While many dads celebrate Fathers Day, many others are struggling to develop and maintain a relationship with their children. Illinois Fathers is a network of non-custodial parents and grandparents encouraging co-parenting in separated and divorced families. The group held a gathering outside the Capitol June 10 to observe “Fatherless Day.” This day is recognized by […]
Jacqueline Muhammad
Posted inNews
New sex ed law would require the full story
The days of sexual education emphasizing only abstinence may be over. Legislation headed to Gov. Pat Quinn’s desk would require schools to provide more information on contraception and disease control in grades 6 through 12 as part of a comprehensive, age-appropriate and medically accurate curriculum. Quinn is expected to sign into law the House-passed bill […]
Posted inArts & Culture
From the earth to the kitchen
With all the local foods movements going on, Illinois Times has decided to start a blog about gardening. Over time people have become less knowledgeable about where their food comes from. However, it seems as though times are changing. With the rise of community gardens and urban agriculture, more people are returning to the age-old […]
Posted inNews
Physician claims prescription drugs worse than marijuana
Two doctors stood on opposing sides as the Illinois Senate was preparing to vote on legalizing medical marijuana. Dr. Dora Dixie, an addiction specialist from Chicago, argues that marijuana is highly addictive. Dr. David Walters, a Mt. Vernon physician who has been diagnosed with esophageal cancer and given 11 to 13 months to live, says […]
Posted inNews
A plea for African-Americans to get screened for diseases
A diagnosis with stage three Hodgkin lymphoma at the age of 12 led Julius Simmons of Springfield to make a lifetime commitment to health and medical research. While urging a Springfield audience to get more involved in minority health issues, Simmons, now 42, said he learned there was little medical knowledge about the causes of […]
Posted inNews
We’re all losers in the War on Drugs
The “War on Drugs” launched by President Richard Nixon in the 1970s has had a lasting effect on society that can be felt decades later. For many American families the War on Drugs has created grief, separation and a continuous cycle of poverty. In the film The House I Live In, the drug industry […]
Posted inNews
Chicago and Downstate live in two different gun worlds
Continuing gun violence in Chicago and the right to carry a concealed firearm are at the center of a heated debate in the Illinois House. Different social climates in Chicago and downstate Illinois have stirred up a political storm that has brought lawmakers to a standstill on the issue. “The only hunting that’s happening in […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
Home sweet ‘green’ home
When Harv Koplo and Annette Chinuge met at Sangamon State University during the 1970s they had no idea their interest in preserving the earth would lead them to become pioneers for sustainable living in Springfield. “Nobody had heard of green or sustainable, but that doesn’t mean the principles weren’t there,” said Chinuge. “I think it […]
Posted inNews
Trying to legalize medical marijuana, again
UPDATE: The Illinois House passed HB1, the medical marijuana bill, by a vote of 61-57 on Wednesday afternoon. This article was written before the vote on April 17 in the House. Patients suffering from diseases such as multiple sclerosis, cancer and Crohn’s disease can be in extreme physical discomfort and pain. Vicodin, OxyContin and morphine […]
Posted inNews
Springfield groups push for immigration reform
On April 4 and 5, two Springfield organizations took to the streets and the Springfield offices of members of Congress to generate support for federal immigration reform. More than 11 million people may be living in this country without immigration documents. Families are separated, people are deported and the government invests millions of dollars into […]
Posted inNews
Debt piles up behind bars
An Illinois prisoner can accrue tens of thousands of dollars in child support debt while incarcerated because of Illinois child support laws. This, according to Rep. Monique Davis, D-Chicago, is counterproductive and needs to change. “It just seems like a system that is very harsh and inevitably leads to greater harm to family life,” she […]
Posted inNews
Shortchanging Illinois children is a choice
Although times are difficult for social services in Illinois, a statewide advocacy group thinks that it is still possible to positively affect the lives of children. Voices for Illinois Children, a nonpartisan advocacy group which uses policy analysis and research to advance the lives of children, families and communities in Illinois, hosted its annual Illinois […]
