Some districts will seize these new opportunities. But not every Illinois school is equipped to offer such options.

"Dying comes for us all, often accompanied by immense suffering. Sometimes at the end, suffering is so extreme that we’d rather just go to sleep, we’d rather not stick it out to the bitter end," Edward Gogol of Crystal Lake writes in a letter to the editor.

"There is a battery storage facility being proposed on Behan Road. This is less than a mile from our home, and a mile and a half from Prairie Grove Elementary School," Pam Hermsdorfer of Crystal Lake writes in a letter to the editor.

Trying to keep up with all that's happening in the battle against Alzheimer's disease isn't easy when you're a caregiver. The Alzheimer's Association is here to help with five things that were learned about the disease in 2025.

In fiscal 2025 the state’s public K-12 spending was just shy of $11 billion. In fiscal 2026, it’s nearly $11.2 billion. Each figure constitutes roughly 20% of the General Revenue Fund.

'Giving public money to a professional sports franchise doesn’t crack the top 100 things the people of Illinois are asking for, expecting, or willing to tolerate right now.'

More than 250 new laws take effect in Illinois Jan. 1. As has become custom around here I like to use the last few columns of December to review legislation that might not have gotten proper attention earlier in the year.

"Schools’ most important jobs are teaching reading and critical thinking. Print newspapers, with quality and local interest articles, are necessary to reinforce these skills," Donna Davis of Woodstock writes in a letter to the editor.

"Weather history proves that residential battery storage in northern Illinois will never be reliable beyond a short-term power failure," David Albers of Crystal Lake writes in a letter to the editor.