There are already too many high school graduation requirements; not all districts can sufficiently hire staff to offer the courses. Integrating languages into elementary schools would be more logical from an educational and curriculum density standpoint.

Bowls were originally envisioned as a tourist draw, a way for cities, primarily in warm climates, to market themselves. The oldest bowl games were the brainchild of city planners, who saw dollar signs – only different ones than today.

Record stories that captured people's attention in years passed.

If you hear a politician asserting concerns about administrative financial fraud or abuse, it’s important to listen closely to hear if that person offers the types of details that would be included in these publicly available documents.

Anyone who lived in Illinois during that campaign cycle remembers the advertising barrage – specifically glossy mailers – and it’s a safe assumption none but those who work in promotions and printing are eager for another round.

'It is only through early detection from attentive medical experts that my condition was diagnosed so early, and resolved so quickly and effectively.'

To be clear, lawmakers (and their staffs) are working far more often than between the gavels. If nothing else, they should be responding to the constituent calls and emails I urge readers to generate.

Twisters in Illinois in the winter months are not entirely rare. While the majority of the state’s tornadoes occur between March and May, a surprising number of tornadoes have struck in the months of meteorological winter, December, January and February.

So while telling others what to do remains more satisfying than getting off my duff and making something happen, I’ll err on the side of practicality.