We welcome letters. Please include your full name, address and telephone number. We edit all letters. Send them to editor@illinoistimes.com. NEED RESIDENTS If you want to revive downtown, you need a base of downtown residents (Springfield City Council SeeGov highlight reel, Sept. 2). The downtown merchants can’t rely on only tourist traffic. The Wyndham hotel […]
Opinion
Posted inRich Miller
Edgar’s contributions won’t be forgotten
Jim Edgar ran a brilliant campaign for governor in 1990. He set the template for every winning statewide race since then by focusing on the importance of independent suburban women. The Republican Edgar defeated a Catholic Democrat – Neil Hartigan – in that race, with a boost from the National Abortion Rights Action League’s endorsement. […]
Posted inOpinion
Adults to blame for children’s mental health crisis
I read with interest Dilpreet Raju’s cover story on children’s mental health. Like numerous other sources, it cites an increase in screen time as one of the primary reasons for increased anxiety, depression and other mental health conditions among youth, especially girls. With the wealth of information about the impact of screens on children, we […]
Posted inRich Miller
Expect more clashes between Trump, Pritzker
Having lived through and closely covered the Bruce Rauner gubernatorial administration, I’ve been getting a strong sense of déjà vu lately as several famous “wise old men” have publicly advised Gov. JB Pritzker to call President Donald Trump and make some sort of deal that settles their disagreements. This effort by political consultant David Axelrod […]
Posted inLetters to the Editor
Letters to the editor 9/11/25
We welcome letters. Please include your full name, address and telephone number. We edit all letters. Send them to editor@illinoistimes.com. GREAT PROJECT Thank you to Yolanda Rice for investing in this community (“Former King’s Daughters Home to house nurses,” Aug. 28). I hope there is an open house when the project is complete. I remember […]
Posted inOpinion
Cracks in the earth
“Lutheran high school as hellmouth?” is a headline that I’d hoped to read when I heard that the ground at 3500 W. Washington beneath Springfield’s new Lutheran High School opened up beneath it in 2022. Disappointingly, no bloody hand had thrust up out of its grave to pull innocents down into the bowels of the […]
Posted inEditor's Note
Editor’s note 9/11/25
This upcoming 50th anniversary of Illinois Times has us digging deep into the archives, call it IT archivology. Here’s an issue from May 16, 1991. Things were so different back then. A cartoon by Bob Waldmire showed a limo with VIPs, one balloon saying, “What’re we doing in this neighborhood?” Another VIP answers, “This place […]
Posted inRich Miller
Lawsuit involving ‘three readings rule’ thrown out
I’m coming a bit late to this (national current events having overtaken everything), but a lawsuit filed by House and Senate Republicans was recently tossed out by Sangamon County Circuit Court Judge Jack Davis II. The suit sought to strike down a new law backed by trial lawyers (Senate Bill 328). The Republicans say they […]
Posted inEditor's Note
Editor’s note
On March 5, 1770, British troops were patrolling the streets of Boston, where colonists resented the presence of armed men in their city uninvited. Rocks and verbal abuse were thrown at the soldiers, whose tempers flared and military weapons were fired, resulting in deaths of civilians. The event became known as the Boston Massacre, which […]
Posted inRich Miller
Not the usual rally crowd
The breadth of invited attendees at the event organized last week by Gov. JB Pritzker really stood out for me. The event along the Chicago River was designed to publicly warn President Donald Trump not to send National Guard or regular military troops into the city. The usual collection of Democratic politicians, union leaders and […]
Posted inLetters to the Editor
Letters to the editor 8/28/25
We welcome letters. Please include your full name, address and telephone number. We edit all letters. Send them to editor@illinoistimes.com. DREAMGIRLS A DELIGHT Dreamgirls is the storyline of love, music and fame within competing communities struggling to make a name for themselves to reach the top of the Billboard charts. Their biggest obstacles are themselves in […]
Posted inEditor's Note
Editors note 8/28/25
It was great to hear Gov. JB Pritzker stand up to President Donald Trump and his plans to send National Guard troops into Chicago, supposedly to fight crime. “What President Trump is doing is unprecedented and unwarranted,” Pritzker railed. “It is illegal. It is unconstitutional. It is un-American.” It’s rare and welcome to hear our […]
