Letters to the Editor

We welcome letters. Please include your full name, address and telephone number. We edit all letters. Send them to editor@illinoistimes.com. — A MAJOR LOSS Illinois Times is to be commended for the article “A loss for Illinois farmers and food banks” (April 24).  The cancellation of grants intended to enable food banks and schools to […]

FUELING STIGMA U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s recent claim that autism “destroys families” is not only offensive, it’s profoundly harmful. This rhetoric reflects a damaging, outdated view that stigmatizes neurodivergent individuals and adds unnecessary pain to families already navigating a complex world. Autism doesn’t destroy families. What causes harm […]

We welcome letters. Please include your full name, address and telephone number. We edit all letters. Send them to editor@illinoistimes.com. — DEFICIT HISTORY Jeff Winchell writes in IT, “The government is going broke, thanks to the Democrats” (Letters to the editor, April 10). He includes no statistics or proof of his statement, so I will […]

We welcome letters. Please include your full name, address and telephone number. We edit all letters. Send them to editor@illinoistimes.com. — CUT AT THE TOP We all agree government spending is out of control (“DOGE cuts come to Springfield,” March 13). Eliminate the Department of Homeland Security and cut the Central Intelligence Agency’s budget. The […]

We welcome letters. Please include your full name, address and telephone number. We edit all letters. Send them to editor@illinoistimes.com. — SAME TREATMENT I read with interest the Guestwork article written by attorney John Banks-Brooks (“Reading while Black,” March 20). I immediately understood Mr. Banks-Brooks’ position because as a lifetime resident of Springfield and local […]

We welcome letters. Please include your full name, address and telephone number. We edit all letters. Send them to editor@illinoistimes.com. — WORDS MATTER As someone who is part of the local Asian community who has heard from massage therapy owners being negatively affected by this rhetoric, I am communicating that this has caused harm (“Combating […]

We welcome letters. Please include your full name, address and telephone number. We edit all letters. Send them to editor@illinoistimes.com. — THINK OF THE EFFECTS ON OTHERS After reading the article “More vacant buildings burn in winter: Recent death, multiple structure fires attributed to squatters” (Jan. 30), I came away thinking this article was more […]

We welcome letters. Please include your full name, address and telephone number. We edit all letters. Send them to editor@illinoistimes.com. — NO SAVINGS I retired as the chief deputy recorder of deeds in 2021 with a fair and equitable salary of $71,000 after 11 years of service. My replacement was hired at $60,000, or 15.5% […]

We welcome letters. Please include your full name, address and telephone number. We edit all letters. Send them to editor@illinoistimes.com. — SERVE THE CITY My tax dollars pay for these public servants, and they should be serving the city of Springfield (“SPD officers going to D.C.,” Jan. 2). Mayor Misty Buscher saw fit to give […]

GLARING CONFLICT A conflict of interest is generally defined as a situation in which a person is in a position to derive personal benefit from actions or decisions made in their official capacity. Conflicts of interest can frequently arise in government work. Note that a conflict of interest in itself is not an issue; the concern […]

We welcome letters. Please include your full name, address and telephone number. We edit all letters. Send them to editor@illinoistimes.com. — NEED EMPATHY I am appalled by the dehumanizing language used by Helping Hands executive director Patti Crouch and employee Jilnita Johnson (“Out in the cold: Helping Hands clients question agency’s policies,” Jan. 2). People […]