Last year, I passed through Champaign and spent a night. I always pick up a local paper to see what is news locally.
I didn’t know what to expect from the open government night at Parkland College. In retrospect, I should have seen it coming.
“Soft” targets? Oh please! Locations that are so often identified as vulnerable due to their defenseless status have got to be named more realistically. If anyone thinks that an open-carry/concealed-weapon state like Texas can lose over 20 individuals in a Wal-Mart with more than 3,000 in at…
As a self-described “old country boy” and student of African-American folk culture, Malcolm X regularly discussed the plight of black people through animal metaphors. His preferred animal metaphor was the fox and wolf. Malcolm developed his imagery from the sociohistorical context of his you…
The workplace culture in the Illinois House of Representatives, just like everywhere, is established from the very top down.
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What happened to the $500,000 in the campaign account of former state Rep. Frank Mautino?
I frequently visit WILL’s option: Watch PBS Video Online. I like the series “10 That Changed America.” Pick your category: homes, towns, parks, buildings, monuments, modern engineering marvels.
WASHINGTON — In a trade war, as in a real one, people are wounded by friendly fire from their side. Consider some casualties in Donald Trump’s “easy to win” — his promise — trade war. Begin with the company whose green machines bear the name of the blacksmith who, in the 1830s in Grand Detou…
Roget’s Thesaurus defines “momentous” as meaning “so critically decisive as to affect the future.” Which makes the term particularly apt for describing the upcoming general election slated for November of 2020. And not just because voters will have the opportunity to reject a president who u…
In 1982, someone poisoned Tylenol bottles in Chicago, and Congress stepped in to regulate the safety of the bottles. In 1988, a Tennessee girl was struck by a lawn dart, and Congress banned the sale of lawn darts. In 1995, the Oklahoma City bombing took place, and Congress regulated the sale…
Since January, the U.S. House has passed many important bills: minimum wage, prescription drug prices and election security, just to name a few.
Mark Medlyn (Aug. 21 letter) is entirely wrong about Carol Ammons. She was disappointed, but hardly “upset,” not to be asked to participate in an open government night in the district she represents.
At this week’s “open government” forum with Brad Halbrook and Rodney Davis, the two men treated constituents to 90 minutes of redirection and regurgitated talking points in the face of pointed questions.
Although he portrays himself as moderate, Congressman Rodney Davis is objectively in denial about the impending climate crisis.
Our country is trying to stop the massacres that are occurring. The solution is simple. Pass a law that makes it illegal to own or possess a semi-automatic weapon.
Your Illinois women’s 2018 Final Four volleyball team kicks off the 2019 season this Saturday with an intra-squad Orange/Blue Scrimmage at Huff Hall beginning at 5 p.m.
To address families abusing the system to gain college assistance, legislators need to amend the guardianship statute.
I attended the open government event with U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis and state Rep. Brad Halbrook, and while I was not surprised by any of the half-truths and outright lies that came out of Davis’ mouth, the complete ineptitude of Halbrook was new to me. I am not a resident of Halbrook’s distric…
In my lifetime, I have learned to “fall in line” and “stay in my place.” The best part about knowing my place: I can assess a situation and find middle ground. This is from experience and a tough life.
A recent report examining the employment culture at the Illinois General Assembly revealed a climate of fear and intimidation. In other words, it was operating exactly as intended.
Easy answers to complicated problems are hard to come by.
Poor Carol Ammons, miffed that she was not invited to the cool kids table on Monday night at Parkland and upset that a legislator, who does not share her Chicago values of crime, corruption and high taxes, was invited instead.
The recent staged event at Parkland College with 13th District Rep. Rodney Davis reminded me of that running fake ambiguity of his stand on health care.
This is in response to the recent letter “Immigrants make this country great” and many other letters proclaiming the same.
Lamar Dawson sued the PAC-12 Conference and the NCAA for back wages, but the court found that he was not employed by the defendants, because they are regulators who set the rules that universities and athletes are supposed to follow.
People who follow the news in Chicago know it’s in a heap of trouble, mostly financial. In fact, it’s in so much trouble it’s looking for help in the most unlikely of places — the effectively bankrupt state of Illinois.
Harvard Professor John K. Galbraith received the Humanist of the Year Award in 1985. He spoke of our society’s need for a “level playing field” for all. How might such a state of affairs be achieved?
The two great threats to human life are nuclear war and climate catastrophe (global warming). But political discussion in America today seems to avoid those topics in favor of arguments about sex and race.
Sept. 14 is this year’s National Day of Remembrance for Aborted Children.
The Democratic Illinois senator was part of a group led by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., who warned the nine justices that they can expect political retaliation if they accept the case for review.
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