Cover Story
A senator’s life story, full of firsts
Ladda Tammy Duckworth’s life is full of firsts. The 53-year-old junior U.S. senator from Illinois is the first Thai American woman and the first person born in Thailand to be elected to Congress, and is the second of three Asian American women to serve in the U.S. Senate. Duckworth is the first senator to give…
Lawmakers pass $42.3 billion budget
Illinois lawmakers worked into the early hours of Tuesday morning, June 1, to pass a $42.3 billion state budget plan for the upcoming fiscal year that Democrats say would fully fund K-12 education and the state’s pension obligations while also paying down a sizeable portion of the state’s debt. Lawmakers have been working on the…
Lawmakers pass stricter ethics standards
Shortly after 1 a.m. Tuesday, June 1, the Illinois Senate passed a bill aiming to improve ethics standards for elected officials after it was filed just hours earlier. An amendment to Senate Bill 539, introduced by Sen. Ann Gillespie, D-Arlington Heights, passed with bipartisan approval despite House Republicans’ concerns that it was watered down. “This…
Changing sex ed
A controversial bill passed by the state legislature aims to guide and expand sex education curriculum being taught in Illinois. Lobbyists say the bill would help schools provide age-appropriate lessons that include violence prevention and LGBTQ identities. Brigid Leahy, director of public policy for Planned Parenthood of Illinois, said the measure would prevent bullying, abuse…
On the trail with Mother Jones
Mary G. Harris Jones, better known as Mother Jones, is an icon of the U.S. labor movement. Born in Ireland around 1837 – no one seems to know the exact date – Jones was once called “the most dangerous woman in America.” She was an effective agitator and organizer who helped propel union efforts forward.…
Editor’s note 06-03-21
Gun violence is getting worse, with more deaths, increased frequency of incidents and new tactics by killers. America sits by helpless, enthralled with the old notion that the status quo is protected by the Constitution and there is nothing anybody can do. Abraham Lincoln faced a similar addiction to slavery, but “viewed the whole nation…
Repercussions from Mapes’ indictment
Repercussions from Mapes’ indictment POLITICS | Rich Miller When reading last week’s indictment of Tim Mapes, it’s important to remember that federal prosecutors have been trying to prove that his old boss, former House Speaker Michael Madigan, was directing the effort to allegedly “bribe” him with favors. Madigan’s longtime chief of staff was indicted May…
Letters to the editor 06-03-21
DON’T SPECULATE A recent article states, “Sangamon County coroner Jim Allmon said that he can surmise no way that Cody could have been tased on the back of his leg unless he was facedown prone” (“Jailers tased inmate at least five times, records show,” May 28). The coroner shouldn’t be surmising anything at this point.…
Demystifying lemongrass
I’ve always dreamed of opening up my own restaurant. The problem is, I’ve never liked running a business. I loved being a dentist, but I hated being a business owner. In my second career as a chef, I’ve loved the restaurant work, but I acknowledge that I’d suck at being a restaurant owner. The kind…
Jumping in June
Can you just feel the excitement in the air as the summer comes on and the music heats up? Well, that might be a tad dramatic, especially considering the unseasonably cool weather of late, but compared to last year at this time, things are utterly unbelievable and totally grooving. So, let’s see where the music…
Thrills and family fare
Quiet Place 2: Long on thrills, short on logic A surprise hit from 2018, John Krasinski’s A Quiet Place managed to scare audiences with a sense of impending dread using malevolent aliens who, though blind, react to the most minute sounds in order to hunt their prey. Viewers were so taken in by the on-screen…
