The News Progress

Following recent discussion of water supply and infrastructure concerns in Sullivan, it is important to address another issue: the reliability and capacity of the town’s electrical system.

I want to be clear, I am not personally affected by this issue. My electrical service is supplied by Coles Moultrie Electric. I am raising this concern not out of self-interest, but because it reflects a broader pattern of poor governance, and because the consequences are very real for many in this community.

Residents have been told that available electrical capacity is tightening, that local generators may need to run more frequently during high demand, and that brownouts have been discussed as a contingency. These are acknowledgments of strain and reduced safety margins.

A heartfelt thank you to our valued community partner

Moultrie County Dove Inc. Domestic Violence Services extends its deepest gratitude to Mid-Illinois Senior Services for their outstanding partnership and commitment to supporting our clients and the wider community. Your generosity is essential to our mission, particularly during difficult times.

For yet another year, your support ensures our annual Santa’s Little Helper workshop is a success by consistently providing us with a warm, welcoming space to host and hold this important event. This partnership ensures our clients, their children, and the entire community can experience the joy of the holiday season.

•October 23, 2019•
By Jim Nowlan
NP Guest Columnist

I muse widely, yet my knowledge base in quite narrow. So, I could sure use help from thoughtful readers who know more than I about the topics below, which I am beginning to explore for possible essays. If you have informed thoughts and links to good sources, please email at jnowlan3@gmail.com.
First: There will be war-like conflicts in the future, and the U.S. won’t be spared, as we have been in the past. As drones and cyber conflict replace much of the boots-on-the-ground-warfare, the first thing to go down in any major future dust-up would likely be our electric power grid.
Would apocalyptic chaos ensue on the streets? Would a nation like ours be brought to its knees, just like big corporations that make huge ransomware payoffs to hackers, to get their systems back up and running?
Could Americans benefit from “civil defense” training, or would it be useless? How would you and your family fare if you were without electricity for several weeks? Should every family buy a small gas-powered generator to keep the lights on, and a supply of food and water? Read More

•October 2, 2019•
By Jim Nowlan
NP Guest Columnist

In response to a recent essay of mine about our state’s parlous load of debt and unfunded obligations, a reader asked: Why so much red ink? The answer lies in an unsavory stew of human nature; our state’s political tradition of careerist politicians, and the political self-admonition of “not on my watch.”
When I was a graduate student decades ago, I recall a seminar with political psychologist Harold Lasswell. He said that people who enter political life have, generally speaking, an even stronger desire than folks in other pursuits to be approved of, liked. It’s human nature, of course, but accentuated.
Second, in Illinois somewhat more than in most states, many people who enter politics do so with the objective of making political life their primary pursuit. This has been true in both Chicago politics as well as in hard-scrabble, deep southern Illinois. From Houses Speaker Mike Madigan and Alderman Ed Burke in Chicago to former Secretary of State Paul Powell in tiny Vienna, elected officials have gotten rich through politics.
So, elected officials have a strong need to do things for voters (spend money on them) and not do things to them (increase taxes to pay for the spending). Read More