From Carbondale to Waukegan, Planned Parenthood of Illinois wants its facilities along Illinois’ borders – opposite states with more restrictive abortion laws.… MORE
State Farm warning Illinois residents to take measures against frozen pipes
By WMBD-TV BLOOMINGTON – State Farm is asking Illinois residents to take steps to make sure their pipes do not freeze. According to data from State Farm Insurance, Illinois was the state with the second-highest number of frozen pipe claims. The company said Illinois residents made more than 2,800 claims, and State Farm paid more…… MORE
Ahead of the snow storm, IDOT offers suggestions and tips
By WMBD-TV PEORIA – The year’s first winter storm has the Illinois Department of Transportation issuing a list of safety tips and reminders for drivers who haven’t seen a lot of snow this season. According to IDOT spokesman Paul Wappel, motorists should first and foremost check the forecast and be aware of the impeding weather…… MORE
Where does Illinois rank on the 2023 Best States list?
By WMBD-TV ILLINOIS – Illinois, the Land of Lincoln, is home to over 12 million people as well as many beautiful towns and cities among the cornfields. The Prairie State is listed at #36 on the U.S. News 2023 Best States list. Illinois has moved down six spots from 30 in 2021. The states were ranked in…… MORE
McLean County Clerk battles for election security
McLean County Clerk Kathy Michael held a press conference Friday to address concerns about election security and emergency evacuation plans of the McLean County Government Building.… MORE
ISP announces new road rage campaign
By WMBD-TV SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois State Police announced a new educational campaign via news release on Thursday. The new campaign, ‘Road Rage. Don’t Engage,’ hopes to raise public awareness about the dangers of road rage and how to handle stressful situations in traffic. “Although road rage is nothing new, we’re seeing people react more…… MORE
Illinois returns nearly $276 million in missing money for 2023
By WMBD-TV SPRINGFIELD – Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs’ office announced that hundreds of millions of dollars of lost money was returned to rightful owners in 2023. I-CASH is one of Illinois’ oldest consumer protection initiatives and processed over 314,000 claims in 2023. Claims can range from overlooked safes, unpaid insurance benefits, and forgotten bank…… MORE
Jury selection begins next week for Bloomington murder trial
Jury selection begins Monday in a trial involving the murder of a Bloomington man in 2021.… MORE
Illinois Attorney General warns of phone scams with AI voices
By WMBD-TV CHICAGO – Attorney General Kwame Raoul is urging Illinois residents to look for phone scammers utilizing AI voices. Phone scammers often invoke victim’s loved ones to trick them into sending money or sharing personal information. Thanks to AI now being able to mimic voices, scammers have a new tool to coerce victims. Snippets…… MORE
Several Midwestern cities are going to be counted again like it’s 2020
By WMBD-TV ILLINOIS – Four years after the last census, almost a dozen small communities in the Midwest are going to be counted again in hopes of getting a new grocery store or more state funding to build roads, fire stations and parks. Eleven small cities in Illinois and Iowa are the only municipalities so…… 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…