Living in a rural central Illinois town, Toulon, population 1,400, I am alert to any forces that might spur relocation to hinterland communities, which are often struggling to maintain population and vitality. Are the pandemic and recent urban, sometimes violent protests such prompts? I conclude there might be some, modest
In a recent column, I averred that the George Floyd death and protests-in-reaction represented a classic case of the powerful “us versus them” syndrome that is baked into the human brain. Racism is a subset of this syndrome. Floyd’s brother gave recent testimony to Congress that was in effect a
Because I live in a small out-of-the way county in the State that has had one reported case of COVID-19, a second recently rumored, I have been hesitant to write about The Big Disruption in our lives. I am obviously not sharing the valiant struggles of nurses and their associates,
At a recent dinner party, it was wondered why our society appears to be pulling apart. I observed that sometimes unfortunate consequences flow from otherwise benign changes. I illustrated with a “tale of two families,” both known to me in my rural central Illinois setting. When I was a boy
Illinois never will have fair maps for its legislative districts under the present Illinois Supreme Court. There will be an opportunity in November to change the Court, yet I fear the contest will not be engaging, even though it’s long past time for a change. This information is political inside
Editor’s note: In recent decades, mass communication, through the advent of technology, has diminished use of newspapers, however, more than 200 years later, newspapers continue to be use useful. This article, and another at thevoice.us/benign-wealthy-owners-promote-quality-city-journalism, bring up to date how newspapers reflect communities, offer sociological relevance, and sustain one method
There are 61 national parks. California has nine. Illinois has none. In the past couple of years, the Arch in St. Louie and the Dunes in northwestern Indiana both have been designated as national parks. Illinois had better rattle its tin cup in Washington, D.C., because it appears to be
By Jim Nowlan In a recent column, I noted that most, not all, downstate school districts perform below statewide averages on 11th-grade English and math tests. I didn’t blame anyone, instead noted that performance is directly correlated to the household incomes within each district; the lower the average incomes, the
By Jim Nowlan The word on the street, say my insider friends, is that a lot of indictments are coming down soon as a result of federal public corruption probes in Chicagoland and Springfield, probably including both legislators and lobbyists. So, to stay ahead of the curve, I write this
By Jim Nowlan This column proposes a powerful, practical, if highly-unconventional, way to start a national conversation, even a movement, that possibly could help restore a healthy American democracy and solid economic future, and, maybe even replace one of our two bankrupt political parties. Politics and policy are today focused
By Jim Nowlan For millennia, war was how groups did economic development. Today, economic and technical dominance are how groups do war, and right now we’re losing something akin to a modern war with China. When I first arrived in Shanghai 15 years ago, to serve as a “foreign expert”
