By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker – as of Feb. 16 – sounds as if he is ready to give up on the Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center in Anna. “If we can’t take care of the problems, if the problems can’t be fully addressed, then we ought to close it down,”…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – Ah, that unspoken contract among the server, the diner, and the restaurateur – the twenty percent tip. “Even though the workers have a subminimum hourly rate, the tips are supposed to make up for that. But that doesn’t always happen,” said the sponsor, State Sen, Cristina Pacione-Zayas (D-Chicago). “This legislation is…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – Some statehouse Republicans – members of the “Illinois Freedom Caucus” – say Illinois public education offers little result, especially for all the money spent. “When only 30 percent of the kids can read at grade level,” said State Rep. Brad Halbrook (R-Shelbyville), “and barely 25 percent can do math at…… MORE
By 25 News BLOOMINGTON – A McLean County judge has sentenced a Bloomington woman to 14-years in prison for sexually abusing a teenager in December of 2020. Amanda Peterson, 43, and her husband were charged almost two years ago with molesting a teenager they knew at a Bloomington hotel. A jury late last year found…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – If you have college-bound kids, you might urge them to major in engineering. There is a critical shortage, according to P.J. Fitzgerald, chairman of the American Council of Engineering Companies of Illinois. “The current demand for skilled engineers and thousands of engineering positions here in Illinois will remain unfilled if…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – In the year 2023, you may be taking reliable, high-speed Internet for granted. But it’s still not available in some parts of Illinois. That’s where the Illinois Broadband Lab comes in, as a creation of state agencies and universities. University of Illinois associate vice president Jeannette Tamayo says the numbers…… MORE
By 25 News NORMAL – Starting this summer, students at Heartland Community College will pay almost 5% more in tuition and fees after the schools’ trustees unanimously approved the increase. Administrators said uncertainty about tax revenue and state funding, anticipated salary increases for Heartland employees and inflation all contributed to the need to boost tuition…… MORE
By Neil Doyle BLOOMINGTON – The McLean County Sheriff’s Office and Illinois State Police are probing a deadly shooting that happened Monday night in Bloomington. McLean County Coroner Kathy Yoder identified the victim Kiejoun Watts, 20, of Bloomington. Watts died from a gunshot wound and his body was found by authorities near Victory Church in…… MORE
By Jake Fogal BLOOMINGTON – The Salvation Army of Bloomington fell short of their campaign goal for the bell ringing season. The Red Kettle Campaign saw a decline in funds raised as consumers have been doing more shopping online this winter season. The Salvation Army totaled $572,673 through donations, just missing their campaign goal of…… MORE
By 25 News NORMAL – The newest plans were unveiled Monday night for the Uptown South redevelopment in Normal. The designer and architect, Douglas Farr with Farr Associates, says there is no price tag yet but assumes the projects will be in the tens of millions of dollars. In May of last year, the council agreed…… 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…