A year into the coronavirus crucible, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) says we got off to a bad start. Durbin says the Trump administration left the nation ill-equipped.… MORE
Category Archives: Politics
Illinois House committee members revisit cost of insulin
As members of an Illinois House committee revisited the cost of insulin, a Minnesota mom told them her sad story.… MORE
Renner with some advice for the city’s next mayor
Municipal elections are less than a month away and Bloomington Mayor Tari Renner has some advice for the city’s next leader.… MORE
Illinois lawmakers discuss the latest stimulus bill
The ink wasn’t dry on the President’s signature of the ARP bill Thursday afternoon when the chairman of the Illinois House Revenue and Finance Committee was talking about how to spend it.… MORE
House bill would update youth suicide policy
A bill which has passed an Illinois House committee would strengthen existing law to explicitly recognize at-risk populations in suicide prevention policies for school kids.… MORE
Congressman Davis says generations to come could be faced with paying for $1.9 trillion COVID-relief bill
According to one Central Illinois lawmaker, President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion ‘American Rescue Plan’ is too expensive and could leave the tab to generations to come.… MORE
Mayoral challenger Tiritilli accuses incumbent Koos of dividing Normal
The two candidates vying to be elected mayor of Normal next month offered their different interpretations about the challenges facing the town.… MORE
State leaders trying to figure out how much money to expect for fiscal year beginning July 1
The economic slump brought on by the pandemic will end; it’s just a matter of when.… MORE
Harmon: We’re going to have to look at deep cuts
Suddenly, Senate President Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) has more seniority among legislative leaders than the Speaker of the House and the Senate Minority Leader. And he is just beginning his second year.… MORE
Bloomington’s Carrillo finds council opposed to police funding cuts
A Bloomington alderwoman is calling for a debate about reducing police funding even as elected leaders and staff approach the final stages of a multi-month budget process for the next fiscal year.… 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…