Columnist

Hours after the social media giant Meta agreed last Wednesday to settle a case brought by 47 state attorneys general and implement reforms to protect children from social media harms, the Illinois Federation of Teachers issued a demand that all of Illinois’ portion of the $17.1 billion settlement - $768 million – be designated “to address the funding crisis for school districts across the state.”

Today we leave Braidwood to visit Ottawa and Joliet, two of the many towns on the Illinois Michigan Canal. Out of necessity boatmen on the Canal spent several days, if not a week, away from home. Rarely did the family of boatmen come with, there just wasn't that much room. The result of that situation was the two murders that we look at today. Well, that, and that green-eyed monster - jealousy.

After Michael J. Madigan’s 36 years as Illinois House Speaker, a ten-year term limit on current and future speakers doesn’t seem like a lot of time in the big chair.
Except it is.
Nobody prior to Madigan had ever served ten years as speaker in this state going back to when Illinois became a state in 1818. The only person who came close was Republican Warren Wood, who held the position for eight years in the 1950s.
Most of the rest served single terms or two terms.