By HOI ABC BLOOMINGTON – The Bloomington City Council agreed to spend some of the money it’s received from the American Rescue Plan to help fund a mobile health unit serving McLean County residents who otherwise wouldn’t have direct assess to medical care. The council voted unanimously Monday night to contribute $150,000 from the federal…… MORE
By Dave Dahl BLOOMINGTON – The reported reboot of the Richard Irvin campaign looks a lot like how it started. The Aurora mayor and Republican gubernatorial candidate is back to telling people he is Democrats’ “worst nightmare.” Irvin, speaking with sheriffs in Bloomington Friday, is also back to saying he is intimidating Gov. JB Pritzker…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – Outrage over gas prices made for rich Republican fodder at a campaign announcement starring State Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia). The senator, one of six Republicans who want to be governor, wants the legislature back in Springfield to do something about the gas tax. The state’s share had been 19 cents…… MORE
One of the Republicans running for governor, Jesse Sullivan, told reporters in Springfield Tuesday he wants to defund teachers’ unions, partly by making it easier for teachers to opt out of teachers’ unions.… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – The six men seeking the Republican nomination for governor debated Thursday for ABC-7 in Chicago. Unsurprisingly, guns and school safety were major issues. “Our schools can be soft-armored. Each classroom can become a safe zone,” said State Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia). “In our area, law enforcement takes a very active…… MORE
Rodney Davis knows something about gun crimes. The Republican Congressman from Taylorville was at a baseball practice near Washington in 2017, when a gunman fired at the players, wounding U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.).… MORE
By HOI ABC BLOOMINGTON – The Bloomington City Council has signed off on a deal offering tax breaks for a former alderman who wants to expand his downtown business and create space for two other retailers. The council voted unanimously Monday night for an agreement in which local tax incentives would fund approximately 17% of…… MORE
By HOI ABC SPRINGFIELD – The mother of Jelani Day, the late Illinois State University graduate student, is pleased the bill named for her son is now the law in Illinois. Gov. JB Pritzker has signed legislation requiring local law enforcement notify the FBI within 72 hours after the discovery of a body. Day went…… MORE
By HOI ABC BLOOMINGTON – Elected leaders who have the final say whether a solar farm will sprout up in southwest Bloomington are holding off on a decision in hopes local workers will be used to build the project. Cypress Creek Renewables wants to build the county’s second solar farm, to be located in Dale…… MORE
By HOI ABC BLOOMINGTON – The Bloomington City Council is backing Mayor Mboka Mwilambwe’s pick to fill a council vacancy even though an alderman complained the selection is part of the mayor’s plan to move the council to the right. Monday night, the council voted 6-2 to approve Grant Walch to replace Jamie Mathy as…… 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…