By 25 News BLOOMINGTON – Republican Party chairs for 13 area counties are releasing details how they will fill the Illinois State Senate seat vacated by Bloomington’s Jason Barickman, and some familiar names in Central Illinois politics are apparently interested in replacing him for a two-year term. Barickman officially resigned Wednesday from the seat he…… MORE
By IIS Radio SPRINGFIELD – The GED is getting a new name come January. Starting in 2023, the GED certificate will be called the State of Illinois High School diploma says Community College Board spokesperson Matt Berry. “This is important because often a high school equivalency can have a stigma that it’s less than or…… MORE
By IIS Radio SPRINGFIELD – Winter has settled in across the state and the Illinois Commerce Commission is offering some tips to help save on home energy costs. Recommendations include changing the furnace filter at least once a month, using LED lighting and sealing up drafty windows with heavy plastic. ICC chairman Carrie Zalewski suggests…… MORE
By Jake Fogal BLOOMINGTON – Illinois lost an estimated 104,000 residents between 2021 and 2022, the third highest loss after New York and California, according to a report released by the U.S. Census Bureau on Thursday. Only New York’s 0.9% decrease was greater than Illinois’ 0.8% decline to 12.6 million residents. The statistics account for…… MORE
By IIS Radio SPRINGFIELD – Freshman enrollment is up at Illinois public universities. There’s been a five percent increase in the number of freshmen enrolled this school year. That compares to a decrease of more than two percent nationally says State Board of Higher Education spokesperson Jose Garcia. “This definitely does set us ahead of…… MORE
By IIS Radio SPRINGFIELD – Illinois State Police are urging the public to stay off the roads during the winter storm. The combination of snow, high winds and bitter cold will make driving difficult says ISP Trooper Haylie Polistina. That’s why they would like to see everyone stay home if they can. If you do…… MORE
By 25 News MCLEAN COUNTY (25 News Now) – A local jail says it has too many mentally ill inmates and should not be there. The McLean County Sheriff’s Office says the jail does not have the resources, as it’s left without help the state says it is supposed to provide. In the past three…… MORE
By Neil Doyle BLOOMINGTON – The best basketball this side of March. That’s the saying for the annual State Farm Holiday Classic, which kicks off Tuesday, Dec. 27 and runs through Friday, Dec. 30 here in the Twin-Cities. The tournament is hosted at four venues around town: Illinois Wesleyan’s Shirk Center, Normal Community High School,…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – The red-shirted forces of Moms Demand Action gave State Rep. Denyse Wang Stoneback (D-Skokie) a standing ovation Tuesday, when she summed up her opinion of the National Rifle Association: “A money-making operation from gun manufacturers based on half of the text of the Second Amendment,” she said during a House…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – To all of you who asked for a white Christmas: Thanks a lot. Cold, wind, and snow will belt virtually all of Downstate Thursday and Friday. Some areas could get about four inches, with a six-inch snowfall possible northeast of a line from Bloomington to Paris. Ed Shimon, the warning…… 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…