On Thursday, an open house was hosted at Heartland Community College for the Workforce Equity Initiative.… MORE
Category Archives: WJBC’s Top Stories
Lawmakers pass bills on AI community college instruction, food handling, school bus seat belts
Lawmakers approved measures limiting AI instruction at community colleges, requiring seat belts on school buses, and mandating food handlers receive certain allergen training among dozens of bills Wednesday. … MORE
General Assembly passes bill to mandate anti-bias training for obstetric care providers
By MAGGIE DOUGHERTYMedill Illinois News [email protected] SPRINGFIELD — The Senate passed a bill on Wednesday that adds new anti-bias education requirements for providers of maternal health services. The measure is aimed at combating maternal mortality in marginalized groups. If signed into law, it would mandate providers receive one hour of training prior to renewing a…… MORE
Union condemn Tailgate N’ Tallboys for allegedly not hiring local stagehands
A theatrical union is taking action to condemn an event organizer for allegedly not hiring local stagehands.… MORE
Illinois awards funding for Constitution Trail extension
The state of Illinois announced on Wednesday that it awarded funding for a trail extension project in Bloomington.… MORE
Tazewell County man pleads not guilty to double homicide
A man accused of killing two others last month will next appear in court in late July to allow time for a mental health exam.… MORE
Housing development in Normal draws nearly an hour of public comment in council meeting
A majority of Normal residents who attended the Town Council meeting on Monday didn’t approve of plans to build a new apartment complex on what is now farmland.… MORE
Local food pantries brace for SNAP benefit cuts
Millions of Americans may soon lose food assistance program benefits as the reconciliation bill moves through Congress, while local food pantries are already seeing a lot of new faces.… MORE
Bill banning carbon sequestration near Mahomet Aquifer clears General Assembly
A bill that bans carbon sequestration over, under or through portions of the Mahomet Aquifer passed out of the Illinois General Assembly on Tuesday.… MORE
Illinois lawmakers push to ban ‘forever chemicals’ in firefighter gear due to cancer risk
By REILLY COOK & GRACE FRIEDMAN Medill Illinois News Bureau [email protected] SPRINGFIELD — A bill to ban the sale of firefighter protective gear containing “forever chemicals” is gaining momentum in the Illinois General Assembly, as lawmakers, union leaders and firefighters themselves warn that the very equipment designed to save lives may be silently endangering them.…… 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…