By HOI ABC BLOOMINGTON – Bloomington Mayor Mboka Mwilambwe said Friday he’s nominating a downtown business owner to fill the vacant Ward 6 city council seat. De Urban is owner of Alley Kats Art and Antiques, and must win majority council approval to fill the seat formerly held by Jenn Carrillo, who resigned because she…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – Senators Wednesday used the police memorial on the Capitol grounds as the backdrop – and a Champaign police widow as the testimony – for a plea for controlling Democrats to consider anti-crime legislation. “Trust me,” said Amber Oberheim, “my husband’s killer did not stop to ask him if he was…… MORE
The battle over legislative district maps continues in Springfield as a federal court threw out a legislative map passed in May that favored Democrats on Tuesday.… MORE
Republicans are again calling on Gov. JB Pritzker to quit using executive orders to run the state’s covid mitigations.… MORE
A Normal based non-profit is the recipient of the 2021 “Angels in Adoption.”… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – Illinois could be on the verge of enhancing its reputation as a haven for women who want to end their pregnancies. It’s possible lawmakers will try to repeal the state’s Parental Notice of Abortion act. State Sen. Jil Tracy (R-Quincy) says that makes no sense. “To think that parents’ consent…… MORE
Gov. JB Pritzker says he’s hopeful the state’s indoor mask mandate can be lifted in time for the holidays.… MORE
By Neil Doyle BLOOMINGTON – “An amazing person” is how Illinois’ senior U.S. Senator describes Gen. Colin Powell, who died earlier this week from COVID complications at the age of 84. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) spoke with WJBC’s Scott Miller. “The son of immigrants to the United States who decides he has a duty for…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – If you like to see strange shapes on a map, the new congressional redistricting proposal for Illinois is right up your alley. Calling it “one of the most incredible cartographic feats I’ve ever seen in the history of mapmaking,” State Rep. Tim Butler (R-Springfield) pointed out a district that runs…… MORE
State officials are stressing the importance of Breast Cancer screenings.… 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…