Commentary
Southern Illinois knows the value of stewardship; Springfield must act before it’s too late
By DALE SHUMAKER President, Association of Illinois Soil & Water Conservation Districts • In Southern Illinois, conservation is not an abstract policy debate. It is the creek that floods after heavy rain. It is the field losing topsoil after severe weather. It is the family farm trying to remain productive for another generation. It is…
Read MoreIllinois Wesleyan University to launch first-of-its-kind interdisciplinary undergraduate Quantum Science, engineering program
BLOOMINGTON – Illinois Wesleyan University today announced the creation of the Fisher Center for Interdisciplinary Quantum Science & Engineering, a first-of-its-kind undergraduate program that brings together multiple areas of study to better prepare students for careers in this emerging field. The Fisher Quantum Center will make Illinois Wesleyan the first undergraduate liberal arts university in…
Read MoreMay recognized as Mental Health Awareness Month
Each year, May is recognized as Mental Health Awareness Month, a national observance established in 1949 to highlight the importance of mental health and promote support for those experiencing mental illness. This month serves as a reminder that mental health is just as important as physical health and that millions of people are affected by…
Read MoreSomewhere between 6, 80
By Columnist Ariel Schellenger • I suppose this is my official application for the sewing circle. I just didn’t realize I was applying until I was already halfway in. Somewhere between raising a six-year-old boy, driving around town like I’m unofficially monitoring local activity and having strong opinions about stop signs… I’ve landed in a…
Read MoreOp-Ed: Senator Erica Harriss says affordability is no slogan
By Erica Harriss • The Senate has returned to Springfield for the Spring Legislative Session. After several weeks of filing legislation, we are now moving into the committee process to debate and advance new proposals this session. A few weeks ago, the governor delivered his annual State of the State and Budget Address, outlining his…
Read MoreOp-Ed: Two Meetings, One Message
By Derrick Ramert • In what many residents described as “the largest lecture hall Troy has ever assembled,” the Troy City Council relocated its Feb. 2 meeting to Triad High School to accommodate a crowd that City Hall simply could not hold as debate intensified over a potential data center development in Troy. The move…
Read MoreOpinion: Veto Session Leaves Illinois Families Paying the Price
By State Senator Erica Harriss (56th-Glen Carbon) It was a costly week for Illinois taxpayers. As the General Assembly wrapped up its fall Veto Session just before 5 a.m. on Halloween, the Majority Party pushed through a series of proposals that will make life more expensive for Illinois families, from higher energy bills to new…
Read MoreCracking the Compact Car Code Part II
Originally published on July 17, 2025 • I admit to a lot of bias when discussing Saturn cars. I owned five of them over a 25-year span, making me a member of the Saturn “cult” as some people sarcastically called it. I was 21 years old when I traded in my 1988 Chevy S-10 Pickup…
Read MoreDetroit’s attempts to crack the Compact Car Code – Part I
Originally published on July 3, 2025 For the past 60 years, none of the Big Three (GM, Ford and Chrysler) consistently cracked the compact car code. Did you know Volkswagen sold two Beetles in the U.S. in 1949? That’s significant because it was the first real toehold by a foreign manufacturer (not counting the grey-market…
Read MoreFord credited with creating 3 car categories
Commentary originally published on June 12, 2025 As I mentioned in my initial column, most of what I plan to write about involves my favorite obsession – cars and/or transportation in general. As a toddler, one of my first words was ‘Volkswagen,’ my father told me. He recalled that it took him two years to…
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