By Cheryl Wormley It’s switchover week. The annual Lighting of the Square Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Christmas parade Sunday left no doubt Thanksgiving is behind us and Christmas is just ahead. Fall and Thanksgiving decorations are stored away, and winter and Christmas decorations are being hauled out and put about. Driving around town last […]
Ranked choice voting can improve our government I believe few voters would disagree with Bob Anderson’s conclusion that Illinois has too many units of government. Springfield, Ill., is not the only state capitol where common sense and efficiency go to die. For state government to downsize itself and become more efficient, we need to elect […]
By Tammy Sloup FARM WEEK Thanksgiving dinner is expected to cost 14 percent more this year, with higher turkey prices pulling up that percentage. American Farm Bureau Federation’s 36th annual survey indicates the average cost of this year’s feast for 10 is still affordable at $53.31 – or less than $6 a person. This is […]
By Cheryl Wormley Tomorrow is Thanksgiving in the United States. Almost from the very birth of our country, our presidents have set aside a day for everyone to pause and give thanks. The first to do so was George Washington. He proclaimed Nov. 26, 1789, as a day of service “of that great and glorious […]
“There is nothing on this earth more to be prized than true friendship.” – Thomas Aquinas “A friend is someone who gives you total freedom to be yourself.” – Jim Morrison “Where would you be without friends? The people to pick you up when you need lifting? We come from homes far from perfect, so […]
If you are an avid reader of public notices in The Independent (who isn’t, right?), you might have noticed a different kind of legal advertisement among the name changes, new business names, and adoptions in our Nov. 3 edition. Woodstock School District 200 formally announced a public hearing on policy – a proposed three-year eLearning […]
By Cheryl Wormley As I write this afternoon, Thursday, I’m in the observation car of Amtrak’s Train 5 – the California Zephyr. It’s 2 p.m. and we’re 30 minutes east of Sacramento, Calif. This is a serendipity trip. It just came together. Jim and I had talked and talked for sometime about going to see […]
The recent election of Republican Glenn Youngkin to be governor in Democratic stronghold Virginia displays emphatically that Trump conservatism fares better – without Trump. The conundrum for Republican Party leaders, a weak lot, is how to double down on this fact in 2022, and keep former President Donald Trump off the ticket in 2024. Youngkin […]
Research has shown that if the state’s school districts were reduced by half, there would be an annual operating savings of up to $170 million and the state could save millions more in pension costs. Illinois has too many school districts, the fourth most among all states, serving too few students with too many superintendents. […]
Passing legislation has often been compared to making sausage: No matter what the end product looks like, you probably don’t want to know everything that’s in it. That’s pretty much the perfect description of the “penny per push” bill that emerged from the Illinois General Assembly on the final day of the fall veto session […]
Larry Lough is editor of The Independent and reports local news.
Janet Dovidio has been a freelance correspondent for The Independent for eight years.
Susan W. Murray wrote for The Independent, covering various beats, from 2005 to 2008.
Tricia Carzoli is a freelance writer and photographer that on community news.
