The federal government appropriated funds for a house in New York City when George Washington began his presidency in 1789. Washington had a tulip-shaped glass etched with stars at Mount Vernon in Virginia for use with his claret or chablis. Before Congress provided funds for china after the 1814 fire
An open letter to the new Democratic Party members of the U.S. House of Representatives: Congratulations on achieving a monumental victory! You flipped 40 Republican Party seats and sent a lot of mossbacks packing. Now, you are in control of the lower chamber, ready for work. One thing I would
Beloved Readers, the following letters were sent to me back in October 2018. The writers sent them in response to Grandpa’s request for things for which we are grateful. The list of things readers sent was printed the week prior to Thanksgiving Day. The following letters arrived after the column
By Miriam Meza – New year, new staff members! New year, new role, new events! The Aurora Public Library (APL) is kicking off the new year with a new staff member at the Santori Public Library of Aurora and the new ideas that come with her. We welcome Krista Danis,
Doing what you love is freedom. Loving what you do is happiness. The not so uncommon saying, what ever its origin, is a building block for life. The process of what we do can give us joy, or, it can drag us down. It is up to us. Joy is
First of three parts – Sixteen African-American mothers in Jackson, Miss. will be recipients of a financial gift of $1,000. each. Greg Kaufmann explains this gift in The Nation magazine. “(Barack) Obama praised the idea. Reporter Annie Lowrey and Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes recently published books about it. Chicago is
By the time you read this, the presents under the tree all will have been unwrapped and returned from whence they came, credit card statements the length of War and Peace are in the mail, and veins and arteries are gasping for air, clogged with cholesterol from absorbing gallons of
By Hesham Shehab – On this Christmas season, Christian communities in the Middle East are suffering from persecution and displacement. This situation should be a concern for Western Christians more than the wholesale embracing of the globalized and commercial version of Christmas. The Christian communities in Iraq, in particular some
Grandpa, I have been out of prison for a month. I am homeless. A friend I had met in prison got out three years ago. We continued writing until I got out. I told him that I needed money to live on. He lives (out of state) and has money.
By Marissa Amoni – As the year comes to an end, I am looking back with gratitude on all of the fun times in downtown Aurora, thanks to an incredible downtown community. We are lucky to have the most amazing and supportive family in downtown, from business owners to museum
What a year. It feels as if government Grinches and corporate Scrooges have been working overtime to drain every last drop of joy, kindness, and liberty from the world. After endless months of gloom and doom, it’s hard not to feel like Charlie Brown in A Charlie Brown Christmas when
The Christmas holidays offer unnatural times for the majority of us. The usual scenes during the usual weeks give way to holiday spirit, special events, family traditions. Old connections are remembered and new memories often are found and preserved. We must remember that not all joy is the experience for
By Donna Crane – Last of two parts John Fialka’s, online report about the future of the solar industry for Scientific American (E&E News) continues this week. “Scientists are developing flexible, thin films that will be more resilient and have wider uses than current solar technology. “The military learned in
Imagine listening to Bach’s Christmas Ortario while cruising down the Danube River on Christmas Eve. The Danube’s origins are a trickle in the Black Forest of Germany, at the Breg Martinskapelle. The Danube was known to the ancient Greeks as the Istros Thracian, meaning “strong, swift.” The Danube is Europe’s
From the vault, 17 November 2011 and 19 April 2012 (revised): News reports from the hinterland in recent months described the impact the Donald Trump tariffs on Chinese exports have had upon American farmers. The “People’s Republic” retaliated in kind by targeting the most vulnerable segment of the American economy:
Mayor Richard C. Irvin and the Board of Directors of Invest Aurora, Aurora’s public/private economic development partnership, announced the appointment of the former economic development director of Choose DuPage, Bryan Gay, as the new president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Invest Aurora. Gay was introduced to City Council during
Memories of the late Bill Moore: Bill Moore was blessed with a keen mind and a healthy body. He used those gifts to make every day positive and productive. He warmed every room that he entered. He was an Aurora legend. He will be missed. —Scott Voris Bill was one
Vietnam veteran and Naperville resident George Cramer receives encouragement from the youth today, especially those participants in the annual Voice of Democracy speech contest. Cramer is the 19th District quartermaster for the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) which serves part of northern Illinois. He has been a judge at the
First of two parts Solar industry’s future lies in lightweight technology. Scientists are developing flexible, thin-films that will be more resilient and have wider uses than current solar technology. John Fialka, submitted the following report online November 30 for Scientific American (E&E News). “Now that solar energy is competitive with
In the silence of the Holy Night, we hear the church bells ringing and recall some of the best loved songs of Christmas. Last year I wrote of “Silent Night” and its creator, so will not include it in this year’s top 10. However, consider it an extra at number
