Editor’s Note

Great adventures in proofreading was the subject matter of Benjamin Dreyer’s essay, “My Life in Error,” in the Sept. 25 New York Times Book Review. He wrote of the satisfaction of changing “lead” when the writer meant “led,” and the horror of finding a typo in a finished book he had proofed. I can relate. […]

Democrats don’t want serious debate before the November election about eliminating cash bail under the Pretrial Fairness Act, which goes into effect Jan. 1, 2023. Gov. JB Pritzker hasn’t been helpful by just talking about making sure wealthy criminals can’t buy their way out of jail, and his opponent, Darren Bailey, worries only that local […]

Long criticized for profiting from stock trades that might be based on inside information, members of Congress made a rule that they must disclose trades that may present conflicts of interest. Now those disclosures are showing why disclosure is not enough to keep legislators in line. The New York Times has examined the trading data […]

We all could use one, if only to slow things down when life gets out of control. A person in the role would tell us what’s OK and what’s not OK, whether we’re being treated fairly, and if we are still entitled to all the privileges we once enjoyed. We’ll see how it works for […]

We who value churches share the pain of the United Methodists as they struggle through their latest battle, as reflected in the news story on this page. Churches and other religious bodies throughout the country have lived through difficult times over the past two years of pandemic and racial upheaval. Political divisions, also, can’t help […]

The Springfield air was full of possibility this week as children and teachers returned to school, all vowing to make this year better than the one before. New outfits, backpacks and planners marked determination for success. New buildings, furniture and paint throughout District 186 showed children and educators that the rest of us are willing […]

The Springfield-based Illinois Innocence Project this week won the full exoneration of Marilyn Mulero, who spent nearly three decades in prison for a 1992 murder she did not commit. She was one of seven victims of corrupt former Chicago Detective Reynaldo Guevara who were exonerated in a Cook County courtroom. It was the largest mass […]

Children and face-painting, neighbors and hotdogs, cops and city officials on a perfect evening in August made for some holy togetherness in parks around Springfield Tuesday. It was National Night Out, which used to be called a “night out against crime,” but now it’s as much “for” as against. For building relationships, for dismantling racial […]

At the Association of Alternative Newsmedia conference in Chicago last week, some sessions were almost like the old days, 40 or so years ago, when a group of us who wanted to do worldsaving journalism got together to learn from each other smart business models that might support our noble cause. It was here I […]

This isn’t summer school. Nor is it like other camps. Compass for Kids, the 10-year-old Springfield nonprofit, is partnering with Springfield public schools District 186 again this summer to bring Camp Compass to more than 600 low-income elementary school children. As this summer’s camp session wound down this week, Compass for Kids brought its adult […]

In the wake of the Highland Park mass shooting, Illinois, with a reputation for having tough gun laws, has joined the rest of the nation in looking for answers. Darren Bailey, Republican candidate for governor, quickly called a press conference to say Illinois already has a red flag law, but in the case of the […]

Democrats have long known they can’t beat Republicans by trying to act like Republicans. Pretending makes them look insincere. Same goes for Republicans trying to beat trumpers. By claiming the Trump mantle for his voting record and for serving as state co-chair of Trump’s reelection campaign, Rodney Davis came off as trumper light. The only […]