On the final day of fall session, both the House and Senate passed a last-minute package of ethics reforms. But a measure creating a task force to research what kinds of other ethics reforms are needed passed with minority Republicans opposing the move in the Senate.
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Federal investigators tapped the cell phone of a former state lawmaker-turned-lobbyist with close ties to House Speaker Michael Madigan.… MORE
Another primary race is shaping up on the Democratic side for the McLean County Board.… MORE
What happened after the fall veto session ended probably overshadows anything that happened during it, as one of the so-called “Big Four” announced his retirement.… MORE
The seven-year old daughter of accused killer Cynthia Baker told a McLean County Jury on Thursday she saw her mother physically abuse eight-year old Rica Rountree.… MORE
A fourth person from Illinois who had recently been hospitalized with a lung injury associated with the use of e-cigarette or vaping products has died, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.… MORE
The Senate passed a pension consolidation bill one day after the House did so.… MORE
Illinois Wesleyan University has named its 20th president and the first woman to hold the job in the school’s history.… MORE
A current administrator in the Blue Ridge schools is the choice to become the district’s next superintendent.… MORE
A local government panel believes recreational marijuana users in Bloomington should be able to smoke pot at dispensaries that sell the drug.… 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…