We have entered the month of June. Oh goodness, I am actually getting nervous with the wedding of my daughter Verena and Daniel Ray being in 18 days.

"Believe it or not, one of the highlights of the trip was going to a living, functioning mall. Remember those?" Jerrilyn Zavada Novak writes in her weekly Spirit Matters column.

"A trip to New York always provides stories to tell. Or for starters, a series of observations. Let me share more of my notes," Lonny Cain, retired managing editor of The Times in Ottawa, writes in his weekly column PaperWork.

In the early days of Facebook, we were tagged, poked, prodded and issued friend requests. We had no idea why we’re getting poked, tagged and prodded but we knew we liked it, we just weren’t sure why.

For quite a while now, most folks in politics have assumed that Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias and Comptroller Susana Mendoza will probably run for mayor of Chicago in 2027.

Happy 54th birthday, Mom. I wanted to thank you for all you have taught me.

"Her email got me thinking about how we honor the day we were born, throughout the different phases of our lives," Jerrilyn Zavada Novak writes in her weekly Spirit Matters column.

"We get caught up in the story and the characters but I also remind myself that a human being, a real character, created the story with people we become attached to and relate to and remember," writes Lonny Cain, the retired managing editor of The Times, in his weekly column.

It is time for Illinois legislators to act and bring our public defense system into the 21st century. Access to justice cannot depend on wealth or geography.