Coronavirus cases are on the rise, and Illinois’s Senior U.S. Senator says President Trump needs to work with President-elect Joe Biden to prepare for vaccine distribution. … MORE
Category Archives: Politics
McLean County Board race shows every vote counts
A McLean County Board seat has apparently flipped to the Democrats two weeks after election day.… MORE
Gov. Pritzker announces new COVID-19 mitigations
Gov. JB Pritzker says the best way to avoid a stay-at-home order is to act as if there is one.… MORE
Gov. Pritzker says the rise in COVID-19 cases is threatening hospital capacity
Gov. JB Pritzker says the current coronavirus rise is threatening the capacity of hospitals.… MORE
Former Gov. Edgar reflects on Illinois fiscal trouble Gov. Pritzker faces
If there’s one person who has even a little idea of the fiscal trouble Gov. JB Pritzker is dealing with, it’s predecessor Jim Edgar. And Edgar did not have a pandemic. Still, he thought he had it tough. … MORE
Sen. Durbin: Republicans want “to do away” with Obamacare with no plan in place
Those who had to buy their own health insurance before the Affordable Care Act became law are recalling the bad old days.… MORE
Republican senator and a Democratic representative call for hearings on the state’s response to COVID-19
A Republican senator and a Democratic representative Thursday shared a Zoom call to say not enough is being done … by not enough people … in the state’s coronavirus response.… MORE
Rep. Davis remains “cautiously optimistic” about a second COVID relief bill
Amid election uncertainty, one local congressman says he’s “cautiously optimistic” that Americans would receive a second COVID-19 stimulus check.… MORE
Fall veto session canceled in Springfield
As Illinois House Republicans urged their Democratic colleagues to join them in trying to boot longtime House Speaker Mike Madigan (D-Chicago) out of office, those same Republicans Tuesday suggested that a cancellation of the fall veto session – made official late Tuesday afternoon – would be tied to Madigan’s job security as speaker.… MORE
Bloomington City Council continues discussion about replacing Columbus Day
A proposal to replace Christopher Columbus day with Indigenous Peoples’ day is still up for discussion for the Bloomington City Council.… 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…