North St. at Normal Theater closing

Posted on July 10, 2017

NORMAL – North St. from Broadway to Fell Ave. will close tomorrow and remain closed until HVAC upgrades to the Normal Theater are completed. The sidewalk in front of the Normal Theater will also be closed.  Signs will be posted to help detour pedestrians from walking beneath the crane.… MORE

Part of Towanda Barnes Road to close

Posted on July 10, 2017

Towanda Barnes Road, which is also CH 29 or 1900 East Road, between Illinois Route 9 which is also 1400 North Road and G.E. Road, which is also 1500 North Road, will be closed to all traffic, weather permitting, on Wednesday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. for paving this section of the road. … 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…