By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – The pandemic brought disparities in health care into a harsh spotlight, says Illinois Department of Public Health director Dr. Sameer Vohra. Help is on the way, he adds, in the form of $3.7 million in federal funds going to eighteen groups trying to close the gap. Selena Stegeman of Quincy…… MORE
By USDA SPRINGFIELD – There were 5.1 days suitable for field work during the week ending October 16, 2022. Statewide, the average temperature was 53.0 degrees, 2.9 degrees below normal. Precipitation averaged 0.59 inches, 0.08 inches above normal. Topsoil moisture supply was rated 22 percent very short, 31 percent short, 44 percent adequate and 3…… MORE
Pandemic sex, for many of us, was pretty good. University of Illinois research says we had better sex, more frequent sex, and more creative sex during lockdowns. … MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – An eight-day bus tour mounted by the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association was a showcase of opportunity, says the IMA’s president and CEO, Mark Denzler. The tour ended Friday in front of the Lincoln statue at the Capitol. “Every time throughout our nation’s history, when America has called, we have answered,” Denzler…… MORE
AT&T is the latest company caught up in a corruption scandal involving former Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan. … MORE
By USDA Corn: Planted area is estimated at 10.8 million acres, down 2 percent from last year. Harvested area, forecast at 10.55 million acres, is down 3 percent from 2021. Based on October 1 conditions, the Illinois corn yield is forecast at a record 210 bushels per acre, up 8 bushels from 2021. Production is…… MORE
A trio of Illinois House candidates – all Republicans from the Chicago suburbs – say the influence of Mike Madigan extends past his runs as Speaker of the House and chair of the Democratic Party of Illinois. … MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – There will be no Jan. 1 jailbreak. Police can still arrest trespassers. Those are a couple of takeaways from a forum the Springfield chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union hosted Wednesday evening to, as organizers put it, be “myth busters” about the Pretrial Fairness Act, which come New Year’s…… MORE
By USDA SPRINGFIELD – There were 7.0 days suitable for field work during the week ending October 9, 2022. Statewide, the average temperature was 54.9 degrees, 2.3 degrees below normal. Precipitation averaged 0.05 inches, 0.74 inches below normal. Topsoil moisture supply was rated 26 percent very short, 33 percent short, and 41 percent adequate. Subsoil…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – They’re no Founding Fathers, but Illinois judges and lawyers are signing onto their own Declaration of Independence – judicial independence! Since they really cannot campaign on issues, they want to do more to set themselves apart from the mudslinging of other races – something that’s not happening now. “These partisan-driven…… 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…