Columnist

Union priorities shape end of session

Published by admin on Mon, 05/20/2019 - 1:34pm

If you want to see how times have changed this legislative session, take a quick look at Senate Bill 1591.
The Illinois and Chicagoland chambers have been pushing legislation all session to offer state incentives to data centers. A data center basically stores massive amounts of electronic information. Illinois has been a national leader for data center locations because the Chicago region is a national Internet hub, connecting the country's east and west, and has a reliable and plentiful electricity supply. Only two states, Virginia and Texas, have more data centers.

The Rum Ramsey, mixology’s best kept secret

Published by admin on Wed, 05/15/2019 - 9:00am

In the cocktail world, nearly all “secret” recipes eventually come out of the shadows. Trader Vic's Mai Tai, Floridita's Daiquri and Donn the Beachcomber's Navy Grog have all been tracked down and published.
Then there is the Rum Ramsey: a recipe known to only one family and served in only one New Orleans restaurant.

Mr. Mayor, stand down - you have 20 minutes

Published by admin on Wed, 05/15/2019 - 9:00am

July 29th, 1877 - Send in the militia! The governor had spoken. Despite a railroad strike, the Illinois National Guard sped from Chicago to Braidwood to quell possible riot and get the black miners back to their homes. We are next going to hear from the imbedded reporter aboard that train.

Cows in the news, where is this going?

Published by admin on Wed, 05/15/2019 - 9:00am

So, I was doing my research and came across an interesting ordinance, which I suppose is still in effect, about cows. It started me thinking about cows and other livestock. This is the result.

Grandstanding reps let the rest do heavy lifting

Published by admin on Mon, 05/13/2019 - 11:21am

If you listen closely to what Democratic state Reps. Sam Yingling and Jonathan Carroll are saying in public about their opposition to Gov. JB Pritzker’s graduated income tax proposal, they appear to believe that Pritzker’s proposed tax rates aren’t high enough.
Yingling and Carroll are both demanding significant property tax relief. “In Illinois,” Rep. Yingling wrote in the Tribune last week, “the disproportionate reliance on and financial burden of property taxes to fund government — roads and bridges, education, police, fire and other essential services — is devastating.”

One week in the life of a strike, 1877

Published by admin on Wed, 05/08/2019 - 9:00am

When we met last it was July of 1877. The miners had been on strike since early spring.
The coal companies had brought in strike breakers, known as “black legs” composed both of white and black men, but the whites had left town. And to top it off, a Pinkerton agent was killed by a drunken striking miner. The stage is set for violent confrontation.

The classic or frozen Daiquiri - which do you prefer?

Published by admin on Wed, 05/08/2019 - 9:00am

Ask 100 people, “What is a Daiquiri?” and I suspect that you would receive a wide range of responses.
To some, the essence of the Cuban classic cocktail is an image straight out of 1920s Havana of a coupe glass filled with rum, lime and sugar.
To others, a Daiquiri is a giant, frozen, whipped cream topped wonder available in all colors of the rainbow.

The changing face of the Island

Published by admin on Wed, 05/08/2019 - 9:00am

The Island City, that's Wilmington's nickname; in honor of the island in the Kankakee River that aligns with the old part of the city.
That small piece of ground has seen all of Wilmington's history come and go, and in the process changed its look many times. Let's look at a few of its faces. And note, the terms “North Island” and “South Islan” are modern names. There is in fact only one Island.

State’s violence interruption program worth the investment

Published by admin on Wed, 05/08/2019 - 8:00am

The Chicago Police Department reported last week that the number of people murdered in the city fell 10 percent during the first four months of 2019 compared to last year during the same period.
While that's good news and part of a two-year downward trend, lost in much of the coverage was a worrisome murder spike in the month of April.
The Chicago Sun-Times counted 62 Chicago homicides in April, up from 37 in April of last year and 48 in April of 2017.

Miners vs. coal companies, Round 3

Published by admin on Wed, 05/01/2019 - 9:00am

It is the spring of 1877. Once again the coal companies propose to reduce the wages of the miners. But the miners have had two years of that, and they have vowed not to let it happen again. And this time they have political clout, the stage is set for Round 3 - time for the knock-out punch.