Guest Opinion | Thursday, May 9,2013

Credit union tax can’t save Illinois

As the Illinois General Assembly continues to grapple with the state’s budget deficit, a statewide “big bank” trade association has undertaken a media campaign to pursue taxation of

Guest Opinion | Thursday, May 2,2013

Leak questions remain, but there are deeper problems

By Sheila Stocks-Smith

Many questions remain unanswered regarding the unlawful release by School District 186 of student data from the Capital College Preparatory Academy (CCPA), and the official apology issued by the Sprin

Guest Opinion | Thursday, April 25,2013

Tired of budget shenanigans? Here’s an answer.

By Lee H. Hamilton

With the formal release of President Obama’s budget, the pieces are finally in place for a reprise of the Washington drama we’ve all come to know. There will be high-stakes negotiations, l

Guest Opinion | Thursday, April 18,2013

Bill Clinton picked for Lincoln prize? Really?

By Jon Gray Noll

Springfield attorney Jon Gray Noll sent the following letter to Wayne Whalen, board chair of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation. We are writing you in your capacity as chair of the bo

Guest Opinion | Thursday, April 11,2013

Clearing up the record on human origins

By Glen Freimuth

I write regarding the March 14 article written by Lavern McNeese, titled “Africans lived here first.” It was based upon a presentation entitled “The African-American Presence in the

Guest Opinion | Thursday, April 4,2013

Will school controversies bring voters to the polls?

By Sheila Stocks-Smith

Tuesday, April 9, is Election Day and, if past trends hold true, only a small percentage of voters will head to the polls to select new representatives to guide Springfield’s beleaguered educati

Guest Opinion | Thursday, March 28,2013

It’s time for a Lake Springfield maintenance plan

By Bob Gordon

Lake Springfield is the crown jewel of the City of Springfield. It is the most valuable and most important asset the city owns. It is our only water supply, the coolant for the power plant and host to

Guest Opinion | Thursday, March 21,2013

Fossil fuel and nuclear knock renewables

By Grant Smith

The makeup of the electric grid of the future is at stake as the fossil fuel industry continues to falsely lessen the impact of renewable energy.So it’s no wonder that the American Wind Energy A

Guest Opinion | Thursday, March 14,2013

Florida makes Illinois look good

By Burnell Heinecke

Anyone thinking Illinois state government is more screwed up, or more corrupt, than probably any other state in the union should have seen Florida as I did during a recent 10-day visit to the Tampa Ba

Guest Opinion | Thursday, March 7,2013

Pension reform proposals that might work

By John Kindt

On Feb. 20, 2013, Rep. Lou Lang, D-Skokie, introduced HB 2375 which he described as “credible, comprehensive, constitutional pension reform legislation.” This constitutional proposal by Re