Columnist

Enjoy the official cocktail of Wimbledon (and Napolean House)

Published by admin on Mon, 07/04/2022 - 11:56am

The 2022 installment of Wimbledon is in full swing! For fans of tennis there is no shortage of excitement leading up to the championship match, and with each year comes the promise of some drama along the way.
For those of us who do not follow pro tennis, we can celebrate the Championship with the official cocktail of Wimbledon, the Pimm's Cup.

Rep. David Welter loses with a target on his back

Published by admin on Sun, 07/03/2022 - 1:22pm

The four Illinois legislative leaders did not have a spectacular primary day last week. House Speaker Chris Welch lost three incumbents to primary challengers. Senate President Don Harmon lost an appointed incumbent and an open seat race. And House Republican Leader Jim Durkin lost two incumbents and came up short in some other races. Senate GOP Leader Dan McConchie came away with one ding.

Counterfeits and counterfeiters, good and bad

Published by admin on Tue, 06/28/2022 - 1:28pm

Recently the Will County Historical Society was the victim of a scheme which sent out fraudulent checks from its account amounting to tens of thousands of dollars. Luckily it was caught in time and the Society only had the job of shutting down one account and opening another
Because of technology this problem has only gotten worse. But there were also schemers back in the day. Today we look at counterfeits and those who are involved.

Who owns what, where, and when? A messy answer

Published by admin on Tue, 06/28/2022 - 1:26pm

Having at one time, been a township official, I have seen the job of Township Assessor close up and I know this. Hardly a single property owner is happy with his assessment and the amount he must pay in taxes.
Most people accept it, but many hours are spent trying to justify the assessment or the reduction. This is not new. Today we look at taxes, property ownership and the mess Braidwood ended up with.

Try a new and improved Planter’s Punch cocktail

Published by admin on Tue, 06/28/2022 - 10:40am

Order “Planter's Punch” at ten different bars, and you're likely to get 10 drastically different drinks. Planter's Punch is more of a category of drinks than a cocktail with endless regional variations.
The Caribbean punch has been a mainstay of mixology for well over a century, and the drink's storied history began in nineteenth century Barbados with an easy to remember rhyming recipe: One of sour, two of sweet, three of strong, four of weak.

Illinois special session could become political minefield

Published by admin on Sat, 06/25/2022 - 9:52am

As I’ve been telling my newsletter subscribers for several weeks now, talks began in mid-May about a possible special state legislative session to address the abortion issue.
Gov. JB Pritzker, Senate President Don Harmon and House Speaker Chris Welch had some brief chats about bringing legislators back to town back then. Illinois is already an abortion rights oasis in the region, but the Democratic leadership wants to do more, so they talked about possibly having the legislature submit a constitutional amendment for voter approval in November to protect abortion rights.

Homemade lemonade makes Dewar’s Lemon Wedge great

Published by admin on Tue, 06/21/2022 - 9:50am

The 2022 U.S. Open is in the books, and we're celebrating a few “firsts”, one at the course and one at the bar. On the course, Matt Fitzpatrick shot a 68 on Sunday to edge Will Zalatoris and Scottie Scheffler by a stroke to win his first major championship. At the bar, the US Open has named its first ever signature cocktail: the Dewar's Lemon Wedge.

Partying at the park, Custer Park that is

Published by admin on Mon, 06/20/2022 - 2:17pm

Just south of Wilmington and across the Kankakee is a small sleepy village known as Custer Park. And while it may seem quiet now, there was a time in its history when things were really poppin'. In 1879 a new railroad bridge connected Custer Park to the rest of the world, and soon the world came rushing in, looking for a good time.

Safety in numbers, life at Fort Dearborn

Published by admin on Mon, 06/20/2022 - 2:06pm

Last time we followed James Ritchey to Fort Dearborn in the spring of 1832. He and every other white settler had fled there with their families in fear for their lives.
Black Hawk was killing every white person he found, and there was safety in numbers. From James Ritchey's diary, we join them as they first arrive at the Fort.

Two different twists on the classic Gin and Tonic

Published by admin on Tue, 06/14/2022 - 10:21am

At some point in life, we have all had to take our medicine. Literally or figuratively, we have had to do it and more than likely it was not enjoyable.
What if that medicine was tonic water? What if we added gin? Things are looking up as we look back to the medicinal origins of one of the most popular cocktails of all time, the Gin and Tonic.