Opinion

For 60 years, Medicaid has provided essential health coverage for millions of Americans, ensuring that low-income families, seniors, people with disabilities and children receive the care they need. Yet, policymakers in Washington are considering hundreds of billions of dollars in cuts to this essential program. Such a deeply flawed proposal must be rejected – not […]

As an organizer for the 50501 movement, organizing protests to protect the Constitution and our democracy, I sometimes hear nonparticipants question whether protesting really makes any difference. Some people claim that it is merely symbolic or that it only makes the protesters feel better by allowing them to publicly vent their frustrations. The study of […]

Since retiring from a career in state government I’ve enjoyed freelance writing about an eclectic range of topics, often focused on museums and cultural organizations, natural resources and the environment, health and fitness, community organizations, interesting people and local events.  It has become my continuing education and has also inspired me to want to learn […]

Being a veteran of the infamous siege of Khe Sanh in the Vietnam War in 1968, I could relate somewhat to the siege that occurred at Vicksburg, Mississippi, in 1862 during America’s Civil War, when the Confederate defenders of the hilly Mississippi River town came under siege by Union forces led by General Ulysses S. […]

Charlie Kirk’s “Prove Me Wrong American Comeback Tour” came to Illinois State University in Bloomington on April 8. Kirk cofounded Turning Point USA in 2012 and the organization advocates for conservative politics on high school, college and university campuses. ISU is one of 850 campus chapters nationwide. My 19-year-old daughter attends ISU and was eager […]

You’ve probably read about the Republican Party implosion last week in suburban municipal and township campaigns, particularly in DuPage County. It’s important to remember that these consolidated elections are not always a reliable indication of the future. They’re very low turnout, and in years like this – when the election was held during a hugely […]

I met Donny Treadwell in August of 2024 while looking for people to interview about living on the streets in Springfield. We spoke several times, and on four of those occasions I was able to interview him at length. After trying to connect with him again, I learned he froze to death while living outside […]

Feb. 23 was the first really mild Sunday afternoon in weeks. As is my routine, after completing a workout at the YMCA in downtown Springfield on such a glorious day, I made my way on foot to the nearby Amtrak station with a good book in hand to read before heading home. While at the […]

As president of the Sangamon County Medical Society, I feel compelled to address a tragic and entirely preventable loss in our country: the recent death of a child from measles in Texas. Our medical society, which is composed of physicians across all specialties, is dedicated to the health and well-being of the individuals not only […]

Attention across the nation is rightly focused on potential massive and drastic Medicaid cuts under consideration by Congress that would imperil health care for nearly 80 million of our most vulnerable neighbors – low-income families, expectant moms, children and senior citizens, as well as individuals with disabilities. Rural hospitals caring for communities in America’s heartland […]

Born and raised in Springfield, I am a proud graduate of Sacred Heart Academy and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Unfulfilled by my first job at Ernst & Whinney in Chicago, I searched for work that would contribute to a greater good and improve people’s lives. I joined the Peace Corps, and spent two […]