By IIS Radio SPRINGFIELD – Illinois State Police are urging the public to stay off the roads during the winter storm. The combination of snow, high winds and bitter cold will make driving difficult says ISP Trooper Haylie Polistina. That’s why they would like to see everyone stay home if they can. If you do…… MORE
Sheriff: local jail grapples with mentally ill inmates who should be getting help from the state
By 25 News MCLEAN COUNTY (25 News Now) – A local jail says it has too many mentally ill inmates and should not be there. The McLean County Sheriff’s Office says the jail does not have the resources, as it’s left without help the state says it is supposed to provide. In the past three…… MORE
State Farm Holiday Classic gets underway next week
By Neil Doyle BLOOMINGTON – The best basketball this side of March. That’s the saying for the annual State Farm Holiday Classic, which kicks off Tuesday, Dec. 27 and runs through Friday, Dec. 30 here in the Twin-Cities. The tournament is hosted at four venues around town: Illinois Wesleyan’s Shirk Center, Normal Community High School,…… MORE
State House committee holds final hearing about proposed ban on assault weapons
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – The red-shirted forces of Moms Demand Action gave State Rep. Denyse Wang Stoneback (D-Skokie) a standing ovation Tuesday, when she summed up her opinion of the National Rifle Association: “A money-making operation from gun manufacturers based on half of the text of the Second Amendment,” she said during a House…… MORE
Winter storm watch for central Illinois
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – To all of you who asked for a white Christmas: Thanks a lot. Cold, wind, and snow will belt virtually all of Downstate Thursday and Friday. Some areas could get about four inches, with a six-inch snowfall possible northeast of a line from Bloomington to Paris. Ed Shimon, the warning…… MORE
IDOT reminding the public of how to check the road conditions from home
The Illinois Department of Transportation is reminding the public to visit and bookmark gettingaroundillinois.com, a website with continually updated information on road conditions.… MORE
Arrival of a winter storm in Central Illinois during peak holiday travel
By 25 News CENTRAL ILLINOIS – This incoming winter storm will barrel through Central Illinois right as people are trying to get to their holiday destinations. The Illinois Department of Transportation says lower staffing levels mean plowing and treating roads will take longer, but don’t think it will severely impact their response. AAA reports this…… MORE
Ameren Illinois customers can qualify for free smart thermostats
As inflation has driven up energy costs, Ameren and Google have teamed up with the Environmental Law and Policy Center, to offer customers some smart savings.… MORE
Lawmakers pay their respects to Scott Bennett
It took a performance hall on the University of Illinois campus to hold all of the people who wanted to pay their respects to Scott Bennett, the state senator who died of complications from a large, undetected brain tumor Dec. 9.… MORE
ISU honors baseball star who’s giving back after making the big leagues
By 25 News NORMAL – Illinois State University is honoring one of its baseball standouts who’s became a major leaguer with the St. Louis Cardinals. ISU is building an indoor hitting and pitching facility along the right field line at Duffy Bass Field. Friday, the university’s governing board voted to name it in honor of…… 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…