BE KIND Congratulations on your longevity and success (“50th anniversary special section,” Sept. 25). While Fletcher Farrar and I have political views that couldn’t be farther apart, I must say I appreciate so much his professionalism. When I see Fletcher in public, he is friendly and cordial. As we wade through trying times in political discourse, I am […]
Opinion
Posted inRich Miller
Budget deficit projections
The Governor’s Office of Management and Budget projected last week that the current fiscal year’s budget will run a $267 million deficit. The budget office recommended taking “immediate” action to plug the hole. And the problem gets much worse in the future, with a $2.2 billion projected deficit for next fiscal year, which begins July […]
Posted inLetters to the Editor
Letters to the editor 10/9
When I heard the topic for the guest presenter – alcohol and drugs – I thought these elementary school children would be bored by it. At first, while the speaker droned through preliminary remarks, there was little interest, but as soon as he mentioned drugs, hands shot up. “My dad was on drugs,” one of […]
Posted inLetters to the Editor
Letters to the editor 10/9
We welcome letters. Please include your full name, address and telephone number. We edit all letters. Send them to editor@illinoistimes.com. UNDERSTANDABLE Dean Olsen’s cover story about the local impact of cuts to Medicaid was excellent – thorough, well-researched, with multiple perspectives (“Losing health care coverage,” Oct. 2). You made a complicated issue easier to understand […]
Posted inRich Miller
AFL-CIO move a surprise
The announcement last week that the Illinois AFL-CIO was withdrawing from the “agreed bill process” at least 40 years after its inception took almost everyone by surprise, but nobody was really shocked. For years, whenever the group engaged in carefully constructed negotiations with business interests on workers’ compensation and unemployment insurance, labor leaders would grumble […]
Posted inLetters to the Editor
Letters to the editor 10/2/25
MINIMUM WAGE AFFECTS MENTAL HEALTH Your otherwise excellent cover story, “Addressing children’s mental health,” (Sept. 11) states that the problems stem from “influence from a rapidly increasing number of technology and social media offerings in the past two decades.” That is indeed part of it, but it’s more like three or even four decades. I […]
Posted inEditor's Note
Editor’s Note
This week’s cover story by Dean Olsen, about what federal Medicaid cuts mean for the Springfield area, couldn’t be more timely. That’s because the cuts, enacted by Congress and signed into law earlier this year, have become the focus of the federal government shutdown, which began Oct. 1. Democrats say the cuts are too deep […]
Posted inRich Miller
Energy bill lacks key union support
One of the reasons a giant energy-related bill failed to pass the Illinois General Assembly last spring was because organized labor remained neutral. At least one union opposed the bill, but overall, the unions weren’t helping to move the ball forward – and they have a whole lot of much-needed legislative muscle. That’s why the […]
Posted inLetters to the Editor
Letters to the editor 9/25/25
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 […]
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 […]
