Cover Story
From colleges to cannabis
Before George Kennett joined Cresco Labs eight years ago, he was in a job he didn’t like, and his abuse of alcohol and other drugs led to what could have been a fatal spiral. The job at Cresco “saved my life and changed my life for the better,” Kennett, 32, told Illinois Times. “It gave…
Holdovers is poignant, The Killer too familiar, Birth/Rebirth a modern Frankenstein
Poignant Holdovers a holiday treat Sorrow and regret are what bind Paul Hunham, Mary Lamb and Angus Tully – sorrow over the death of loved ones and cherished dreams, regret over missed opportunities and unspoken feelings. These three characters are at the center of Alexander Payne’s The Holdovers, a bittersweet look at individual battles endured…
Undecided? Consider a career in the trades
Finding a career path that not only interests you, but has high demand, longevity and high wages can be challenging — and sort of scary if you are not sure about your options. If you are the type that prefers to not be in a traditional office job, the opportunities at the Workforce Institute at…
A vision for Illinois nature
In 2023, we celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Illinois Nature Preserves System. Sixty years ago, Illinois recognized the plight of our natural areas sooner than most states. Unlike out east, where most nature had already been fundamentally transformed, we still had high-quality remnant natural areas – unplowed and unpaved. Ecosystems of rare plants, animals,…
General Assembly takes no action on Invest in Kids program
Springfield Catholic schools are scrambling to raise money to provide scholarships to low-income students in the wake of legislative inaction. At issue is a program that provided indirect state support for students attending private and religious schools. The Invest in Kids program will sunset as scheduled on Dec. 31, meaning donors to six state-approved private…
Diversity training for law enforcement
A $700,000 federal grant to University of Illinois Springfield will be used to help central Illinois cops arrest their biases when dealing with people of different cultures and races. The grant to the university’s Alliance for Experiential Problem-Based Learning will be used to develop tolerance, diversity and anti-bias training for law enforcement. The funding was…
Legislature approves bill to allow small nuclear plants
Lawmakers on Nov. 9 approved a proposal that would allow companies to develop new nuclear power generation in Illinois for the first time since 1987. House Bill 2473 does not entirely lift the 36-year-old moratorium on nuclear construction. Instead, it creates a regulatory structure for the construction of small modular nuclear reactors, or SMRs. The bill limits…
After the fire, Chicago’s politics of disaster
In October 1871 many residents of the youthful city of Chicago were experiencing a drought of catastrophic proportion. The last measurable rain had occurred in early July and for 13 weeks not a drop of rain had fallen in the city. In the first week of October, Chicago’s 193 firemen had fought 28 fires. Across…
Lawmakers pass bill aimed at modernizing professional licensing in Illinois
As Illinois faces shortages of health care practitioners and mental health professionals, the state agency in charge of licensing for those and more than 100 other industries has struggled to keep up. The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation has failed to meet its goals to speed up both initial licensing and renewals in…
How to roast a squash
A few weeks ago I made my annual pilgrimage to the Great Pumpkin Patch in Arthur. The Great Pumpkin Patch is a special place. They grow over 300 varieties of pumpkins, squash and gourds from over 20 countries. I get as excited about winter squash in October as I do about asparagus in May or…
“Green” from Endless Pavement musical
(Josette lives in a concrete world) What did green look like, how did green feel? What was green’s odor when green was real? Was there a green sigh of wind in the pine boughs? Was there a green scent of hay in the hay mows? …Do you believe in green rushes and moss? Well I…
Letters to the editor 11/16/23
We welcome letters. Please include your full name, address and telephone number. We edit all letters. Send them to editor@illinoistimes.com. —- NEWS VOID Unfortunately, the big void in local news is astounding, especially unbiased news (“The future of community journalism,” Nov. 9). I am old enough to remember great news coverage when I grew up in…
Friday music rules
With a few weeks of November 2023 under our belts, the time is slipping by like a cool fall stream in the autumn woods as we approach the midpoint of the month. Be on the lookout for Thanksgiving next Thursday, which means a big party night on Wednesday plus a lot of things to do…
Extreme Bull Bash, two country music acts coming to center
While the BOS Center has hosted rodeos before, this Saturday’s event at the convention center will be something a little bit different. It will begin with two hours of extreme bull riding action, followed by two up-and-coming country music acts. Fans of both rodeo and live music can enjoy the best of both worlds. Cord…
Countering antisemitism
“It’s the Jews’ fault.” I remember those words like they were yesterday, even though they were uttered by a co-worker more than 30 years ago. The newspaper we worked for had just undergone a major layoff and later that week I found myself eating a plate of spaghetti in a dive restaurant listening to what…
