Columnist

There’s more Pritzker can do against gun violence

Published by admin on Fri, 10/15/2021 - 5:00pm

Catholic priest and Chicago community activist Michael Pfleger has now twice called on Gov. JB Pritzker to declare a “state of emergency” over his city’s notorious gun violence problems.
The first time was this past July, when Fr. Pfleger demanded that Pritzker issue a similar emergency declaration to the one announced by New York’s then-governor Andrew Cuomo. Pfleger repeated his demand again last week after a security guard and a little girl were injured by gunfire outside of a school.

To be or not to be, the strike of '74

Published by admin on Tue, 10/12/2021 - 10:06am

Who was he? I keep asking myself. The articulate man calling himself Black Diamond is a mystery. We continue looking at his letters to the Joliet Signal that gives us a grass roots view of the miners' plight in 1874. Last time he told of the agonizing slow times in Braidwood during May of that year. His story continues in June.
The miners' contract was up and the coal companies had banded together to lower the already rock bottom wages of the miners.

Damming a river, an important part of our history

Published by admin on Tue, 10/12/2021 - 10:04am

Last week we looked at just one part of the great Kankakee improvement, the mill race. Today we look at building the dams, and what it meant to the prosperity of early Wilmington.
Although the Kankakee was Wilmington's highway to the rest of the world, the ride was bumpy. The Kankakee is broad and shallow in many places. During the fall, when rain is usually scarce, there may be only inches of water. Certainly, a problem for boats.

A Penicillin cocktail that goes down smooth

Published by admin on Tue, 10/12/2021 - 10:01am

“They don't make them like they used to”. That saying implies that for all of the advances made in science and technology in recent history, there are still some things that were better way back when. For the most part, that saying holds up with classic cocktails as most of the classics that we enjoy are made from recipes that are well over 100 years old.
Every now and then a “modern classic” breaks through. One such modern classic is an exciting spin on the Whiskey Sour platform out of New York City, the delightfully delicious, curiously strong, Penicillin.

Why Democrats believe Illinois remap will pass

Published by admin on Sun, 10/10/2021 - 10:07am

The Illinois House Redistricting Committee held its first hearing last week on new congressional and judicial subcircuit district maps at the Michael Bilandic Building in Chicago. Another half-dozen hearings were scheduled for the following seven days to redraw the maps, which have to be reconfigured after each decennial census.

October 1921, old pioneers move on

Published by admin on Tue, 10/05/2021 - 10:54am

The first week of October, 1921 had weather somewhat like we are having now. The clouds form, rain a bit, and the sun comes out, only to have another shower later on. We know this because a baseball tournament was scheduled that week.

October 1880, money and good times abound

Published by admin on Tue, 10/05/2021 - 10:50am

Winter was coming, a fact that made the miners smile. Coal and more coal would be needed, translating into more hours in the mine and more money in the pocket. October was still warm however, and outdoor sports like quoiting were still being played. But let's start at the beginning.

Take a sip of the 1980s with a Caddyshack

Published by admin on Tue, 10/05/2021 - 10:29am

In 1980, the hit film Caddyshack sent viewers on a wild ride through 18 holes of laughter and chaos on its way to becoming the most popular and recognizable golf film of all time. In the years following the release of the film the Chicago native Murray brothers have given Caddyshack the restaurant treatment, and in 2022 Murray Bros. Caddyshack will open its third location in Wilmette.

Pritzker doesn’t always listen to what senate leader has to say

Published by admin on Sat, 10/02/2021 - 2:53pm

At the end of August, after the Illinois Senate had been unable to find a consensus on the massive climate/energy bill and punted the issue to the House, I asked Senate President Don Harmon during a press conference why he hadn't addressed Gov. JB Pritzker's list of problems, legal and otherwise, with the Senate's proposal.
"I don't know if the governor's team understood how fundamental some of those provisions were to getting the agreement among all stakeholders," Harmon replied.
That seemed to me to be quite an extraordinary statement about the governor and his team.

Black Diamond's views of Braidwood, 1874

Published by admin on Tue, 09/28/2021 - 1:12pm

In 1874 times were tough in Braidwood.
`Worked had slowed down to a trickle, money was scarce, and the rumor was that, if and when the mines started up again, there would be a pay cut.
One man, who called himself Black Diamond, started writing a series of letters to the editor of the Joliet Signal, Cal Zarley. He was obviously well educated and articulate. He might have been a miner or a newspaper editor, we will never know. The letters he wrote give us a first hand glimpse of real life in Braidwood.