I’ve been belatedly reading Jeremiah Joyce’s 2021 book, Still Burning: Half a Century of Chicago, from the Streets to the Corridors of Power; A Memoir. The former 19th Ward Alderman and southwest side state Senator is a conversational writer and speaks frankly about some very divisive times, particularly regarding race (it can get cringey). Joyce […]
Opinion
Posted inOpinion
Unlikely bedfellows
Some Republicans in Illinois have taken to regularly bashing Republican state legislative leaders for seeking support from the Illinois Education Association, a teachers’ union that has for decades worked to help elect Republicans who are sympathetic to their issues. With longtime wealthy Republican contributors and fundraisers dying, moving to warmer climes and/or retiring, the IEA […]
Posted inOpinion
Editors note 8/14/25
Illinois Times readers are willing to patiently read to understand difficult issues. This week’s cover story by IT senior staff writer Dean Olsen is another opportunity to grapple with those who daily grapple with the complex issues of homelessness. Over the years, Springfield has had considerable success with the “housing first” approach to homelessness, backed […]
Posted inOpinion
Letters to the editor 8/14/25
We welcome letters. Please include your full name, address and telephone number. We edit all letters. Send them to editor@illinoistimes.com. — SUPPORT DOWNTOWN Downtown Springfield is becoming a ghost town, and it feels like nobody in leadership cares. The mayor, the aldermen, city departments, economic development, tourism – no one is stepping up to protect […]
Posted inOpinion
Plenty of political posturing
I’m assuming you’ve already seen coverage of the Democratic Texas state legislators who fled to Illinois to prevent a Republican-backed redrawing of congressional district lines in their home state. Their absence means their legislature doesn’t have enough members to legally conduct business. Like every Democratic governor, Gov. JB Pritzker needs his party to win back […]
Posted inOpinion
Letters to the editor 08-07-2025
NO FUN My opinion is Republicans like to control what businesses and people do, and the fun they have, under the guise of public safety (“Last call is earlier than ever,” July 24). Marie Carnes Via Facebook.com/illinoistimes TOO MUCH TIME Most bars have computerized registers, so it should be easy to quantify the impact of […]
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Editor’s Note
It was a perfect weather night in the park, with tons of children climbing playground equipment, getting soapy in the foam machine, competing in the cake walk. Neighbors old and new celebrated National Night Out with hot dogs and pulled pork sandwiches. Display tables touted the Northside Children’s Community Library, Enos Park Neighborhood Gardens, Third […]
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Editors note 7/31/25
It was a step toward world peace when China visited Springfield July 25. The occasion was China’s gratitude for Minnie Vautrin of the tiny town of Secor, north of Bloomington, who was a teacher in Nanjing, China, when the Japanese captured the city in 1937 and massacred thousands. In her school, Vautrin sheltered many women […]
Posted inOpinion
Letters to the editor 7/31/25
We welcome letters. Please include your full name, address and telephone number. We edit all letters. Send them to editor@illinoistimes.com. — TURN OVER STADIUM I find it disappointing to the point of exasperation that the ownership of the Lucky Horseshoes has to resort to begging the community to pressure the Springfield Park District to live […]
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Candidates vying for statewide offices
According to the 2020 Census, Cook County is 40% white, 26% Latino, 22% Black and 8% Asian. Chicago is 21% of the state’s population. But the statewide ticket recently endorsed by the Cook County Democratic Party is overwhelmingly made up of white Chicagoans (JB Pritzker, Alexi Giannoulias, Mike Frerichs and Margaret Croke), with two Black […]
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Protect families from lead contamination
Illinois is home to more than one million lead service lines, the highest state total in the nation. While efforts to replace these aging and harmful pipes are underway, completing such a massive undertaking will take years. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has set a national deadline of 2037 for full lead pipe replacement, though […]
Posted inEditor's Note, Opinion
Editors note 7/24/25
For my high school newspaper, I wrote a column titled “What in the World?” in which I earnestly parroted what I’d read about global affairs in The New Republic. Later in my career, though still young, I became an editorial writer, from which post I regularly weighed in on how Nixon and Kissinger ought to […]
