Opinion

For too many aspiring downtown revitalizers, the path to its resurrection and consequent vibrancy is to follow the mantra of car preservation as opposed to building preservation. The illusory necessity for users of downtown services to park their car at the restaurant’s dining table or their office desk or next to their apartment’s bed has, […]

I grew up hard-working, and started at the age of 15 to supplement my family’s income when my father became very ill and required surgery. I stopped going to school in order to sustain our family, and would go on to work at the same job for 37 years. After being terminated from the job […]

Biotech research is not for the faint of heart. Each mad scramble for the next blockbuster drug requires hundreds of millions of dollars and years of painstaking effort — all in the face of overwhelming odds of failure. Undaunted, these pioneers will spend nearly $1.5 billion researching, developing and bringing to market a typical biologic […]

How reproductive health care is dealt with in national health care reform is no small matter. And who provides this care is still to be determined. For communities like Springfield, local health centers are where many people turn for trusted health care. Community health providers, like Planned Parenthood, often serve as an entry point for […]

The following is from a speech given by Andy Van Meter at the Eagle Scout Recognition Banquet held at the State Capitol March 2. My topic is failure. I could talk to you about the failure of others. Instead, I would like to talk to you about my own failure, as experienced in the Boy […]

The following is an excerpt from the keynote address delivered at the June 7 Race Unity Rally at the Capitol. See page 16 for winners of the Race Unity Art and Poetry Contest. In the beginning existed Mankind. There was no such thing as race, except for the human race. With that, the spirit of […]

Social service agencies throughout Illinois have recently received notices of funding cuts. Here is reaction from one of them. ARC Community Support Systems, an organization serving infants, children and adults with developmental disabilities with offices in Effingham and Richland County, received notification on Monday, June 15, from the Illinois Department of Human Services that its […]