Rica Rountree was pronounced dead on Jan. 26, 2019, dying from injuries she sustained after being kicked in the abdomen by her father’s girlfriend.… MORE
Category Archives: WJBC’s Top Stories
Case of coronavirus confirmed in Chicago
Before an event in Springfield Friday, Gov. JB Pritzker said the state has already been preparing for coronavirus. The news had just broken that a Chicago woman is the second person in the U.S. to be diagnosed.… MORE
New law caps out-of-pocket insulin costs
Eighteen hundred dollars a month for a life-or-death drug is out of reach for many people. Megan Blair, the face of a statehouse bill restricting the cost of insulin, appeared at Friday’s bill-signing at a clinic in Springfield.… MORE
Illinois private school tuition program reports big opening night for applications
Tens of thousands of students hoping to go to the private school of their choice tuition-free signed up in the opening hours of availability at the state’s largest private school tuition granting organization.… MORE
Illinois voter registration mistakes could lead to deportation
A programming error in the state’s automatic voter registration system could result in immigrants in the country legally facing deportation. … MORE
‘Litany’ of issues need to be addressed to stem Illinois’ population decline, state officials say
State policymakers are looking at ways to help stem Illinois’ population loss.… MORE
Springfield City Council first in Illinois to approve cannabis consumption lounge
Illinois’ capital city Springfield became the first of the state’s local governments to approve a public cannabis consumption lounge, something a statewide cannabis business association said could pave the way for other venues throughout the state.… MORE
Program that matches cancer patients with rides needs drivers
The American Cancer Society’s Road to Recovery program needs volunteer drivers in the Heart of Illinois.… MORE
Bloomington woman identified in fatal crash on city’s west side
McLean County Coroner Kathy Yoder has identified a woman who died in a fatal crash on West Market Street.… MORE
ISU Athletics to host first-ever Pride Night
The Illinois State Athletics Department will be recognizing and educating the community about LGBTQ+ efforts in the Twin-Cities.… 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…