The power of a poem, says Illinois’ poet laureate, can get her out of bed to clean her room.… MORE
The power of a poem, says Illinois’ poet laureate, can get her out of bed to clean her room.… MORE
Up, up, and away? Not so fast.… MORE
At a time when some places are renaming schools, a new Illinois House task force examining statues and monuments on the Capitol Complex is getting to work.… MORE
Illinois Republicans say they do not trust the supermajority Democrats to do a fair job of redrawing legislative maps.… MORE
Illinois’ top election official, ensnared in a computer misadventure, is retiring.… MORE
This week’s reminder of winter should not be of much concern to Illinois farmers, according to Mark Schleusener, state statistician for the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service.… MORE
The group which represents the cities, towns, and villages of Illinois is out with its 2021 wish list. And the priorities, says Illinois Municipal League executive director Brad Cole, are pretty much the same as in the past few years. … MORE
Covid-19 has brought us an unpleasant blast from the past, recalling the housing crisis of 2008.… MORE
The Speaker of the Illinois House says grief counselors will be available at the Capitol next week for lawmakers and staff who have trouble dealing with the death of Adam Toledo, 13, whose shooting death by Chicago police is now on video for the world to see.… MORE
It was Union Yes, Paying People under the Table No outside the Capitol Thursday morning.… MORE
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.” …
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…
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…
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…