Illinois social services a Wizard of Oz maze in need of navigation ‘coaches’
April 1, 2021I was a state agency director on three occasions back in the day, yet I don’t think I could navigate...
FDA needs regulatory review and revamp
It’s not easy to ask federal agencies to regulate — themselves. Despite previously committing to a r...
You are what you eat
There are just two ways to look at it; you were born an empty vessel and you are today the sum of yo...
Radical left setting their sights on our Second Amendment rights
Nancy Pelosi and her cadre of progressives continue to prove bipartisanship is an unobtainable allus...
New group combines left- and right-leaning scholars in fight for academic freedom
Whether one is on the right, or the left – or somewhere in between – there’s one topic that often co...
The magic that life can perform
March 22, 2021On a Facebook social-media profile of Matt Laesch are a few of his favorite quotes and maxims: “Life is like a movie. Write your own ending. Keep believing. Keep pretending.” – Jim Henson. “Do not fear death; fear the unlived life.” – author Natalie Babbitt.
What’s Pete got to do with anything?
If there’s anybody that can be conned, it’s Yours Truly. It’s not so much that I’m stupid; I’m just ...
Am I stamped with God’s mark?
February 27, 2021Q: Dear Pastor, During the apocalypse, God puts his stamp of approval on a few people. Why would Go...
Madigan’s legacy: The No. 1 reason for term limits
Michael J. Madigan is out. The former Illinois House speaker is now a former Illinois state represe...
Death doesn’t take a holiday
February 24, 2021If you’re reading this, you have survived the biggest single death event in American History - so fa...
Do you, like me, suffer from malaise?
February 24, 2021In the 1970s, President Jimmy Carter supposedly worried that Americans were suffering from collectiv...
Madigan got what he wanted in Springfield
February 24, 2021“The 22nd District is a garden,” then-House Speaker Michael Madigan told reporters several years ago...
I’m tired of waiting on God
February 20, 2021Q: Dear Pastor, I’m tired of waiting on God. Why won’t he answer my prayers? A: Everyone reading thi...
If it was up to me
Fifty years ago, I was a teenager. Boy, do I miss those Days of Yore. It’s not that I would like to ...
Illinois needs to map its way to ‘fair’
February 20, 2021Behind closed doors, something very important is happening in our democracy. I would suspect that a...
What Kinzinger vs. Trump tells us about the Illinois GOP
February 20, 2021Kinzinger, Trump, Big Money, the GOP — a lot to handle in one column. But I can do it, because each ...
e-edition
top news
Only one new case Tuesday
A woman in her 20s was the sole new coronavirus case reported by the Crawford County Health Departme...
Drug Take Back Day set for Saturday
If you have unused or unwanted prescription or over-the-counter medication that you’re ready to get rid of Saturday will be a good time to do it. Crawford Memorial Hospital will take part in National Drug Take Back Day this Saturday from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the East Entrance of the hospital.