“A statesman,” said the great Prussian diplomat Otto von Bismark, “is a politician who thinks of his grandchildren.” Three years ago, former Illinois Gov. Jim Edgar and I decided to create the Paul Simon-Jim Edgar Statesmanship Award to shine a spotlight on remarkable leadership that is taking place in our state and our communities. We […]
Several years ago, the staff of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute was preparing for our Renewing Illinois Summit for university and college students, and we wanted to provide them with suggested reading about Illinois. I checked my shelves at the institute and jotted down the titles of various books on state history and politics. […]
By John T. Shaw People in government rarely have time to extract themselves from the relentless rush of daily drama and urgent deadlines to think about the future. Former North Carolina Gov. Terry Sanford once observed there is no one in the governor’s office looking out the window, pondering the problems of the future. Former […]
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.
