Author Archive for contributor

OpEd | What do Peorians learn by excluding iconic Betty Friedan?

Jefferson, Washington, Hoover, Roosevelt, Wilson and Lindbergh — slaveholders, racists, white supremacists, anti-semites are part of their legacies that led to their removal from our school names. And I get it. Recognizing that Peoria has changed over the past 100…

OpEd | Case of county auditor needs serious auditing

Taxpayers, please take note of a unique court case, 21-MR-992. It is open to the public and the next Hearing is set for 1:30-2:30 p.m. June 16, in Peoria County Courtroom 203. The County Auditor is asking for relief (court…

OpEd | American genocide

My cousin, Loquacious “Lolo” Jackson, had borrowed my baseball glove. I am not sure exactly when, but Barack Obama was still president then. My son and I have never had a catch. It is entirely possible, given my current level…

OpEd | The Divine needs more of our time

One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. I forget those words were written to describe what America aspires to achieve. I think we sometimes forget. “Under God” is rightly listed first among these American ideals most…

Can Darin LaHood continue to compromise his own constituency?

By SHELLEY EPSTEIN In the adjacent article, my old friend Jim Nowlan outlines a political path forward for Congressman Adam Kinzinger. Since Illinois Democrats’ unconscionable and immoral gerrymandering lumped Kinzinger and Darin LaHood in the same conservative and Trumpy district,…

Can Adam Kinzinger escape the squeeze from his own party?

By JIM NOWLAN What is Adam Kinzinger going to do? “What should he do?” friends ask me. His options aren’t good, yet I have a path forward for the 43-year-old Republican. First, some background. Kinzinger is a typically conservative, six-term…