Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul is asking state lawmakers for a $15 million increase in his General Revenue Fund budget for the upcoming year, saying his office needs a more “stable” system of funding as it takes on greater responsibilities, including the growing volume of litigation against the Trump administration.… MORE
There’s still time, Bloomington officials say, for residents to apply for money to remove lead paint from their homes.… MORE
When Illinois named small farmer Nathan Ryder a finalist for a federal $100,000 Local Food Infrastructure Grant, he made big plans for his farm in the southeastern tip of the state. Then the U.S. Department of Agriculture cut his funding.… MORE
The Illinois chapter of AARP played a role in the Trump administration reversing itself and allowing Social Security beneficiaries to have the option of filing for benefits over the phone. … MORE
The Illinois House shot down legislation Thursday that would have allowed some people incarcerated for crimes they committed when they were under 21 to become eligible for release.… MORE
By the time FBI agents came knocking at Omar Maani’s door on a January morning in 2018, the red-light camera entrepreneur had spent at least the last decade and a half getting ahead in business by bribing public officials.… MORE
The Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office came under intense scrutiny after an unarmed Black woman was shot and killed by a deputy in her Springfield home in July 2024. … MORE
The federal government has revoked the visas of some international students studying at universities across Illinois, but college administrators are sharing few details, including how many students have been impacted. … MORE
By WMBD TV BLOOMINGTON – The city of Bloomington’s Water Department temporarily switched its water source from Lake Evergreen to Lake Bloomington on Tuesday. The city announced the switch last week to help treat the algae bloom affecting Evergreen Lake and help further improve water quality, city spokeswoman Katherine Murphy said. Treatment of Lake Evergreen began…… MORE
Gov. JB Pritzker announced the sixth annual winner of the “Makers Madness” contest Wednesday in Springfield. … 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…