The stunning downward spiral of Michael Madigan’s political career ended Friday with a 7 1/2-year prison sentence and a $2.5 million fine for the former Illinois House speaker and the longest-serving legislative leader in U.S. history after he was convicted of trading legislation for the enrichment of his friends and allies.… MORE
A man is dead after a two-vehicle crash Thursday morning in McLean County.… MORE
A Wyoming man will pay $300,000 to the family of a Dunlap High School student, killed last year in a traffic collision, to settle a civil lawsuit.… MORE
A Maquon woman accused of poisoning a former police chief more than two years ago will go to trial later this month, a judge ordered.… MORE
Bloomington police are investigating after receiving a report of several shots fired early Wednesday morning.… MORE
A man pleaded guilty Tuesday to a federal charge that he and others conspired to steal money from area ATMs.… MORE
A Pontiac man and his son died last week after being shot at close range, the Livingston County Coroner said on Wednesday.… MORE
Gun rights advocates once again are asking a federal appeals court in Chicago to overturn Illinois’ ban on assault-style firearms and large-capacity magazines in a case that may be destined for the U.S. Supreme Court. … MORE
A Bloomington woman was sentenced last week to 10 years in prison in connection with a deadly crash last year that killed her 8-year-old son.… MORE
The “Clean Slate” Act, which could have sealed thousands and potentially millions of nonviolent criminal records in Illinois, had bipartisan support but failed to pass in the final flurry of legislative action this spring, the sponsor says.… 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…