Column: I am retiring in August from teaching at Northern Illinois University and have decided to retire from writing this monthly column as well, writes Mary Gardner. She adds in parting: Literacy cannot only be for certain groups of people.

The last week has brought the usual summer heat to Illinois. Fortunately, it’s not as brutal as the summer of 1936.

State Rep. Brad Fritts: The deadline for adjournment of the spring legislative session in the Illinois General Assembly has come and gone without even a draft FY24 state budget shown to legislators.

Punishment does not guarantee protection.

The governor’s mansion in Illinois is within reach for Republicans, but the road to such success isn’t marked with clear directions.

That siren means something life-threatening is happening, the National Weather Service says. Whether it’s a tornado, strong wind, hail or another emergency depends on the agency that controls the sirens going off.

While the lottery encourages more people to get vaccinated, this game sets a bad example. There has to be another way to get people vaccinated without making it yet another game of chance.

The spring session of the Illinois General Assembly is now history. At the beginning of the session, there was renewed hope that critical aspects of Illinois government might change. After all, for the first time in decades, the House had a new speaker.

We employ police officers to make tough, sometimes violent, decisions on the street. It’s an important job that can determine whether someone lives or dies. We know from the deaths of George Floyd and others that sometimes officers use lethal force inappropriately.