Rivian Automotive’s display of its soon-to-be produced electric pick-up truck and sport utility vehicle attracted Governor JB Pritzker, federal and state lawmakers. However, company chief executive RJ Scaringe said Sunday’s celebration was for the hundreds and perhaps thousands of Twin-City residents who showed up to see the vehicles up close, and meet with Rivian’s team at Uptown Circle.… MORE
More information’s coming out about why the feds may be interested in Sen Martin Sandoval (D-Chicago). The full search warrant from last month’s raids on his home and offices points to Big Energy, red light camera companies, gambling interests, as well as road builders.… MORE
State officials are asking drivers to be extra vigilant while driving in rural areas as deer become more active in the coming months. … MORE
As the fight for trade deals continues in Washington, Illinois farmers are expected to harvest less than last year.… MORE
The American Lung Association of Illinois wants lawmakers to take up measures to ban flavored vaping products, but a vape shop manager said the industry is willing to work on a compromise.… MORE
Closing down Sterigenics in Willowbrook and cleaning up facilities in Lake County are the chosen remedies for ethylene oxide. Chemical lobbyist Mark Biel, who testified Thursday at a House hearing in Chicago, says those actions are expensive and unnecessary. He says there’s no cancer link.… MORE
State Farm has announced the sale of its Downtown Bloomington building has been finalized.… MORE
Historic preservation is a big deal in central Illinois, and it could get bigger.… MORE
Economies of scale. Pooling resources. Eliminating redundancy. A governor’s task force is recommending Illinois’ suburban and downstate police and fire pension systems consolidate into two.… MORE
The two Bloomington Police representatives on the city’s cannabis task force worry that unintended consequences from recreational marijuana sales might strain limited police resources.… 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…