By HOI ABC BLOOMINGTON – Some Bloomington aldermen are recommending using some of the millions of dollars the city is receiving in federal COVID-19 aid to upgrade aging sewer systems that made flooding even worse following historically heavy rainfall last month. The city council discussed the flooding at a committee-of-the-whole meeting Monday night, part of what…… MORE
By HOI ABC NORMAL – After years of debate, the Town of Normal has approved a nearly $24 million underpass providing pedestrians and bike riders a below-ground place to cross Union Pacific train tracks. After some heated discussion, town council members Monday night voted 6-1 in favor of accepting federal grant money to build the connector…… MORE
A test of the firewalls is on, as the Illinois National Guard is participating in Operation Cyber Shield. It’s a national exercise that’s in its second and final week.… MORE
Bloomington council member Jenn Carillo is stepping down after a little more than two years in office.… MORE
By HOI ABC NORMAL – A vote is expected Monday night whether the Normal Town Council will back construction of a nearly $24 million underpass allowing pedestrians and bicyclists to travel under the Union Pacific Railroad tracks in Uptown Normal. The council will decide whether to sign off on a grant agreement with the federal government…… MORE
By HOI ABC BLOOMINGTON – More wind turbines will be coming to McLean County after the board approved a special use permit Thursday night. One farmer said this felt like another defeat. “We feel like we don’t exist. All these decisions are being made by people who don’t live by them,” said McLean County farmer,…… MORE
By HOI ABC BLOOMINGTON – A labor leader is the newest member of the McLean County Board. The board Thursday night approved Chairman John McIntyre’s appointment of Jim Rogal to represent District 4, covering west and northwest Normal. Rogal replaces Logan Smith, who resigned in June to accept a job out of state. Smith is…… MORE
As Gov. JB Pritzker signed some criminal justice bills into law Thursday, Illinois House Republicans told a different story.… MORE
The feds have signed off on a plan that lets U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly (D-Matteson) be chairwoman of the Democratic Party of Illinois without doing a major part of the job. As a federal officeholder, Kelly cannot raise money at the state level. … MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – The office of legislative inspector general in Illinois does not have as much power as some would like. One of those people is the current inspector general, retired judge Carol Pope, who has submitted her resignation to the Legislative Ethics Commission. Pope called the position a “paper tiger.” “She is…… 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…