Opinion

Yes, today my age rolls into a higher number. Oh boy. My Facebook page is heating up with friends and family wanting me to be happy.

How much does the marching band spend on new music each fall? Who pays to paint the school logo at midfield? What is the impact of overdue fines on the library budget? When I buy a box of popcorn at the pool, does any of that go toward lifeguard paychecks?

Column: Despite the little bit of rain, and a whole lot of heat, we had a great time celebrating and seeing you all at Swedish Days! Up next is the Geneva Arts Fair and Classic Car Shows, writes Johanna Patterson of the Geneva Chamber of Commerce.

Summer along the Fox River is in full swing, with festivals, concerts, art shows and sporting events lighting up every town. Batavia's Fourth of July Sky Concert is Friday. Then check out Windmill City Festival, Christmas in July, Chamber Eats and more, writes Shirley Mott.

Just in time for Independence Day, here ere are a few patriotic facts and trivia.

Column: Ask 10 neighbors what sustainability means and seven will picture trees or recycling bins. Few mention paychecks, health or utility bills – yet that is where the benefits show up. Here are four myths that keep DeKalb from cashing in, writes Shaun Langley.

Dixon's Lowell Park has a remarkable history. In his column this week, historian Tom Wadsworth shares unique stories about who designed the park and the land's importance in northern Illinois as far back as the early 1800s.

The Illinois Economic Policy Institute and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s Project for Middle Class Renewal reported that the state currently is short 142,000 housing units but would need to open 227,000 units over the next five years to meet projected demand.

Nancy Gates, 90, has participated in nearly every Reagan Run 5K, motivated not by medals, but by the joy of being a part of the community.

Even if the pace of life keeps accelerating, your path doesn’t have to. Time, like clay, is shaped by the hands that hold it. Don’t let it be molded by algorithms, ads and someone else’s agenda.

The organized among us often have plans and then contingency plans in case something happens. For caregivers for those with dementia, contingency plans often are essential.

I appreciate a quality professional display a few times a year yet have almost zero tolerance for amateur hour, especially when it extends across a whole weekend.

Police Chief Ryan Bivins asks those attending the festival to keep an eye on younger children so they don't get lost; to ask someone for a ride if you've been drinking at the festival; and to call police if you see something that doesn't feel right.

According to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, out-of-staters spent more than $1 million per day on recreational marijuana in 2024, accounting for 22.35% of annual sales.

It’s a homecoming of sorts. My very first newspaper job, not counting a paper route for the Tinley Park Star back in the 90s, was as a reporter at the La Salle NewsTribune.

Column: Summer is in full swing, and with it comes sunshine, smiles and plenty of opportunities to make memories right here in DeKalb. One such highlight is the 13th Annual Family Fun Fest on July 16, writes Anna Wilson of the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce.

We might not consider ourselves religious, or even spiritual, but if we live our lives with heart-centered values, we are living out our spirituality from the heart.

This week marks the anniversary of Gettysburg, the most famous battle of the Civil War.

Lovina's “English” friend, Ruth, shares news of Verena and Daniel Ray's wedding day.

We had wandered into an oasis away from the steel and glass stalagmites, congestion of traffic and humanity, and major tourism beacons.

Column: I am retiring in August from teaching at Northern Illinois University and have decided to retire from writing this monthly column as well, writes Mary Gardner. She adds in parting: Literacy cannot only be for certain groups of people.

Congress must act now to make sure the nation’s next Postmaster General is not the last one.

He won a second term in 2022 capturing almost 55% of the vote, helping pace a Democratic sweep of statewide offices where the average victory margin was about 520,000.

Caregivers hear all the time about the need to take some time for themselves. Knowing it and doing it can be two different things. But the rewards are worth the effort required to make it happen.

This also is a story about procedure, because SB 328 is a textbook example for understanding the concepts of “shell bill,” “gut and replace” and the “enrolled bill doctrine.”

In that simple act of observation lies true freedom – and a calmer, more joyful life.

Column: Lately, it’s clear that economic development isn’t just about numbers – it’s about people, place and connection. In short, it’s about community development, writes Melissa Amedeo of the DeKalb County Economic Development Corporation.

More legislators than you may realize have received credible threats of violence or have been stalked. Most refuse to talk about it for the record, but those shootings showed what could’ve happened to them and what still may happen in the future.

Make better choices and avoid these problems, right? That’s a lot easier to say from outside the courthouse.

The Trump administration has announced plans to discontinue minting new pennies, citing the cost of producing the 1-cent coins in relation to their value and importance in the U.S. currency system. 

I wanted to get to know Verena and Daniel Ray better as a couple, and thought maybe you did also, so today I visited with them for a bit and asked them some questions.

The late spiritual writer Henri Nouwen once wrote about the child of a friend asking him how big the heart is. Nouwen responded by spreading his arms out as far as they could go, and telling his young friend “Our hearts are as big as the world.”

Today's column showcases the story behind Charles Russell Lowell's 1859 purchase of the land that would someday become Dixon's Lowell Park.

The issues here are specifically related to abortion and immigration, but privacy advocates could provide a detailed list of reasons anyone who drives in Illinois should be concerned about what the government knows and how well that information is protected.

Parks are ideal venues for physical activity, encouraging individuals to engage in regular exercise. Ultimately, parks serve as vital resources that support both mental and physical health, fostering healthier and more active communities.

"For me, (inspiration is) often a comment I hear or read that captures me and demands that I do something with it," Lonny Cain, retired managing editor of The Times in Ottawa, in his weekly PaperWork column.

When it comes to political violence, sadly, numb is normal, Scott Holland writes

On June 17, 2021, President Joe Biden signed a bill making Juneteenth the eleventh American federal holiday. This is the first holiday to obtain legal observance as a federal holiday since Martin Luther King Jr. Day was designated in 1983.

Will Tier 2 pension changes be the defining political fight of 2025?

Man thank everyone who helped him after he fell while riding an escalator.

Column: Many attendees of the recent IPW tourism conference are venturing beyond Chicagoland this week on FAM – short for “familiarity” – tours, with one such tour making stops in DeKalb County, writes Bradley Hoey of the DeKalb County Convention and Visitors Bureau.

There’s no practical restitution for the damages inflicted on Illinois by Mike Madigan, Scott Holland writes. Absent fully dismantled levers of power, this sentence isn’t the final chapter on Statehouse corruption

The Battle of Bunker Hill is one of the legendary engagements of the American Revolution, though it is full of misconceptions and oddities. Not only was it fought on a different hill, but its famous catchphrase was likely never uttered. 

Yesterday was a busy work day here. A lot of jobs were completed for the upcoming wedding of daughter Verena and Daniel Ray.

It’s good to think globally, but don’t leave out acting locally. We need you. Learn from those old seekers and do better this time. You can do it.

"No one wants to think about dying, but death educators tell us the best way to deal with our own death is to acknowledge its reality while we are still healthy and full of life," Jerrilyn Zavada Novak writes in her weekly Spirit Matters column.

Paying attention to IDFPR can be quite instructive in terms of what’s happening in a community and understanding the ways in which Springfield attempts (and sometimes fails) to operate.

The burr oak at Hickory Knolls Natural Area is 240 years old and is 90 feet from branch tip to branch tip, the length of the world’s largest animal – the blue whale, Patricia MacMillan of the St. Charles Park District writes in her column.

"But know this. If I ever say to you, 'Good luck.' I really mean it," Lonny Cain, retired managing editor of The Times in Ottawa, writes in his weekly PaperWork column.

I’m reasonably sure there’s no suggestion box at the Statehouse, but surely voters have dozens of other ideas for ways to improve Springfield’s efficiency.