Here is the original transcript of the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776.

Opinion: Communities are spending tens of thousands of dollars on massive fireworks shows for the Fourth of July. Any of those displays will be far better than shooting off Roman candles in the street.

Opinion: Illinois and others states have taken steps to stop thefts that are on the rise in Chicago and elsewhere. But without national action, theft crews won’t be deterred from selling their stolen goods across state lines without much scrutiny.

Opinion: The National Fire Protection Association says gas grills are involved in more than 9,000 structure fires as well as outdoor fires per year.

Opinion: Illinois has become the first state in the union to protect librarians from efforts seeking to ban certain books. It’s much more complicated than that, to be sure, but that’s at the heart of it.

Opinion: Can state and federal legislators do anything to curb profit-taking, including by reducing the power of the dwindling number of giant corporations controlling the industry?

Eye On Illinois: Any time the General Assembly wraps up its regular session in May, it does so with bills that advanced further than most but didn’t clear the finish line.That certainly was the case this year.

Opinion: When supermajority Democrats recently passed a law requiring legal challenges to executive orders or new laws to be heard in just two of the state’s 102 counties, they said it was necessary to prevent “judge shopping.”

Opinion: As the Chicago Bears stadium drama unfolds and towns come and go as potential venues, the team should remember this: They can always rely on Illinoisans as a fan base, but not a bank account.

Opinion: Governments should retain the right to sell delinquent properties to recover what is owed to them, and they similarly should still be able to charge reasonable fees to cover all taxpayers’ costs and provide a fair disincentive to scofflaws.

Opinion: In a behind-scenes, last-minute maneuver on May 26, the state Legislature found a way to hobble Illinois’ important conversion to renewable energy.

Opinion: In the case of efforts to remove polystyrene food containers from the waste stream, last month’s efforts by the General Assembly seem too feeble to warrant much applause.

Opinion: If most states can do without imposing sales taxes on gasoline, why can’t we?

Opinion: Illinois’ Biometric Information and Protection Act has been under attack almost since the day it was enacted, from companies that don’t want to bother with it.

Opinion: The General Assembly is in the midst of crafting legislation that reflects its most pivotal function – passage of an annual budget.