Opinion

The guilty plea spares a little emotion from a drawn-out trial, but there will be victim impact statements at sentencing and then life in prison for the killer. Too many other Illinois towns have their own grim anniversaries.

Marc Silverman: If I told you the Bears would acquire the Chiefs 2024 MVP this offseason, you would’ve laughed. Joe Tuney was given that award by his teammates at the end of the season. 

Tom Weitzel examines whether Trump administration policies will benefit the law enforcement community

Longtime friendships are like flower gardens, the memories being made like flowers that bloom each season. In a time of loss, those memories are something to treasure and savor.

Toby Moore writes about the idea of keeping our heroes in the proper perspective.

We can’t entirely legislate consumer behavior, especially when the broader market involves interests far beyond one family looking to settle.

Opinion: Unless urgent action is taken, the Monarch butterfly in North America has a high probability of extinction in the next 60 years. Fortunately, local government officials are paying attention.

The latest report from the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability shows that spending on “core” state services in the governor’s proposed fiscal 2026 budget will be 9.1% less in real dollars than it was in fiscal 2000.

Senate Bill 2040 would expand the Illinois Commerce Commission’s power to regulate vehicle towing companies.

Football season is over, but it seems I find myself writing about the Chicago Bears more and more.

Rural towns in Illinois and elsewhere have many landmarks of bygone eras. Among them are the remnants of the Chautauqua movement, called the “most American thing in America” by Theodore Roosevelt.

The final season of the Netflix series “Cobra Kai” aired and ended with a power punch.

Running a government means striking a balance between competing priorities. Leadership requires acknowledging mistakes, attempting amends and pursuing different solutions.

One reason for revealing my favorite go-to place goes like this: there are virtually innumerable places to walk, stroll, run, bike or skateboard (is that still a thing?) in Kane County.

Lent begins next week on Ash Wednesday.

With the March 2 grand opening of the newly renovated Dixon Historic Theatre, our historian, Tom Wadsworth, turns his attention to the rich history of this 100-year-old Dixon institution.

What sets our generation apart is our need to survive and adapt in ways uniquely shaped by the world we inherited.

On this specific issue, courts have made it clear the status quo is unsustainable.

Cooking can, at times, feel like an arduous task. But upcoming St. Charles Park District programs led by cookbook author and holistic nutrition and cooking coach Donna Fatigato have the recipe for fun.

The newness of this Bears marriage has finally pulled me out of my 2024 season malaise, Marc Silverman writes

When someone says something cruel or mean, they aren’t aiming it at you. They’re aiming it at people from their past who left emotional scars. You happen to be standing in the crossfire.

If one fix has been sufficiently attempted, trying another is reasonable.

Tom Petty said that waiting is the hardest part. When one is waiting for results of a biopsy, waiting can be a little like being on a roller-coaster ride.

I’m not sure if it is a byproduct of getting older but I find that I am using items as long as I can without throwing them away or getting a new one.

The best time to make this change has long since passed, so the second best time is now.

Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch didn’t sound all that enthused about passing any new ethics reforms during an interview last week.

Bureau County Sheriff Jim Reed went to the Bureau County Board with a proposal suggesting filling the county jail with inmates from the infamous Cook County Jail in Chicago. 

In the Civil War, most soldiers were white. But some 190,000 Blacks served as well, and the facts behind their stories – and struggles – are sometimes overlooked. 

The governor can’t just pull the plug on those programs in the current fiscal year as the money is already appropriated. Abruptly reversing course would be disruptive, unwise and likely illegal.

What are you most passionate about?

With classes ranging from theatre production and all sorts of fitness opportunities to casting a new interest in fishing or aiming to explore archery, there’s never time to be bored at the St. Charles Park Districts teen center.

No legislation spontaneously lands on the governor’s desk, which makes paying attention to even efforts doomed to initial failure an important part of understanding the governmental process and the political priorities of those we send to Springfield.

Marc Silverman: With the combine days away and free agency less than three weeks from commencing, here’s how I would map out my perfect offseason for the Bears in order of importance

Heroes come in many forms.

After a cancer diagnosis, there's nothing routine about routine screenings. And the anxiety that accompanies each test sometimes isn't always much ado about nothing.

With the widest collection of indigenous grapes in the world and a gentle climate where vines transplanted from other countries easily can adapt, Italy has a wine for everyone.

Toby Moore writes about how some in the medical field over the centuries were at first ridiculed for their innovations but were proven right years later.

I try to stay away from predictions, especially in the political sphere, an expected outcome from a couple of decades of guessing wrong more than right. So I’m not saying Pritzker will consider my next idea … but maybe he should.

Even as a Packers fan, I also have had respect for Chicago Bears long-time owner Virginia McCaskey.

Any candidate who can run even a modest turnout operation ought to succeed, especially in races where voters can make multiple choices.

Mike Madigan knew for a very long time that the U.S. Attorney’s office and the FBI badly wanted to put his head on a spike.

Abraham Lincoln was a man of many achievements. He’s also the only president to hold a patent.

The party in power has to make these changes. Republicans can’t do it alone, nor does their public relations campaign have influence unless and until it crosses over into motivating Democratic voters to either pressure incumbents or withhold electoral support.

Well, if you’ve been reading this column for the many decades it’s been in print, you probably know that the Holinger family had a spring tradition started by my mother.

Since the substance of the Origin of all things is Love, that means at your heart, you are love too.

McCombie: Americans want leadership that works for them – not political insiders or party elites. This is a real opportunity for Republicans to lead, not just as the opposition, but as the party that listens, governs and delivers results.

Rep. Mary Beth Canty, D-Arlington Heights, filed House Bill 2396 four years ago today. Known as the “Full-Day Kindergarten” law, the bill passed the House 87-23 and the Senate 52-1.

Who managed Ronald Reagan's media campaign? Armed with 30 years of radio, television, and advertising experience, 58-year-old Moon Reagan became the media mastermind behind Ron’s 1966 campaign.  

If you're Ryan Poles, do you call Cleveland and offer the 10th overall pick and a second rounder next year for Myles Garrett? Marc Silverman explores the Bears offseason

Being a caregiver requires exhibiting a lot of patience, even more so when one's charge has dementia. However, the need for patience goes to another level entirely when a caregiver also must deal with the limitations brought on by an injury.