Columnist

A century ago, the War to End All Wars begins

Published by admin on Tue, 08/08/2017 - 9:53am

    One hundred years ago our country entered what was imagined to be the war to end all wars. With its mechanical weapons such as tanks, mustard gas and personal weapons such as machine guns and hand grenades, no one could imagine anything more devastating. Men from all over Will County, including Braidwood, were drafted. When that first draft number was drawn, the war became all too real.
    On April 2, 1917, President Woodrow Wilson asked for a declaration of war against Germany. The Congress obliged him and the war was officially declared.

Will County ramps up for the War to End All Wars

Published by admin on Mon, 08/07/2017 - 12:52pm

    The war effort — today that is an archaic term. There is no doubt that our nation is at war in the Middle East. And there are many families who have been directly impacted by it. But for the rest of us, it is a remote thing to be watched on the television. We make no sacrifices, we attend no rallies, we donate no time to making our boys more comfortable. One hundred years ago, it was not so.

Battle over ed funding reform rages on

Published by admin on Mon, 07/31/2017 - 1:37pm

    During the lead-up to the recent special legislative session over the state budget and a tax hike, Gov. Bruce Rauner’s staff studied whether their boss had the power to force legislators to attend the sessions.

We have met the enemy and they is us

Published by admin on Mon, 07/31/2017 - 1:16pm

    Most of my gentle readers know of the disastrous coal strike of 1877. The miners went on strike for higher pay, black men and their families were brought in to work the mines during the strike, the white miners drove the black people out of town, the governor declared a state of emergency and sent in the militia to restore order. Where did this militia come from? Why, from just up the tracks in Joliet.

Wilmington's first real car salesman, E. W. Steinhart

Published by admin on Mon, 07/31/2017 - 1:00pm

    By 1904 the sight of a horseless carriage, better known as an automobile, became common on the streets of Wilmington. It was in August of that year that a cavalcade of 5,000 automobiles passed near the Island City on their way from Chicago to Pontiac. That was all it took for the automobile bug to bite, and it was E. W. Steinhart who helped scratched the itch

Roughing it was the only way to travel

Published by admin on Tue, 07/25/2017 - 9:32am

    Ah, summer! The time for vacations and weekend travel to fun places. Look on the internet to find the perfect spot, book a hotel on your phone, get reviews from others who have stayed there, get directions as to the quickest route and exactly how much time it will take to get there. But it was not always so. The first white settlers to come to this area had to rough it. Today we look at “hotels” of the early 19th century.

A whole new world in the governor’s office

Published by admin on Mon, 07/24/2017 - 12:24pm

    In the end, Mike "Z" Zolnierowicz had only one choice. Gov. Bruce Rauner’s top political lieutenant, the man everyone calls “Z” who was most responsible for winning the 2014 Republican primary and the governor's former state chief of staff, simply had to resign late in the afternoon on Friday, July 14.

The earliest white settlement in Will County

Published by admin on Mon, 07/24/2017 - 11:33am

    Today we look a bit north, to the wide expanse of prairie, to the first white settlement in Will County. Set the wayback machine for 1831, our destination is the grove of trees where Channahon, Wilmington, Florence and Jackson Township meet, better known as Reed's Grove.
    The beginning of Jackson is documented in George Woodruff's book “The History of Will County, 1878.”

The Micheladas, Mexico’s answer to the Bloody Mary

Published by admin on Wed, 07/19/2017 - 9:00am

    Hungover north of the border? Sounds like a job for the Bloody Mary.
    What would you do if you were to find yourself nursing a hangover south of the border, and the Bloody Mary was not an option? Enter the Michelada, Mexico's beer-based, “hair of the dog” answer to the Bloody Mary.
    Micheladas have been around as long as there have been tomatoes and beer, mixing the two flavors is by no means unique to Mexico. Where the Michelada takes a refreshing turn is when chile sauces, spices and who knows what else is added to the drink.

Wilmington Township, fortunes built and lost

Published by admin on Wed, 07/19/2017 - 9:00am

    Last time we talked about Wilmington Township's city, but at the same time that Thomas Cox was laying out Winchester, later changed to Wilmington, another group of investors was at work in another part of the township.
    Today we look at the northwest corner of the aforementioned place to find fortunes built and lost, at least on paper.
    In 1834, as plans for the Illinois & Michigan Canal were being made and surveyors laying out the best route, land speculators flocked to northern Illinois.