Bloomington aldermen heard pleas from District 87’s superintendent Tuesday night to minimize the impact tax increment financing has on the school district.… MORE
Category Archives: Scott Laughlin
Titan softball finishes season as 2018 national runner-up
The No. 24-ranked Illinois Wesleyan softball team (40-14-1) fell to No. 1-ranked Virginia Wesleyan (55-3) in the 2018 NCAA Division III National Championship game at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium on Tuesday, May 29, by a final score of 3-1.… MORE
Rep. Brady: ‘Encouraged’ by state budget talks as deadline looms
Illinois’ key budget deadline is barely a week away and one of the state’s budget negotiators says he believes lawmakers can break a three-year trend and get a budget done on time.… MORE
LaHood leads effort for US to bid for 2026 World Cup
U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood, R-Peoria, is taking part in effort to kickstart a bid for the United States to host soccer’s World Cup in 2026.… MORE
Unit 5 chief: School security a ‘national crisis’
Unit 5 Superintendent Mark Daniel said the end to the school year this week can’t come soon enough in light of recent events of gun violence in schools.… MORE
EDC shares Rauner’s concerns about Illinois business climate
Local economic developers say recent business expansions in Bloomington-Normal have more to do with what’s happening in McLean County than in Springfield.… MORE
Aldermen welcome Boys and Girls Club building plans at west side park
Bloomington aldermen enthusiastically endorsed plans by the local Boys and Girls Club to build a multi-million dollar clubhouse at Sunnyside Park on Bloomington’s west side.… MORE
GOP counts votes as Farm Bill awaits
A vote on the Farm Bill could come in the U.S. House this week as Republicans scramble to get enough vote on the measure that would call for tighter controls for those who receive welfare benefits.… MORE
Barickman: New veterans home will likely need federal help, possibly capital bill
State Sen. Jason Barickman, R-Bloomington, said the $250 million it might take to build a new veterans facility is a ‘huge expense’ and would take lots of cooperation to make a new facility happen.… MORE
District 87 chief: More Illinois schools should consolidate
District 87 Superintendent Barry Reilly said Illinois has too many school districts, but he has no desire to resurrect talks of merging with Unit 5.… MORE
Blogs
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…
Everyone counts and you could make the difference
By Mike Matejka How many federal dollars will there be for road repairs? To feed hungry families? How many Illinois representatives will there be in Congress? Are Illinois communities going to get their fair share? There’s only one way to ensure our community gets treated properly – answer the census. The every ten year U.S. census,…
Reactions to the “A Community in Conflict” exhibit
By Mike Matejka Every community has its home-town pride; Bloomington-Normal is proud to claim Steak n’ Shake and MASH TV star McLean Stevenson. We’ve also had a moment of contention and conflict. Sometimes these are uplifting stories of human progress. At other times, they cause us to shake our heads and wonder why. The McLean…