Mackinaw girl pleads guilty to murder, conspiracy regarding her mother’s death

Posted on January 16, 2024

By WMBD-TV PEKIN – A 17-year-old Mackinaw girl pleaded guilty Tuesday to allegations she conspired with others to have her parents murdered. Dahlia Bolin, 17, appeared in Tazewell County Circuit Court, wearing a pink hoodie and leading a service dog into the third-floor courtroom. She said little during the 45-minute hearing other than to answer…… MORE

Morton man pleads guilty to Mackinaw murder conspiracy

Posted on January 16, 2024

By WMBD-TV PEKIN – A Morton man was sentenced to 66 years in prison Tuesday for his part in a murder-for-hire scheme that left a rural Mackinaw woman dead and her husband seriously injured. Nathaniel Maloney, 20, appeared in Tazewell County Circuit Court and pleaded guilty to charges of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and conspiracy…… MORE

Pritzker proclaims Jan. 15-21 Community Risk Reduction Week

Posted on January 16, 2024

By WMBD-TV SPRNGFIELD – Governor JB Pritzker has officially proclaimed Jan. 15-21, 2024 as Community Risk Reduction (CRR) Week in Illinois. CRR is a process used to identify and prioritize local risks, threats, and hazards using data. Once identified, strategies for emergency response and prevention are implemented and evaluated. The goal for CRR Week is to make communities…… MORE

Illinois Treasurer warns of danger of potential federal government shutdown

Posted on January 16, 2024

By WMBD-TV SPRINGFIELD – Illinois State Treasurer Michael W. Frerichs is spreading the word on the dangers a federal government shutdown would have on Illinois families. According to a news release from Frerichs, parts of the government are set to shut down on Jan. 19 if the U.S. House and Senate cannot agree on a…… 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…