A teenager leading a local demonstration to end school shootings in America said kids are frightened after the latest rash of gun violence, including mass killings at a school in Sante Fe, Texas and a near-tragedy at Dixon High School.… MORE
Category Archives: Local News
Cigarette sets cottonwood seedlings ablaze, paints winter-like setting in northeast Normal
A bizarre scene in a northeast Normal neighborhood late Thursday afternoon as Normal firefighters put out about a dozen small fires caused by a discarded cigarette.… MORE
Murder charges filed against 3 Chicago-area residents in Streator shooting
LaSalle County prosecutors have released the names of three Chicago-area residents charged with murder in connection with Tuesday’s shooting in Streator.… MORE
IAA Drive in Bloomington to close
Effective Wednesday, May 30, from 7 a.m to 5 p.m. IAA Drive between Rowe Drive and just south of the Country Financial entrance will be closed to thru traffic for storm sewer replacement at 710 IAA Dr.… MORE
Man who dumped body near Pontiac in 1996 convicted of 5 more killings
A convicted serial killer who murdered a woman and dumped her body in the Vermillion River near Pontiac in 1996 has been found guilty of the murders of five women in Southern California two decades ago.… MORE
Local United Way expands meaning of giving as cash donations slide
United Way of McLean County is again seeing a decline in direct contributions that help fund dozens of local social service agencies, but the organization said it’s impacting the community in other ways.… MORE
Beyond the Books provides over $55,000 in grants to Unit 5 programs
Over two dozen Unit 5 educators have received grants courtesy the local chapter of Beyond the Books.… MORE
Illinois Senate approved extension of Normal TIF district
The Illinois Senate has approved a 12-year extension of the tax increment financing district in Uptown Normal.… MORE
Streator woman dead, 3 in custody after shooting
Three suspects are in police custody after a woman was shot and killed Tuesday night in Streator.… MORE
Man who streamed fight on Facebook Live sentenced to jail
A Bloomington man has been sentenced to six months in jail for video streaming a fight between two women during which one woman became exposed.… 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…