Rodney Davis knows something about gun crimes. The Republican Congressman from Taylorville was at a baseball practice near Washington in 2017, when a gunman fired at the players, wounding U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.).… MORE
Dan Brady Helps Honor Normal Cops
By A.J. Harris NORMAL – Yesterday, several Normal Police Officers were honored for their service to the community, heroically putting their lives on the line for the safety of others. In August of 2021, Officer Shane Bachman, Officer Cory Phillips, Sgt. Jonathan McCauley, Officer Kyley Helper and Officer Evan Easter confronted an armed individual on…… MORE
District 87 schools reviewing safety policies after Texas school shooting
By Blake Haas & Jake Fogal BLOOMINGTON – On the heels of a school shooting that killed 19 children and two teachers in Texas, school districts in central Illinois are reviewing their safety procedures. According to incoming District 87 Superintendent Dr. David Mouser, safety precautions are in place at the district, however, school administrators are…… MORE
Americans for Prosperity look for cuts in gasoline cost
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – For two hours Thursday morning, Springfield drivers at one gas station took a trip back in time. Gasoline was $2.38 a gallon, courtesy of Americans for Prosperity. That price, says AFP Illinois director Jason Heffley, is significant because that’s how much it cost the day President Biden was sworn into…… MORE
ISU Athletics announces 2022 Percy Family Hall of Fame Class
By Jake Fogal BLOOMINGTON – Illinois State Athletics selected it’s group of Redbirds into the 2022 Percy Family Hall of Fame on Wednesday. Marshaun Coprich ’16 (football), 2014 and 2015 All-American and two-time MVFC Offensive Player of the Year Heather Forsyth ’06 (soccer), two-time MVC Player of the Year and four-time All-MVC selection Abby Olson…… MORE
Green Gables fundraiser a ‘smash’ hit at Epiphany Farms
By Blake Haas and A.J. Harris BLOOMINGTON – Over 600 smash burgers were served up Wednesday night in downtown Bloomington as Green Gables teamed up with Epiphany Farms. Green Gables, a landmark staple by Lake Bloomington, burned several weeks ago, leaving the popular restaurant in ruins. To raise funds for the restaurant, cooks from Green…… MORE
Electric car battery plant won’t be built in the Twin Cities
Hopes have been dashed for a new Samsung electric vehicle battery factory in the Twin Cities, as Stellantis and Samsung announced they’re taking their business and $2.5 billion investment to Kokomo, Indiana.… MORE
Bloomington pawn shop owner robbed at gunpoint shares his story
A Bloomington pawn shop owner robbed and beaten at gunpoint last Wednesday is sharing his first-hand account.… MORE
Arguments underway at State Capitol to bring back Douglas statue
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – During a nationwide reckoning over racism and slavery among our Founding Fathers and other historical figures’ racism and connections to slavery, the state removed statues of Pierre Menard and Sen. Stephen Douglas from the east lawn of the Capitol. So the chair of the Illinois House Statues and Monuments Task…… MORE
Prices at the pump reaching record numbers ahead of Memorial Day
Gas prices are reaching record numbers in central Illinois, just ahead of the year’s busiest travel weekend.… 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…