“Illinois’ convoluted and broken property tax system has been driving the high cost of living that’s pushing families and businesses out of our State. Despite the fact that homeowners have been crying desperately for relief, Democrats last year failed to produce any significant action,” said Republican State representative Deanne Mazzochi
From the vault, November 13, 2014, revised: Swine flu. Asian bird flu. West Nile disease. Remember the hue-and-cry over these threats to public health? Whatever happened to them? They seem to have disappeared off of our radar. But, wait! There’s a new, even more deadly, threat on our radar. It’s
Stolp Avenue, Aurora, part three: Part two is available at thevoice.us/aurora-hotel-and-leland-tower-start-early-days-on-stolp In 1964, Stolp Avenue and Island Avenue downtown were conjoined into one street (Stolp), and all of the addresses changed to either North or South Stolp with Galena Boulevard as the zero point. Before listing any new businesses, I’ll
It’s all over, but the shouting in the impeachment, and that is taking place and will continue to take place. The shouting will be from our accidental president, Donald Trump’s proclaiming, “I’ve been completely exonerated! Not guilty! I did nothing wrong!” These will be his opening remarks at all of
The primary election season is almost upon us, and the political parties are gearing up to seize/keep the office of the president of the United States in their clutches. One party already has its candidate; the other has multiple contenders jostling with each other. A number of issues have been
It’s déjà vu all over again, as baseball great, Yogi Berra, used to say. 2002: The George W. Bush administration requested Afghanistan to surrender Osama bin Laden so that he might stand trial for the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks against the United States. The Taliban-dominated government in Kabul responded
From the vault – December 12, 2013 (revised): A response to Donna Crane’s column of December 19, 2019, Unplugging one day each week a salute for stress 24/6. Once upon a time, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas were separate events. Now, however, they are connected to each other by an economic
In 1937, Mr. William Randolph Hearst, newspaper-publishing tycoon, appeared before a committee of the U.S. Congress and requested that it introduce a bill prohibiting the growing, selling, and distribution of hemp. He was very disingenuous in his arguments because the hemp plant produced cannabis, a.k.a marijuana, which, he claimed, was
Thinking-out-loud department: • Donna Crane’s recent column about women in government in America got me to thinking deep thoughts. Here’s one thought to explain why there are such low numbers of women in government. Sociologically, the United States is stuck in the 19th Century. Men ruled the roost, and women
Part two of the Stolp Avenue profile: The first part is available at thevoice.us/history-recalled-of-buildings-on-stolp-avenue-in-aurora This essay looks at Island Avenue in Aurora before it was amalgamated with Stolp Avenue in 1964. It must be noted that not only was this street the center of Aurora geographically, it was Aurora’s heart
More chickens have come home to roost. In a previous essay, I stated that the Treaty of Versailles of 1919, which ended World War I, had unintentional consequences and that those consequences were the massive conflicts currently embroiling all of Southwest Asia. Among other things, the Treaty called for the
To impeach, or not to impeach that is the question: Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer The rantings and ravings of an accidental president, Or to take up an inquiry against a sea of scandals, And by impeaching end them? To inquire to learn; Much more; and by
When last we saw PFC (private first class) Chas, he was boarding an ocean liner bound for the wonderments of Germany. A new and exciting adventure awaited him. I confess that I have exaggerated a wee bit when I used the expression “ocean liner.” True, the ship sailed the ocean
Astronomy was my first love. Long before I became an historian, I was a stargazer. On a clear night, I would gaze into the sky and attempt to identify as many constellations in the northern hemisphere as I could. Nowadays, sadly, there is so much light pollution in Aurora, and
Should you happen to be standing in the middle of the intersection of Galena Boulevard and Stolp Avenue in Aurora, dear reader, one of three things is liable to occur. The first is that you will be run over by a passing vehicle. The second is that you will be
