Fletcher Farrar

I gave my new friend a ride to Dollar General but when he asked for $10 I said no. “Thank you for your candor,” he said, no big deal. We’re finding new ways to describe those who are “unhoused” and “experiencing homelessness” because it’s a reminder that those in that circumstance are not alike, though […]

Dr. Wesley G. Robinson-McNeese of Springfield, who died Sept. 18 after a long illness, was a stalwart leader and a kind friend. During his full life he carried many descriptors, including East St. Louis native, Vietnam veteran, physician, author, poet, pastor, interfaith convener and family man. His last two decades were spent working professionally in […]

Last week brought the welcome national news that 20 philanthropic groups, including major national foundations and the Community Foundation for the Land of Lincoln, are joining forces to invest a total of $500 million over the next five years in local news media organizations. The initiative, called Press Forward, is one of the biggest efforts […]

We can hope that peace in Ukraine will become an issue in the upcoming U.S. presidential campaign. So far, the Ukraine war has the support of the left side of U.S. politics, with growing opposition from the right. But as the military stalemate continues, as the death toll mounts and dollar costs grow, U.S. support […]

If you missed Brian Mackey’s interview on The 21st this week with the publisher of the Marion County Record, the Kansas newspaper that was raided by police Aug. 11, it is worth looking up at nprillinois.org. Eric Meyer, the publisher, has a broad perspective – honed by his two decades as a University of Illinois […]

U.S. Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Springfield, acknowledges, like everyone else does, “In America, every person indicted or accused of a crime is entitled to a presumption of innocence and the full spectrum of rights under due process.  Former President Donald J. Trump deserves no less.” Then he continues, wisely: “But this is not routine political fare […]

Two years ago, Illinois Times reported that readers of a new biography of Elizabeth Parsons Ware Packard (1816-1897) were saying Andrew McFarland’s name should be scrubbed from Springfield’s mental health center. “Instead, the center should bear Packard’s name for her efforts to change laws and patient treatments,” wrote Mary Bohlen in her Nov. 11, 2021, […]

During the recently concluded Camp Compass, a summer learning program conducted by Compass for Kids with School District 186, the 760 underserved children were delighted to get to go swimming once a week. This was accomplished by eliminating barriers of cost and transportation; even swimsuits and towels were furnished. Millions of U.S. children aren’t lucky […]

The Illinois Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the constitutionality of the SAFE-T Act, ending cash bail when the law goes into effect Sept. 18, will put pressure on prosecutors, judges, courts, victims and neighborhoods. Good pressure. No longer will Illinois be able to rely on the bail system to incarcerate for months those who have […]

What a bright light she was, Emma Shafer, the 24-year-old activist and community organizer who was the victim of a homicide in Springfield this week. In the two years since she graduated with a degree in urban studies from The New School in New York City, Emma has been applying her education and energy to […]

The July 4 holiday had us thinking about freedom again, just after Juneteenth celebrated emancipation from slavery. Free-ish was a theme then, with many Black citizens reminding us that racial justice is not yet achieved. This is a time for appreciating relative peace and prosperity, while working to enlarge freedom for others, both at home […]