By Blake Haas BLOOMINGTON – McLean County Health officials announced some good news on Thursday, no new cases of COVID-19. Health officials report that of the 216 cases, 36 individuals remain in home isolation, three remain hospitalized, and 166 have recovered. There have been 11 deaths in the county. The McLean County Health Department (@McLeanHealth)…… MORE
The head of the McLean County Health Department believes the county government is not prepared to safely implement a quicker reopening of area businesses than prescribed by Gov. JB Pritzker’s phased-in approach.… MORE
Although many real estate offices remain closed and open houses are rare because of the pandemic, the housing market in Illinois is on fire… MORE
The 52nd annual Towanda 4th of July celebration has been canceled due to the current pandemic.… MORE
Responding to a federal lawsuit, Illinois State University claims it strives to provide fair refunds of the mandatory fees students paid for the semester interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.… MORE
Authorities say a Farmer City woman who was found Tuesday died from diabetic complications in her home.… MORE
McLean County Health officials confirmed that the woman who died from COVID-19 on Tuesday was an employee at the Bloomington Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center. … MORE
A Farmer City woman who went missing last week has been found dead.… MORE
An auto parts manufacturer said it is closing its Bloomington factory next year, costing 139 people their jobs.… MORE
The Bloomington City Council is empowering the city manager to help businesses start functioning again starting Friday when Phase 3 of Gov. JB Pritzker’s Restore Illinois plan gets underway.… 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…