Illinois recorded another one-day high in coronavirus cases Friday, 2,724. But there’s a one-day high in another category: testing. The state recorded 16,124 tests, blowing past Gov. JB Pritzker’s daily goal of 10,000.… MORE
1 new case of COVID-19 in McLean County
In the last five days, McLean County health officials have reported just two new cases of COVID-19.… MORE
Face covering will be required on Connect Transit buses
A face mask or face covering will be required on all Connect Transit buses.… MORE
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…… MORE
BPD: Man stabbed Friday on city’s south side
Bloomington police are probing a stabbing that happened Friday morning on the city’s south side.… MORE
Illinois business group wants graduated income tax taken off of November ballot
Regardless of your feelings on the “stay home” order, an Illinois business group says the order and higher taxes make a bad combination. … MORE
Illinois college campuses face prospect of staying closed this fall
Already bleeding millions of dollars because of the COVID-19 pandemic, college and university officials across Illinois are contemplating whether students will be able to return for the fall semester.… MORE
Local Republicans respond to governor’s stay-at-home order extension
Gov. JB Pritzker has extended the state’s stay-at-home order through the end of May and some local Republican lawmakers have weighed in.… MORE
GOP Senators seek records related to early release from prisons
Several Republican state senators filed public records requests with the Illinois Department of Corrections after they say the governor didn’t respond to a formal letter for more information about the release of prisoners during the COVID-19 pandemic.… MORE
More than 755,000 people in Illinois have filed for unemployment benefits
Twelve times the number of unemployment claims have been filed in Illinois in the past month and a half, but state employee union members are set to get a raise. Gov. J.B. Pritzker is looking for a federal bailout to the costs which employers expect to eventually cost them more.… 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…