Letters to the Editor

NOT CORN, BEANSI believe James Krohe Jr. [see “It’s not the heat, it’s the corn,” July 21] and Mr. Changnon (Northern Illinois University climatologist) both have beans between their ears. They are grabbing disconnected facts out of the hot humid air to provide shaky support for a whimsical theory. If the row crops are providing […]

KATHIE PAYTON’S SISTER REPLIESThis letter is written in rebuttal to the article “I killed my mom,” which appeared in Illinois Times July 21. We feel the article is unfair, inaccurate and one-sided. The opening line “after a life of abuse” is untrue. There may have been some instances of verbal abuse, however it is greatly […]

COMPULSIVE GAMBLERSThe person sitting next to you in church, the man in line at the grocery store, or one of your co-workers; any one of these could be involved with a gambling problem [see “Gambling on the fairgrounds,” by Rachel Wells, July 14]. Imagine your grandmother committing a crime to support her gambling addiction. I […]

NO TO NUKES In regards to your recent article about nuclear power and the Clinton Nuclear Power Plant [see “The nuke next door,” by Rachel Wells, June 16]: Is nuclear power safe? No it is not. Is nuclear power economically feasible now? No it is not. Is nuclear power an appropriate use of technology? No […]

FAIRGROUNDS GAMBLINGYear round gambling at the fairgrounds is a bad bet. Both racetrack casinos in Indiana have declared bankruptcy. Statistical analysis of racetrack casinos has shown that when slot machines are introduced at racetracks, betting on horses decreases 20 percent to 40 percent. Slot machines account for 90 percent or more of the revenue at […]

GREENSPACEWith reference to the “Publisher’s note” in last week’s IT concerning her observation of the lack of greenspace in the new Scheel’s parking lot, a familiar chord was struck. She had noticed efforts in malls in Florida to diminish the visual impact of seas of asphalt parking lots. In our travels throughout the country, my […]

OPTIMISM WE CAN’T AFFORD Rachel Wells’ excellent June 2 article on nuclear safety [see “The nuke next door: Is the Clinton nuclear power plant prepared for a Fukushima-level disaster?”] demonstrated both the complexity of the planning involved in dealing with nuclear disasters, and some of the existing deficiencies. Our organization met with Gov. Pat Quinn […]

MAKE PROSECUTORS PAY You have had a series of articles on the Downstate Illinois Innocence Project at UIS [see “Defenders of the innocent,” May 26, by Patrick Yeagle]. This last year I audited the course at UIS conducted by Larry Golden in which Bill Clutter appeared a number of times. It was eye opening to […]

VETO GAMBLING EXPANSION Gov. Quinn, you repeatedly said the gambling expansion bill was too top heavy and said it would make Illinois the Las Vegas of the Midwest. Yet legislators kept adding to the bill to get enough votes to pass SB 744. We agree that the gambling bill is excessive, and we applaud you […]

FLEECING OF ILLINOISOur present-day leaders are not real leaders, they are hypocrites. Our state lawmakers and the governor want to cut benefits of current state employees, but they don’t mind lining their own pockets by giving themselves 85 percent of their last salary as retirement. If lawmakers work more than 20 years under the General […]

COSTS OF GAMBLINGSince 1990, the continual proposals for a Chicago casino and more electronic gambling machines/slot machines (EGMs/slots) have demonstrated that history repeats itself. While Illinois businesses and taxpayers were subjected to a tax increase of 66 percent during the 2011 lame-duck session, little notice was given to the 2011 legislation proposed to expand Illinois […]

JUVENILE JUSTICEShould children who commit low-level offenses be incarcerated, or is there a more productive use of scarce state resources? This is one of the issues posed in House Bill 83, now pending in the Illinois General Assembly. This bill would encourage juvenile courts across the state to explore less restrictive alternatives to confinement for […]