By Joel Frieders – My name is Joel Frieders. I am a husband to one, a father to three, a son to two, a brother to one, and I am a second-term alderman for the United City of Yorkville, the county seat of Kendall County. July 28, 2017, I lost
By Anthony Stanford – Aurora Public Library (APL) teen librarian Flannery Crump was the emcee for the 10th and final Teen Talent Show competition July 28 at the Copley Theatre in downtown Aurora. The audience was entertained by the stiff competition and rousing vocal performances of competitors Elliot Gallegos, JJ
By Joe Healy – I had the pleasure for several seasons of coaching Kirhofer’s Sports when it was known as U.A.W. Local #145 in Aurora American Legion League baseball. I handed over the managerial reins to former player and current manager, Alex Varvarezos. There were a handful of other former
Christopher Faber has been named as the executive director for the City of Batavia’s Downtown Partnership organization, Batavia MainStreet. Batavia MainStreet is a 501©3 not-for-profit organization working to enhance, promote, and revitalize Downtown Batavia as the heart of the community through dedicated volunteer efforts. MainStreet is host to community events
By Charlie Zine – Editor’s note: Charlie Zine and Chuck Roberts completed an eight-day, 202-mile journey from Colgate, Wis. to Ottawa and finished Monday, July 23. There were two photos on the front page of The Voice last week. Here is Charlie Zine’s focus on the trip. I have enjoyed
First of three parts Our society will be faced with many decisions regarding our future food consumption. Having been raised on a farm where we produced our own meats and vegetables, it was a seemingly healthy lifestyle. We fed our animals grains and hay which we harvested and then after
Last of two parts Following up on the extraordinary life of Founding Father Benjamin Franklin, I wanted to learn about his common-law wife, Deborah Read Franklin. How did this woman interest him time and time again, even though separations kept them apart for many years at a time and once
Let’s make one thing perfectly clear. When it comes to relations between the United States and Russia, there aren’t any good guys present. Both countries have been at war, a cold war, to be sure, with each other since the end of World War I. Do you doubt me, dear
Is that the drugs talking? How often have we heard, “That’s not like Obi Wan Kenobi (of Star Wars). It must be the booze talking”? It’s common and expected. We all seem to understand that alcohol often does things that changes a person’s personality. Gentle individuals can become belligerent, and
Chuck Roberts, left, and Charlie Zine, celebrate the completion of their eight-day journey down the Fox River through Elgin and Aurora to Ottawa at the confluence of the Fox River and Illinois River, a journey of 202 miles. Roberts is former president of the Friends of the Fox. Zine is
By Carter Crane – The three-day, 30-year, memorial celebration of Reverend Robert Wesby’s death was a success by all accounts. Reverend Wesby was the minister of Progressive Baptist Church in Aurora, a civil rights leader, and marched with Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.. The three days included a banquet
First of two parts The more I read about Benjamin Franklin, the more outstanding he becomes. How could one man have done so much? I stood at his gravesite in Philadelphia and paused to wonder, once again, how extraordinary he was. No one today compares to his astounding and accomplished
I bought a sundial. With recent power outages, I was tired of seeing all the 12:00s on every digital clock in the house and then having to reset them. At least with a sundial, there’s no resetting no matter how many times the power goes kaput. I’ve had some experience
“Hillbilly Elegy” A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis is a book by J.D. Vance. My mother was a hillbilly. Let me say upfront that she did not view that term as derogatory. Born in Tennessee and raised in West Virginia, her father, Christopher Columbus “Lum” Austin, was
If I tell you to meet me on the third floor of The DLP, and you don’t ask for clarification, you probably are an Aurora downtown regular. For those less frequent downtown visitors, let me explain. We have some amazing hidden gems in downtown Aurora, and I quickly could rattle
“Big Brother does not watch us, by his choice. We watch him, by ours….When a population becomes distracted by trivia, when cultural life is redefined as a perpetual round of entertainments, when serious public conversation becomes a form of baby-talk, when, in short, a people become an audience, and their
Last of two parts Marc Gunther continues his article in The Guardian regarding the beneficial uses of hemp. “Hemp can build cars, homes, food, textiles and more,” Rob Jungmann said. “[It’s] as American as apple pie.” The Jungmann shirts are made from hemp, he said. “The Agricultural Act of 2014,
“Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.” —Battle Hymn of the Republic Julia Ward Howe was an American poet and author, best known for writing “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.” She was an advocate for abolitionism and a social activist particularly for women’s suffrage.
The United States of America used to be the home of the brave and the land of the free. Not anymore. Now, it is the home of the rich and fatuous and the land of unfettered greed. With the Donald Trump administration in place, capitalism once again has run rampant.
Dale was a widower of about two years, in his late 70s. He never had pets, but his grown daughter decided he needed a puppy because he seemed lonely. Dale said he enjoyed being alone and it didn’t mean he was lonely. He was happy reading, watching sports, hanging out
