Hours after the social media giant Meta agreed last Wednesday to settle a case brought by 47 state attorneys general and implement reforms to protect children from social media harms, the Illinois Federation of Teachers issued a demand that all of Illinois’ portion of the $17.1 billion settlement – $768 million – be designated “to […]
Opinion
Posted inLetters to the Editor
Letters to the editor 8/27/26
We welcome letters. Please include your full name, address and telephone number. We edit all letters. Send them to editor@illinoistimes.com. LIVED TO SEE IT Professional women’s baseball has been a long time coming (“Another league of their own,” July 30). I’m glad I can see it in my lifetime. It was a dream since I […]
Posted inRich Miller
Another harassment allegation
Yet another sexual harassment allegation has been made against an Illinois House Democrat. But this time, the House speaker’s operation is fully supporting its incumbent. Rep. Murri Briel’s former deputy chief of staff Laura Jackson claims that, among other things, Briel (D-Ottawa) sexually harassed her, supplied “unlimited” amounts of Adderall to her and the campaign […]
Posted inLetters to the Editor
Letters to the editor
POORLY MANAGED I have been a certified arborist since the first year the certification law was passed decades ago. I have been actively volunteering since 1970 identifying and evaluating unique and old trees in Oak Ridge Cemetery and elsewhere in Illinois, starting with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. I have put plaques and QR […]
Posted inOpinion
Grandparents: The greatest influencers
I work hard at limiting the amount of time I spend watching reels and videos online. But I can’t control myself when I see videos of grandkids reaching and sobbing for their grandparents. You know the ones. It’s hard to know who is having the hardest time with the separation – the grandchildren or the […]
Posted inJames Krohe Jr.
Unamended consequences
With luck, the $350 million renovation of the Illinois State Capitol north wing will open by the time the snow flies and Springfield will get a glimpse of the new main entrance to the Statehouse. Visitor screening, conference rooms and parking are now bunkered beneath the lawn on the Monroe Street side. Readers old enough to recall when the […]
Posted inRich Miller
10 years at the top not guaranteed
After Michael J. Madigan’s 36 years as Illinois House speaker, a 10-year term limit on current and future speakers doesn’t seem like a lot of time in the big chair. Except it is. Nobody prior to Madigan had ever served 10 years as speaker in this state going back to when Illinois became a state […]
Posted inLetters to the Editor
Letters to the editor 8/13/26
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,” […]
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 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 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 […]
