Editorial

National Apprenticeship Week celebrates its 10th anniversary from Nov. 17-23.

There are three quick takeaways from a recently released report from the Illinois Economic Policy Institute on the “State of the Unions” in Illinois.

"Any suburban legislator that votes to consolidate the transit boards ... will be voting against the interest of the residents that they have been elected to represent," write McHenry County Board Chairman Michael Buehler and county council of governments President Rick Mack.

Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs explains what his office does and doesn't do.

Since the dawn of time, it seems, parents and grandparents have been regularly socking away spare money for their grandchildren to help with the cost of a college education.

Opinion: If anything of value is to come of the firing of Northwestern football coach Pat Fitzgerald, it must be a redoubling of our – and our hallowed institutions’ – resolve to truly eliminate the practice.

Opinion: This month, Gov. JB Pritzker signed a bill that will allow all noncitizens – including those who are here without permission – to obtain a standard Illinois driver’s license.

Opinion: Trust is hard to come by, which makes our fascination with and reliance on online shopping all the more perplexing.

Opinion: Newspapers and broadcasts teem with stories about teens and young adults committing crimes – many of them horrible and violent.

Opinion: Northern Illinois earned a disturbing if temporary distinction last month: the worst air quality in the world among major cities.

Opinion: Education, underfunded pensions, public safety – the list is virtually endless. But when the Legislature and the governor enact a budget, they have to make the numbers balance.

Opinion: Gov. JB Pritzker got an unwelcome – but apparently not unexpected – message this month from a study of Illinois state employee pensions. It’s going to take a little longer than previously thought to catch up the state’s unfunded pension liability.

Here is the original transcript of the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776.

Opinion: Communities are spending tens of thousands of dollars on massive fireworks shows for the Fourth of July. Any of those displays will be far better than shooting off Roman candles in the street.

Opinion: Illinois and others states have taken steps to stop thefts that are on the rise in Chicago and elsewhere. But without national action, theft crews won’t be deterred from selling their stolen goods across state lines without much scrutiny.

Opinion: The National Fire Protection Association says gas grills are involved in more than 9,000 structure fires as well as outdoor fires per year.

Opinion: Illinois has become the first state in the union to protect librarians from efforts seeking to ban certain books. It’s much more complicated than that, to be sure, but that’s at the heart of it.

Opinion: Can state and federal legislators do anything to curb profit-taking, including by reducing the power of the dwindling number of giant corporations controlling the industry?

Opinion: When supermajority Democrats recently passed a law requiring legal challenges to executive orders or new laws to be heard in just two of the state’s 102 counties, they said it was necessary to prevent “judge shopping.”

Opinion: As the Chicago Bears stadium drama unfolds and towns come and go as potential venues, the team should remember this: They can always rely on Illinoisans as a fan base, but not a bank account.

Opinion: A popular, and appropriate, public initiative urges motorists to “Start Seeing Motorcycles.” Clearly, the message needs to extend to bicycles, as well.

Opinion: Illinois is home to a host of corporations that are pledging to invest in Chicago rather than flee from it.

Opinion: Governments should retain the right to sell delinquent properties to recover what is owed to them, and they similarly should still be able to charge reasonable fees to cover all taxpayers’ costs and provide a fair disincentive to scofflaws.

Opinion: In a behind-scenes, last-minute maneuver on May 26, the state Legislature found a way to hobble Illinois’ important conversion to renewable energy.

Opinion: In the case of efforts to remove polystyrene food containers from the waste stream, last month’s efforts by the General Assembly seem too feeble to warrant much applause.

Opinion: If most states can do without imposing sales taxes on gasoline, why can’t we?

Opinion: The General Assembly is in the midst of crafting legislation that reflects its most pivotal function – passage of an annual budget.

Opinion: Illinois’ Biometric Information and Protection Act has been under attack almost since the day it was enacted, from companies that don’t want to bother with it.

Opinion: Before kicking off another summer of fishing, swimming and water skiing, we must remember to take steps to stay safe.

To the Class of 2023: As we picture you today in your colorful matching caps and gowns, walking to the familiar strains of “Pomp and Circumstance,” we acknowledge that your road to graduation was far different from our own.

Opinion: There are, however, steps the state can take to disincentivize misbehavior. They involve eliminating the flexibility politicians have to monetize their public offices and raising the costs of getting caught.

Opinion: As Illinois continues to wrestle with burgeoning costs of Medicaid for citizens and non-citizens alike, another struggle persists for the hospitals called on to serve them.Legislation presently simmering in a Senate committee seeks to help.

Opinion: Keeping carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere is an important goal. But it needs to be done in a way that is safe for people and the environment.

Opinion: While we welcome business opportunities from the EV boom, we also know the Midwest has a lot to lose as the game changes. Legacy automakers and their suppliers provide some of the best blue-collar jobs around and make high-impact contributions to local economies.

Opinion: The road to budget hell is paved with good intentions, especially if the pavers are oblivious to or ignorant of actual costs.

Opinion: Sadly, we have yet to hear when Democratic leaders will take that next step to fight corruption.

Opinion: Most in Arlington Heights and surrounding suburbs have reacted enthusiastically to the prospect of the Bears coming to their patch of the Chicago region. What they’ve been less enamored with is the Bears’ insistence that taxpayers subsidize nonstadium components.

Opinion: In Illinois, it’s illegal to have your graduation tassel, a rosary, a COVID mask, a pair of fuzzy dice or something as benign as a pine-scented air freshener hanging from your rearview mirror.

Opinion: In that context, a recent report issued by the Tax Foundation should come as no surprise. It indicates that those who sell cigarettes and tobacco illegally are doing a great business.

Editorial: Federal lawmakers have proposed the Protection From Abusive Passengers Act that, if passed, would lead to the creation of a no-fly list for those convicted of violence or intimidation on flights.

Opinion: Hazing simply can’t be tolerated at any level, and certainly not in schools. A culture of ostracizing, demeaning and assaulting each other is never “all in good fun.”

Opinion: Now is a good time to remember that motorcyclists, who have been itching to hit the road, are among the rest of us. Keep an eye out for them.

Opinion: Non-competes stop employees from moving to rival businesses, and their proliferation among everyday working folks has become a scandal.

Opinion: It’s time for the traditional biennial rant about the foolish, anti-democratic practice of scheduling elections when everyone has to know few people will cast ballots.

Opinion: Kidfluencers.”That’s the term in the online world for children and teens with the ability to influence potential buyers of a product or service through their appearances on social media.

Opinion: Legislation introduced in Springfield would require all public colleges and universities within Illinois to accept all major transfer courses for major credit from other public Illinois institutions.

Opinion: Voters should vote for the board candidates of their choice based on their own instincts, not the governor’s vacuous smear tactics.

Opinion: It’s dismaying, if not particularly shocking, that one in four American adults could not name any of the three branches of the federal government.

Opinion: Cash windfalls create opportunities and raise questions.Fired up by unanticipated revenue growth, Gov. JB Pritzker recently raised the possibility of tax cuts.Holy cow. It’s not even an election year.

Opinion: For every benefit there is a cost, and the question is, who pays?There are few activities politicians love more than handing out benefits that others must pay for.