We welcome letters. Please include your full name, address and telephone number. We edit all letters. Send them to editor@illinoistimes.com. KEEP QUESTIONING Maybe people are starting to actually wake up and question their county and city boards and look into whether these are a boon or bust for their communities (“Future uncertain for data centers,” […]
Opinion
Posted inRich Miller
Welch discusses Benton investigation
House Speaker Chris Welch sat down for interviews with some selected reporters last week. He told most of them that his office had conducted an “informal investigation” into sexual harassment allegations against former Rep. Harry Benton (D-Plainfield) in 2023. Welch’s staff has not responded to our request for an interview (same goes for the Chicago […]
Posted inJames Krohe Jr.
Looking to the skies
No one who’s seen it is likely to forget it. I refer to the ending to Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind when the aliens’ mothership dropped from the sky to land on an isolated Wyoming butte. Imagine something that unexpected, that wondrous, landing in Sangamon County. Lots of people thought that wondrous […]
Posted inOpinion
Thinking is part of the learning journey
Earlier this month, the Illinois State Board of Education released guidance on artificial intelligence for Illinois schools. The guidelines are needlessly complicated, repetitive and lacking substance. In a bit of self-parody, ISBE readily admitted to using AI to construct the 409-page word salad. The phrase, “teaching and learning are shaped by human relationships and by […]
Posted inLetters to the Editor
Letters to the editor
GREAT PROGRAM This sounds like a terrific program to offer non-traditional skills and emotional/spiritual support to those who struggle with addiction (“Creating a recovery movement,” July 16). Many art-related skills can help reduce stress and anxiety, which would be another benefit to those participating. If the desk (in the photo) that Rev. Margaret Ann Jessup […]
Posted inRich Miller
Welch pledges to seek more funds for Chicago schools
House Speaker Chris Welch promised the Chicago Teachers Union last week that he will “lead” the effort to send more state money to Chicago Public Schools during the upcoming fall veto session. Welch made his pledge in a CTU-posted video yesterday while holding a union poster blasting proposed CPS layoffs and budget cuts. “The state […]
Posted inLetters to the Editor
Letters to the editor
DON’T SETTLE I hope the state and the city do not sell the Springfield taxpayers and the public short with their plan to turn over ownership of “the most developable block” in downtown Springfield (see “Mayor, state detail Y Block plans,” July 8). According to the article the city would hand ownership over to the […]
Posted inRich Miller
The House and harassment complaints
By now you’ve probably read at least something about the scandals surrounding former state Rep. Harry Benton (D-Plainfield). In a nutshell, a young female district office staffer alleged Benton sexually harassed her in 2023. Two of House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch’s top staffers asked her to file a complaint with the legislative inspector general, but […]
Posted inJames Krohe Jr.
Natural play space
Its downtown might lack a public but Springfield has built lots of public spaces, just in case. Even though few of these spaces are much used, the city looks set to get another one. The state’s Department of Natural Resources is in talks with the city of Springfield to convert the city’s long-vacant Y block […]
Posted inLetters to the Editor
Letters to the editor 7/23/26
JUST SAY NO Sounds to me like most residents don’t want it (“Crowd reacts to Christian County data center plan,” June 25). Christian County Board, there’s your sign. Vote no on the damn thing and move on with other business. That’s the way it works. Eric PopeVia Facebook.com/illinoistimes HYPOCRISY Corporations have a right to conduct […]
Posted inRich Miller
GOP trails Dems in campaign cash
The Illinois Republican Party filed its quarterly campaign finance report on the July 15 deadline. The party reported having just $223,000 in the bank. The next day, the party sent a letter to the Illinois State Board of Elections saying they were “reconciling” their records after a leadership change, and then noted that their actual […]
Posted inLetters to the Editor
Letters to the Editor
HE’S TRYING Someone trying their best to take care of themselves should be allowed by law (“Man fights city hall,” June 25). He owns the lot and obviously knows what he’s doing. If this isn’t OK with zoning, we need to change the zoning laws. The numbers of unhoused people continue to increase, and we […]
