Fletcher Farrar

It’s easy to get distracted when huge, proud Canada is belittled, and Denmark and Panama are threatened with military action. On the same day, fact-checking goes out the window at Facebook, while in some quarters even proofreading has become a thing of the past. Proposed remedies for information gaps and news deserts can be distracting […]

That “little town of Bethlehem” is again lying still, now because tourists no longer flock there at Christmastime. For the second year in a row, there is no Christmas tree in Manger Square, and the Church of the Nativity is relatively deserted. This Israeli-occupied West Bank city just south of Jerusalem is not such a […]

It’s hard to adjust to the firehose of dysfunction emanating from the incoming administration, with one accused sex abuser appointee followed by another, followed by an unqualified appointee, and one FOX news host followed by another. It’s hard to keep track. Loyalty is the chief qualification, we’re told, and MAGA is a movement with a […]

As you read this week’s cover story about the disappointing state report card on District 186, it would be easy to look for people to blame. Another idea would be to double down. Double down on trying to understand disparities that allow some children to succeed while others don’t. Double down on kindness and helping […]

The election prayer, “May the best person win,” often doesn’t work. Still, ballots are better than bullets for choosing officeholders, and if everybody participates by voting maybe we can keep nonviolent democracy going a while longer. Ours is not the same as the immigrant experience, but we who are disappointed in election results can feel […]

Traffic stop data recently released by the Illinois Department of Transportation show that the Springfield Police Department has a lot of explaining to do. In Springfield in 2023 there were 11,516 traffic stops, a 37% increase over the year before. Of those stops, 51% involved Black drivers, while only 16% of the population is Black. […]

In the presidential election, Americans have a choice between calm and chaos. The outcome is too close to call. A choice between old and young, likewise too close. Reproductive freedom or restriction, close. Weird or wise? Racism or antiracism? A pro-immigrant or anti-immigrant stance on immigration reform? Jobs or modest inflation? Tariffs on imports or […]

A bipartisan House task force plans to meet soon with Secret Service officials to discuss ways to increase security for presidential candidates. While Congress is deliberating, we have some short-term safety suggestions for the candidates: Stay off golf courses for the next couple months. Don’t brag about being an assassination target because you’re “consequential.” Don’t […]

Because I have high hopes for the Massey Commission, the group charged with charting a way toward reform after the July 6 police killing of Sonya Massey, I was initially pleased to hear that the commission would have its first session Sept. 16. I hadn’t known that the 12 commissioners had been chosen. But wait. […]

A highlight of the Democratic National Convention was its showcase for Republicans, or former Republicans, who are dismayed about the direction their party has taken. One who spoke was former Illinois congressman Adam Kinzinger, the six-term Republican from the Joliet area who was a member of the House committee to investigate Jan. 6. “As a […]