Cairo, the small Illinois town (population 2,100) with a large legacy, is claiming its place at the confluence of rivers and history. It is a landmark on the state’s Freedom Trail, celebrating the “physical and spiritual pathways of freedom-seekers.” Don Patton, a lifelong resident of Cairo and president of the Cairo Historical Preservation Project, led […]
Opinion
Posted inLetters to the Editor
Letters to the editor 1/15/26
We welcome letters. Please include your full name, address and telephone number. We edit all letters. Send them to editor@illinoistimes.com. NO TO SANGAMON COUNTY DATA CENTER I just want to add my voice to the chorus of citizens who have already spoken out against allowing a data center in our community (“Data center debates,” Dec. […]
Posted inEditor's Note
Editor’s Note
The one good thing about radical politicians is that they tend to bring us in the center closer together. The days when politics used to divide between “conservatives” and “liberals” seem almost quaint today, when many of us would prefer a good old-fashioned conservative or even a God-and-country liberal any day over the wildfire coming […]
Posted inRich Miller
SAFE-T Act questions persist
Gov. JB Pritzker set off a chain reaction last November when he told reporters he’d be open to changes in the SAFE-T Act, which eliminated cash bail and replaced it with a new pre-trial release/retention system, among other things. Pritzker was asked about the case of a woman, Bethany MaGee, who was horrifically set ablaze […]
Posted inLetters to the Editor
Letters to the Editor
UPHOLD CONSTITUTION The situation involving Larry Criscione is more than a disagreement over tone or workplace etiquette (“The cost of free speech,” Dec. 18). It reveals a federal agency disregarding the constitutional protections, statutory requirements and due‑process procedures that exist to safeguard both employees and the public interest. When a regulatory body charged with protecting […]
Posted inOpinion
Build systems for equitable AI growth
Artificial intelligence continues to spark a robust debate in our society, but all can agree it is a technology with true staying power. This is why it is essential for Illinois and the United States to take a leading role in the advancement of this technology. The global landscape is shifting rapidly, particularly as nations […]
Posted inOpinion
Power grab
Cyrus the Great of Persia was a king who lived in the fifth century before Christ. An able general, Cyrus used both force and diplomacy to bring under his sway now-forgotten kingdoms such as the Median Empire, Lydia, even, eventually Babylonia. The territory of southwest Sangamon County is seldom compared to ancient Babylonia, except maybe by […]
Posted inEditor's Note
Editor’s note
It’s Christmas and the country is falling apart. A week ago South Carolina seceded from the union; a month ago he was elected president. Reporters and job-seekers have flocked to Springfield to see the president-elect, who remains cool, practicing what was called then “a masterly inactivity” as he awaits the trouble and responsibility ahead of […]
Posted inLetters to the Editor
Letters to the editor
NOT THAT EASY I’m a Springfield native who moved back a couple of years ago, but was a resident of Normal for many years. Leah Wilson’s column is an apples and pineapples comparison with Springfield (“From planning to implementation” Dec. 18). I lived there throughout that progression, for almost 30 years. Uptown Normal may look […]
Posted inOpinion
Don’t slide backward on disability services
For years, Illinois was known as a state that chronically underfunded services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) – the essential workers who provide daily care, skill building, medication assistance and community access – were paid wages that made retention nearly impossible. People with disabilities faced years-long waiting lists, […]
Posted inRich Miller
Power shortages predicted
A recent study published by three state agencies warns electricity shortages are coming to Illinois. The shortages will start in PJM’s regional transmission system by 2029, with the shortage hitting Illinois’ ComEd territory (which is within PJM) beginning in 2030, and then kicks in hard by 2032. Capacity shortages in downstate Ameren’s territory are expected […]
Posted inEditor's Note
Editor’s Note
In Springfield Monday Gov. JB Pritzker set the right tone for this season when he and other Jewish leaders assembled to light the state menorah. He first expressed his grief about the mass shooting in Australia which killed 15 at a Hanukkah celebration. Pritzker said he is angry “at those who stoke the embers of […]
