The McDonough County Voice Last week, more people in my small-town neighborhood knew about a huge tanker blocking the Suez Canal than realized that a local polling place was open for the day for early voting in next week’s consolidated election. That’s typical of too many places that no longer have local newspapers with local news for local people. However, an Illinois lawmaker is starting a process to address that, combining personal political priorities supporting jobs and good government with protecting the best means to inform the public and drawing on his professional background as a newsman. State Sen. Steve Stadelman, a Rockford Democrat, in February introduced Senate Bill 134, the “Local Journalism Task Force,” and the Commerce Committee last week unanimously passed it, so it’s heading to the Senate floor for further consideration on April 13.