By Tom Siebert Pioneering actor Edward James Olmos shared his intriguing takes on God and country, in addition to giving a well-received shout-out to Chicago’s baseball teams at the Inspirational Series of the World Leaders Forum at Judson University in Elgin on Monday, Aug. 22. “Everyone knows God is a
By Tom Siebert “Nothing affected me until I heard Elvis,” John Lennon once said. Bob Dylan described hearing Presley’s voice for the first time as “like busting out of jail.” I grew up in a subsequent era, however, when the “King of Rock ’n’ Roll” was widely viewed as an
By Tom Siebert, Assistant director for community relations Public Action to Deliver Shelter (PADS) of Kendall County After several years of providing meals, shelter, and social services to the area’s unhoused community, Kendall County PADS has decided to dissolve the nonprofit homeless support organization. Citing concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic
By Tom Siebert Retired four-star General David Petraeus, who led U.S. and coalition forces in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, said recently that shifting military resources from one country to the other in 2003 led to failure on both fronts. “We did not get the inputs right in Afghanistan,” said
By Tom Siebert I am the least objective reviewer of a Bob Dylan concert, having devoted endless hours listening to his genius music since college days, having literally lived for his next album, and having now seen him live for the fifth time Wednesday, Nov. 3, along with nearly 4,000
By Tom Siebert Jack Sharratt felt an aching void in his life after recently retiring from a 25-year career as a chiropractor. But the Batavia resident has filled that emptiness by volunteering at Aurora Christian Healthcare, a nonprofit clinic that provides free medical, dental, vision, orthopedic, and chiropractic services, to
By Tom Siebert For the second straight year, the Kendall County PADS board decided to keep its temporary homeless shelters closed during the upcoming colder months, citing health concerns over the worsening COVID-19 crisis. But members of the homeless support group pledged to continue offering the alternative assistance that it
By Tom Siebert During the previous politically-divisive decade, the World Leaders Forum at Judson University in Elgin has served as a civilized oasis of public policy debate among heads of state from around the globe. The Christian college began the event with a big bang in April 2011 when it
By Tom Siebert Terrence Howard has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, having appeared in 52 movies and 25 television shows. But the acclaimed actor told a Judson University audience in Elgin Friday that he would rather be known for reaching the real stars, through his newly-developed drone
By Tom Siebert “Say it ain’t so, Joe.” Those famous words from a disappointed young fan more than 100 years ago echoed hauntingly across a ballroom––a baseball room, really––at the Fox Valley Mall in Aurora recently. A retired Cook County judge was presiding over a mock retrial of two Chicago
By Tom Siebert The rapidly-spreading coronavirus pandemic forced Kendall County PADS to abruptly cut short its tenth shelter season by about one month, but not until volunteers sought help for their homeless guests in securing alternative temporary housing. Earlier this month, the PADS board of directors decided to defer to
