Letters to the Editor

MENTAL HEALTH PRIORITIES Now is not the time to turn our backs on mental health patients. The entire country has been shocked by the Connecticut school shooting, and while mourning the victims there’s also a sense of urgency to understand how this tragedy could have been prevented. With so many details yet to emerge, it […]

FREE SOCIETY IS GUN-FREE Our plague of semi-automatic gun massacres shows us that America faces a crucial conflict in how we have always interpreted the freedoms of assembly and personal expression with what a newer interpretation of “freedom to bear arms” means in today’s culture. They can totally oppose each other. We must find a […]

TOP ELECTION ANALYSESLeave it to one of our hometown columnists to come up with one of the best analyses of the Nov. 6 election I have seen! Jim Krohe’s Dec. 6 commentary (“Crowdsourcing presidential choice”) – with color map – hit the mark with his insight based on having lived there, as we writers are […]

IN PLAIN SIGHT James Krohe’s article, “Flatland into flatscapes,” (Nov. 29) is a fine testimonial to Harold Gregor, his inventiveness and his influence on several generations of Illinois artists. The article might have been more illuminating had Mr. Krohe traced the major influences in Mr. Gregor’s artistic development. The article’s tacit dismissal of other landscape […]

REWARD SCHOOL BOARDDr. Ikejiaku’s resignation because of alleged hiring irregularities at District 186 will open a can of worms. There have been rumors for years of how the district was hiring “friends of Walter” and now the cover has been blown. The school board should not try to run for cover. They sat by and […]

DON’T LOSE SIGHT The health care system will dramatically change in 2014 as a result of the Affordable Care Act, or health care reform. As an optometrist who has served Illinois for 39 years, I strongly recommend that the vision benefit included in health care exchanges be defined to include a comprehensive eye exam plus […]

GOOD CONDUCT CREDIT FOR ALLWith Illinois having $85 billion in unfunded pension liabilities, the credit rating agencies could no longer ignore the state’s fiscal mess. What’s worse is that our state continues to perpetuate flawed policies that make no sense – the Illinois Department of Correction’s Earned Good Conduct Credit being the perfect example. It […]

SAVE ENOS SCHOOLDankor Development Company is pleased with Ty Rees’ idea, for the school district to build the new Enos School on nearby contiguous lots and to preserve the present Enos School for adaptive reuse for creation of new apartments or other facilities (see “Letters,” Oct. 25). New housing would allow families with school-age children […]

SUPPORT RAPE VICTIMSAs a rape victim advocate, I want every public official who makes a deplorable, victim-blaming statement to simply say, “I am sorry. I will never say that again.” Whether a person is a dogcatcher, U.S. Senator or the President of the United States, that person is out of touch when they say that […]

CRYING OVER TIERSThank you for publishing an article that brings more light onto the State of Illinois’ five-tier retirement systems [see “For state pensions, use a scalpel not an ax,” Guestwork by Scott Stahlman, Oct. 11]. I believe tiers like these were developed so the least paid tier of State of Illinois employees could have […]

UU PERSPECTIVEAs a former Catholic, I was not surprised by Bishop Paprocki’s recent public statements. In my youth, I heard similar admonishments from the pulpit. Indeed, that is one of the reasons why I left Catholicism. In hindsight, I owe that tradition much, for Catholics taught me to love like a Universalist, and Jesuits taught […]