Oh, how reunions do change!

Ten-year high school reunion: Fully entrenched in the work world. Many  married. Lots of baby photos. Lots of fermented beverage, too. Lasts til at least midnight. 20th reunion: Discovery of the reason for name tags. You’re stocked with pictures of your kids. You talk about jobs. You show photos of your home. Less over-imbibing. Lasts til after 11.

Go your own way

Traffic jam

Where a kid can be a kid

Another day, another three inches of rain. You’re lucky if you can keep up with the mowing. The garden is happy, the flowers are happy, but it is possible to let your mood match the gloom.

Paid leave bill still on agenda for the governor 

This past May, Illinois House Deputy Majority Leader Jehan Gordon Booth (D-Peoria) and Gov. JB Pritzker worked out a deal with some key state business groups to mandate seven days of paid leave per year for every employee in Illinois. Workers wouldn’t have to give any reasons for the guaranteed paid leave.

Federal unemployment supplement needs to end

Small business growth lags in the Land of Lincoln according to a recent report by Paychex, which put...

Ryan’s flyin’... at 200 mph

Not long ago, Ryan Oehler was on his motorcycle when suddenly the handlebars broke. He was going 150...

Schools face ‘non-violent ideological war’

A group in Illinois is looking for chapters across the state to help keep tabs on teaching plans the...

At least property taxes stay here

Dear Editor: I just came from paying my county property taxes. Each year I go in and tell them I’m h...

Unions kill money for schools, nurses

Government unions have a great deal of power in Illinois, wielding their influence to gain workplace...

Credit rating firm owes state a solid

As I write this, two of the three national credit rating agencies have upgraded the State of Illinoi...

Contested races are essential

As the debate heats up nationally over election laws and voter suppression, new research shows Illin...

SNAP revamp could eliminate food insecurity

Food insecurity is a major problem in the U.S., and it worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Su...

Flick: the secrets found under a store

A few weeks ago, clearing out old inventory, one of Normal, Illinois’ most beloved and legendary of ...

Got patriotism? Not in Illinois, study says

Illinois is one of the least patriotic places in the U.S., according to a ranking by WalletHub. Illi...

What are we fighting for?

A trillion is a million million. In the last 20 years we have spent $6.4 trillion dollars on wars in...

Contact tracing has failed

Taxpayers have paid the bill for COVID-19 contact tracers that one observer says hasn’t worked for a...

Finally, good fiscal news for Illinois

You cannot on the one hand constantly harp about decades of Illinois credit rating downgrades and th...

School superintendents demand COVID guidance

Even as many Illinois school children are enjoying their first weeks of summer, school superintenden...

Road funding accountability lags as gas tax increases

By ADAM Schuster Springfield lawmakers doubled Illinois’ gas tax – from 19 cents per gallon to 38 ce...