s Restore Illinois plan moved to Phase 3 on Friday.… MORE
Koos: Reprehensible behavior last night
After a peaceful protest in downtown Bloomington Sunday night, riots and looting struck the Twin-Cities.… MORE
Looters hit Target in Normal, local man shares his observations
Looting and riots continued Sunday night and into the morning hours across the country, including right here in Bloomington-Normal.… MORE
McLean County Museum of History to remain closed to complete projects
With phase three of restoring Illinois beginning Friday, the McLean County Museum of History will forego reopening to the public to complete projects.… MORE
McLean County Detention Facility to resume on-site visitation
On-site visitation at the McLean County jail will resume starting June 1, according to McLean County Sheriff Jon Sandage.… MORE
McLean County rescue crews free crash victims
Rescue crews had to use heavy extrication equipment after a Thursday evening crash between a car and a pick-up truck in rural McLean County.… MORE
HOI reopening plan tabled in McLean County
The McLean County Board decided to table a proposal Thursday night to immediately implement terms of the so-called Heart of Illinois sub-regional proposal, in which 11 counties would reopen businesses at a faster pace than Gov. JB Pritzker’s Restore Illinois plan.… MORE
Local NAACP chapter reacts to death of George Floyd
The Executive Committee of the Bloomington-Normal Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People has released a statement after the death of George Floyd at the hands of police officer Derek Chauvin in Minnesota.… 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…