Column

In this weekend’s “A Taylor-Made Life,” Taylor Leddin-McMaster reflects on words shared by Pope Francis several months prior to his death. 

Paper pushers could go mad trying to figure out how much of each cafeteria pizza can trace its origins to the Land of Lincoln. To be fair, Rep. Harper isn’t suggesting anyone solve such an equation.

Marc Silverman's top scenarios for the Bears' number 10 pick in the NFL Draft

A Swedish study suggests a link between playing golf and longer life expectancy, highlighting the sport’s health benefits.

It’s very easy to argue that young children facing accusations that would warrant detention are far more likely to have their lives set on a new course if kept out of institutional punitive settings.

Maybe the next time you catch yourself trapped in routine, convinced that life is fixed and time is ticking in one direction, you pause and wonder: What else is possible?

Senate Bill 1238 would make it easier for residents in Illinois to access nonopioid pain treatment options.

In Gideon, Justice Hugo Black described the “noble ideal (of) fair trials before impartial tribunals in which every defendant stands equal before the law.”

In Illinois, the first Earth Day in 1970 was celebrated from the largest cities to the smallest towns, especially in schools, as thousands of the state’s schoolchildren took the day to learn to help the planet.  

We don’t tell them there is an Easter bunny. They know we hide the eggs.

If a table mate was left-handed, you might offer to switch spots so they could sit at the left end to avoid elbowing another diner. You wouldn’t berate them for having watched movies with left-handed characters; nor would you suggest banning books about left-handed people.

Voters often feel isolated from Washington, D.C., and Springfield. Math and distance make it inevitable. Being cut off from local officials is a choice, one we need not make.

The working theory seems to be protecting earnest homeschoolers from red tape intended to entangle those who simply pull their kids from class and ignore them, or worse, but that raises two concerns.

In this week's "A Taylor-Made Life," Taylor Leddin-McMaster talks about local ways to get involved in Earth Day clean-up and beautification activities.

I’m not trying to sell you that the Bears should pass on drafting a running back, just one in the first round, Marc Silverman writes

Rigid belief in the infallibility of police, prosecutors, judges, juries and sentencing laws from the last millennium allows the inference that everyone serving a life sentence fully deserved that punishment and is nominally human but otherwise irredeemable.

Toby writes about how the road you’re on has always been waiting for you to realize – you’re the one who’s paving it

Gov. JB Pritzker said last week that the extreme uncertainty with the U.S. government and the international economy might mean that the legislature may have to reconvene to reconfigure the state budget after it adjourns at the end of next month.

Government is an ongoing process and sometimes the governor’s signature is only a blip in the long timeline of impact.

During this spring’s legislative session, bills calling for the consolidation or elimination of townships were filed. They are working their way through committees and will eventually be called for a vote or, hopefully, forgotten.  

The night of April 14, 1865, proved fateful for Abraham Lincoln, who was mortally wounded by an assassin’s bullet and died the next day. This week marks 160 years since the assassination.

The dandelion greens are up everywhere, and my husband Joe keeps reminding me that we haven’t had Dandelion Salad yet, and before we know it, the yellow flowers will be popping up, making the greens too bitter to use.

I was a young girl at home when my mother started penning the “Amish Cook” newspaper column in 1991. She wrote that column until her sudden death in 2002, and then I picked up writing it.

A look at headlines from Aprils passed.

What is the wisdom of the rule wherein a candidate can give enough money to their own committee to make it legal for others to give millions more?

Opinion: April has brought the end of Mac & Cheese Madness and the start of spring events, writes Alexis Aviles of the DeKalb County Convention and Visitors Bureau.

A warm breeze, flowers in every color and hue, the sound of birdsong—the telltale signs of spring mean Easter’s on its way. Community members are invited to make holiday memories with a wide array of Easter programs and events offered by the St. Charles Park District.

The idea just a few thousand dollars could shift a senator’s focus from the best interests of constituents to the personal bottom line is the exact thing that undercuts faith in all elected officials.

Pharmacy Benefit Managers are taking manufacturer discounts on prescription medications – savings intended for patients – and keeping the money for themselves.

My belief is that Williams showed way more good than bad and will still become the franchise star quarterback Bears fans have been lusting for, Marc Silverman writes

In this week's A Taylor-Made Life, Taylor Leddin-McMaster writes about joining the board of directors of Wright in Kankakee, and what's on tap for the Frank Lloyd Wright house's 125th anniversary.

Aimless consolidation is no cure, but no agency has made a strong case for just pouring new money into the current systems.

Shared goals, voiced early, dissolve resistance before it ever shows up. They create alignment, and alignment creates momentum.

You’ve probably read about the Republican Party’s implosion last week in suburban municipal and township campaigns, particularly in DuPage County.

The idea is for students who opt in to get one notification of admission offers to every Illinois public college, then have the ability to accept and enroll through the same portal.

Reuter: At Westwood Wellness, we are dedicated to supporting your journey toward optimal health by providing you with the most effective tools and resources available.

For decades, a central feature of over a hundred Illinois communities was the Carnegie Library, the gift of steel magnate Andrew Carnegie around the turn of the 20th century.

What do the studies of Freud, Jung and the dalai lama have in common? Their studies found the importance of dreams in understanding human behavior.

The question remains unanswered in Springfield: Whose interests are served when felonies become misdemeanors as long as the government gets assets in the deal?

In high-pressure moments, when everything is on the line, leaders must be able to make the right call.

The report is well-timed as Springfield considers many changes aimed at meeting the state’s workforce needs.

While their record will be the ultimate factor, the Bears seem to finally be making sense.

Obviously, these mothers could connect over tragic circumstances. Without diminishing those emotions, they have caught my attention for their citizen advocacy.

Toby writes about how the mind responds to imagined experiences as if they were reality.

Election winners often vow to be representatives for all constituents, not just those who filled in the correct oval.

The state imposes an additional sales tax in the Regional Transit Authority’s jurisdiction. Last week’s study found that expanding those specific RTA sales taxes to services could generate an additional $315 million a year.

This time of the year, the phrase “March Madness” is everywhere, from pre-game shows to office pools. The words have become synonymous with college basketball, and have raked in cash for the NCAA. 

'If you really care about something and you want to be heard, there’s going to be someone who’ll listen to you.'

It was a lightning moment, sparked by a few words. A simple sentence. I cannot recall all those specifics, but I remember the words, who said them, and the overwhelming feeling that washed over me.

Opinion|Vaughn: Kishwaukee United Way is thrilled to announce the launch of its annual $1,000 scholarship for a first-generation graduating senior or current college student this spring.