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, […]
Opinion
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 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 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 inOpinion
Illinois’ George Washington
Every December, Illinoisans celebrate the commonwealth’s admission to the Union as the 21st state in 1818. Well, some do. Actually, hardly any do. Most Illinoisans seem reconciled to their membership in the commonwealth but seldom proud of it; a not insignificant number of downstaters hereabouts daydream about secession that might free them of that yoke […]
Posted inOpinion
From planning to implementation
Imagine a vibrant town center that serves as a hub of cultural and social activity. There’s a beautiful, tree-lined roundabout and plaza in the middle of it all, with a water feature that serves as a splash pad for children on a summer day, and a nice spot to read a book or to catch […]
Posted inLetters to the Editor
Letters to the Editor
THANKS FOR HELPING Julie Benson has been a voice for those in Springfield down on their luck for many years (“Sober living house for LGBTQ+ in the works,” Dec. 4). She has gone above and beyond her call of duty as a person caring for others without asking anything in return. She could have given […]
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 […]
Posted inRich Miller
Mid-decade congressional remap unlikely
The two most intense state legislative pressure campaigns I’ve witnessed both ended in failure. Back in 2017, Gov. Bruce Rauner tried everything he could think of to stop legislative Republicans from voting to increase the income tax to about where it was right before he took office for his one and only term. Both political […]
Posted inLetters to the Editor
Letters to the editor 12/11/25
We welcome letters. Please include your full name, address and telephone number. We edit all letters. Send them to editor@illinoistimes.com. LONG-TERM CONSEQUENCES Sangamon County has already been bought and sold on the data center by CyrusOne, and the public hearing was a joke. The project is being rushed forward on the basis of info overwhelmingly […]
Posted inRich Miller
SAFE-T Act under fire again
In the days after the horrific burning of a woman on a Chicago CTA train by a clearly deranged habitual criminal suspect last month, some in the news media immediately focused on their go-to issue: The SAFE-T Act. “Illinois leaders blast SAFE-T Act after repeat offender charged with lighting woman on fire on CTA Blue […]
Posted inOpinion
Scarecrows in the cornfields
Often, when driving on I-55 to and from Chicago, I while away the hours with word games. (How many words mean “dull”?) Until I reach McLean County, that is, when the towers of the Twin Groves Wind Farm come into view. Even though they’ve stood there for years – the farm was built way back […]
