Category Archives: Local Sports

Redbird volleyball picked 5th in MVC preseason poll

Redbird volleyball picked 5th in MVC preseason poll

The Illinois State volleyball team has been picked to finish fifth in the Missouri Valley Conference in a preseason poll of league coaches, while Redbird junior Jaelyn Keene was named to the league’s preseason all-conference team, the Valley announced Wednesday.MORE

Chiefs split doubleheader with Kernels

Chiefs split doubleheader with Kernels

The Peoria Chiefs and Cedar Rapids Kernels split a doubleheader on Tuesday with the Chiefs winning game one 10-1 and the Kernels taking game two 7-2. MORE

Football season around the corner

Football season around the corner

By Bryan Bloodworth BLOOMINGTON – In today’s initial installment of Countdown to Kickoff, we’re going to lay out the game plan for the next three weeks of our preview coverage of Illinois State, Illinois Wesleyan and high schools teams in the immediate WJBC and wjbc.com listening area. The story lines are numerous starting with Illinois…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…