Tuesday night’s State of the Union address was a reminder of how normal Donald Trump can appear when he tries. His performance left no doubt that he is a skillful politician. His pitch to free the U...

When Mayor Jim Langfelder was quoted recently saying, “I don’t see color,” many readers saw him as tone deaf because that isn’t said anymore, as the mayor knows. “That drives people crazy wh...

January is the month some central Illinois farmers are planting new ideas about what seeds to sow when, and how to care for the soil they depend on. On Jan. 23 they gathered at the Crowne Plaza in Spr...

Read this week’s cover story and then tell us who to blame for Harvard Park Elementary being one of the state’s lowest performing schools. The children? The teachers? The parents? Educators, admin...

 Washington is all upset about a government shutdown of a few days, but Illinois kept its shutdown going for two years, and not everything is back up and running yet. That could change soon, with...

 In her “Tips for holiday cheer” on p. 7, cartoonist Jen Sorensen addresses the dilemma we all face this week and next. What happens when we’re ready to stop for the holidays and the world...

 A journalist friend is exploring new models for the news, looking for ways to rebuild trust with audiences, while working toward better writing and reporting, while seeking new and better ways t...

 A hundred years hence Illinoisans may look back to figure what was the theme of the bicentennial observance, what was the spirit. What was accomplished? The state came late to the planning, unen...