Opinion

This is the final part of a five-part series about Dixon’s remarkable role in the Civil War. Today's column focuses on the battle at Chickasaw Bayou on Dec. 28-29, 1862, complete with a list of 44 soldiers from the Illinois 13th who died as a result of the battle.

Column: Trees offer many benefits for both us and the environment. The city of DeKalb is currently offering to help plant trees in the parkways along your roads, writes Rob Srygler of the DeKalb Citizens' Environmental Commission.

"A candidate’s past margin of victory says nothing about the relative weight of mail-in ballots received after Election Day – and thus the strategic importance of extended poll-watching operations."

The Bears have changed course more than they’ve changed quarterbacks, Marc Silverman writes

As a caregiver, sometimes recognizing that there's a balance between taking care of one's charge and doing things for oneself can be difficult. And sometimes saying no to a function can be a form of self-care.

Perhaps if the Virginia Burgesses knew they could profit from gambling, sports books wouldn’t have operated under the table for hundreds of years.

In the early days of Facebook, we were tagged, poked, prodded and issued friend requests. We had no idea why we’re getting poked, tagged and prodded but we knew we liked it, we just weren’t sure why.

Every word you speak shapes the path ahead. So talk like someone who’s going somewhere.

Column: There’s a certain kind of magic that comes alive in Sycamore when summer arrives, writes Rose Treml of the Sycamore Chamber of Commerce.

For quite a while now, most folks in politics have assumed that Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias and Comptroller Susana Mendoza will probably run for mayor of Chicago in 2027.

Under the Senate’s plan, the Regional Transportation Authority would become the Northern Illinois Transit Authority, a better name than before provided you can get past all the territory in the northern part of the state that would still be on the outside looking in.

Forty-five years ago this spring, the eruption of Mount St. Helens in southwestern Washington captured the attention of the nation and dominated the airwaves for weeks.  

Happy 54th birthday, Mom. I wanted to thank you for all you have taught me.

"Her email got me thinking about how we honor the day we were born, throughout the different phases of our lives," Jerrilyn Zavada Novak writes in her weekly Spirit Matters column.

There’s no way to fully satisfy either camp, underscoring the importance of making sure government functions adequately for enough voters to strike a balance.

"We get caught up in the story and the characters but I also remind myself that a human being, a real character, created the story with people we become attached to and relate to and remember," writes Lonny Cain, the retired managing editor of The Times, in his weekly column.

It is time for Illinois legislators to act and bring our public defense system into the 21st century. Access to justice cannot depend on wealth or geography. 

As the Illinois General Assembly approaches the critical May 31 deadline to secure funding for its public transit system, let’s be clear that this is not a light switch that can be turned off and on with ease.

Public voting from mid-January to Valentine’s Day revealed an overwhelming preference for the status quo, with about 43% of almost 385,000 votes opting against any change whatsoever. The current flag fared better than the combined total of the next five choices.

Ben Johnson's leadership is transforming the Bears' culture for success, Marc Silverman writes

With summer upon us, now's a good time to brush up on ways to stay safe and avoid skin cancer while enjoying the long, hot days ahead. The American Cancer Society offers some tips and strategies.

Bringing lawmakers back to Springfield at what might otherwise be a dormant stretch isn’t – or at least shouldn’t be – much cause for concern.

Somewhere between effort and faith, the road rises to meet us.

Summer is officially here, and so is the 30th season of the DeKalb Farmers’ Market presented by Northwestern Medicine! Mark your calendars for opening day on Thursday, June 5, writes Virginia Filicetti of the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce.

The U.S. House’s Energy and Commerce Committee released its recommendations for budget reconciliation. A preliminary review by the Congressional Budget Office projected that, if implemented, at least 8.6 million Americans would lose Medicaid coverage during the coming decade.

It has been seven decades since the Korean conflict began in 1950, and finally ended three years later with an armistice between the United States, North Korea and China. The war came on the heels of World War II and involved 24 nations, with a cost of 2.2 million casualties.

Mom, we children decided to each write a birthday message to you for your 54th birthday, May 22.

"During these times of wild uncertainty, rest in the unequivocal certainty that our God indeed is everywhere, and in everything," Spirit Matters columnist Jerrilyn Zavada Novak writes.

But to hear Harper tell it, the issue isn’t so much inability to reach compromise as unwillingness to negotiate.

On the very first day the eager soldiers of the 13th Illinois Infantry were given guns with bayonets, the regiment incurred its first injury of the war.

Wick Warren brought a love for baseball and a southern accent when he arrived to join the Princeton High School baseball staff in 2015. Ten years later he leaves grateful for the opportunity to serve as the Tigers head coach the past nine seasons.

"I never cared for report cards," Lonny Cain, retired managing editor of The Times in Ottawa, writes in his Paperwork column.

"These milestones are a testament to the dedication and commitment of CMS, which has embraced efficiency, innovation and collaboration to improve past hiring challenges."

Marc Silverman reflects on the Bears' quarterback history and the need for change this time around with Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams working together

Opinion: Rural communities are an essential part of DeKalb County’s economic strength and cultural identity, writes Melissa Amedeo of the DeKalb County Economic Development Corporation.

Have you ever had a season where it felt like everything was turning against you – at work, at home, even in your head? One minute, you’re moving toward a goal; the next, you spin your wheels in frustration.

May is National Mental Health Awareness Month, and the theme this year is “In Every Story, There’s Strength.”

The current party line is no pursuit of state funding for stadium construction, but even if the Bears don’t directly request money to deal with infrastructure, a development at the proposed scale would force the hands of many government entities.

High-speed police pursuits are on the rise. Columnist Tom Weitzel weighs in the risks and rationale for the pursuits

Needless to say, replacing an appropriations committee chair with barely two weeks to go in the spring session and tough budget votes ahead is not exactly commonplace. I’ve never seen such a thing in 35 years of doing this.

It’d take the rest of the month to tell superintendents’ stories: falling ceilings, boilers repurposed from World War II ships, infested walls from schools built when Al Capone was still an elementary student in Brooklyn.

The haunting pictures of the deadly riot at Kent State University in 1970 are among the most famous news photographs in American history.

I am sharing a diary of a day of my activities from start to finish. Time goes by so quickly, and there is always something that needs my attention or needs to be done.

Most baseball fans don’t care how someone earns HOF induction. Many taxpayers aren’t attuned to the intricacies of which government gets their money.

Let me tell you about this dream. I’m driving down a long stretch of highway, and I can see my future in the distance. I see myself slowly aging as I get closer.

"Both instances jarred me out of my everyday reality into an ineffably dazzling moment of feeling a genuine spiritual encounter with the divine," Jerrilyn Zavada Novak writes in her Spirit Matters column.

"To be honest, I never really did too much for the holiday. I knew I had a good mother and did try to do things to help her," Rodney Verdine of the Write Team writes in his most recent column.

Weeklong camps take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, with campers primarily meeting at Hickory Knolls Discovery Center for drop-off and pickup.

House Bill 1085 attempts to tackle some of those challenges by amending the Illinois Insurance Code to impose new obligations on private policies subject to state regulation.

The schedule is set. The Bears have had a great offseason. But it doesn’t mean they’re not making a mistake at left tackle, Marc Silverman writes