By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – You can color Gov. JB Pritzker “gobsmacked,” and when was the last time you heard a governor use that word? He reacted to Wednesday’s unveiling of the 101st edition of the butter cow, an Illinois State Fair staple. Sculptor Sarah Pratt of Iowa has finished her sixth creation for the…… MORE
Nearly $10.5 million raised in St. Jude Runs event for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
By Jake Fogal BLOOMINGTON – Community members joined together over the weekend to run for a good cause. St. Jude Runs annual charity event raised over $10 million dollars in their 54 mile trek from Bloomington-Normal to Peoria. Local St. Jude board member James Ingold realizes that it’s difficult to donate with raised inflation on…… MORE
Durbin reacts to FBI raid on former president Donald Trump’s Florida estate
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) is defending the FBI’s raid on former president Donald Trump’s Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago. “I feel certain, not knowing any details directly, that they wouldn’t have taken an historic and monumental step without thoughtful consideration and checking all the boxes,” Durbin said at an unrelated news…… MORE
Death investigation on Bloomington’s west side
By Neil Doyle BLOOMINGTON – A person was found dead Tuesday afternoon inside a parked car on Bloomington’s west side. Bloomington Police were called around 12:45 p.m. to the 1100 block of West Front Street. No other information is being released at this time and BPD detectives are still probing the incident. Anyone with information…… MORE
Republicans are being asked about gubernatorial candidate comparing abortion to the Holocaust
Now that gubernatorial candidate State Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia) has drawn more criticism for comparing abortion to the Holocaust, Republicans all over the state are being asked about it.… MORE
New $24M B-N YMCA opening next week
The Bloomington-Normal YMCA is opening its doors for the first time after decades of planning and construction.… MORE
New bill is “green,” say supporters
The bill which kept senators busy in Washington all weekend, and which only passed with the Vice President casting a tie-breaking vote, is a big win for the environment, says Jen Walling, executive director of the Illinois Environmental Council.… MORE
Illinoisans can sign up for permanent mail-in voting starting Wednesday
Illinoisans can sign up for permanent mail-in voting starting Wednesday.… MORE
Pritzker asked about police unions’ endorsements of Bailey for governor
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – As so often happens, the newsmakers show up at an event, and the reporters’ questions are about something different. Monday was no exception. Indiana’s solidifying abortion restrictions, causing major employers Eli Lilly and Cummins to wonder how much more business they want to do there. Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot would…… MORE
ISU women’s basketball reveals non-conference schedule
By WJBC Staff NORMAL – Illinois State University women’s basketball has announced its non-conference schedule for the upcoming season. The Redbirds will host Indianapolis in an exhibition game on Nov. 1 before opening the season on the road for the second-straight season at Dayton on Nov. 10. ISU will return to Redbird Arena for its…… 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…