by Kim Riedel
NP Columnist

In a quest to survive this past dreary and cold winter, I kept myself busy with some different ideas, plans and discoveries.

My curiosity about aquaponics sent me to books, You Tube, and asking several people for guidance to find out more information.

Aquaponics is the process of growing plants in a soilless media such as hydroponics but uses the nutrients from the fish tank to fertilize the plants rather than having fertilizer or other additives added to the water as in hydroponics.  The fish fertilize the plants, and the plants clean the water for the fish.  The fish and plants work together so the water can be recycled indefinitely (unless it evaporates).  You should be able be grow more plants in less space than a regular garden, and plants should grow faster and larger. It should be a fun experiment.  Read More

By Jim Nowlan
Outside Columnist

On first blush, the proposal by Illinois Speaker of the House Michael Madigan to impose a three percent tax surcharge on income greater than $1 million sounds like a relatively painless (for most of us, certainly) way to raise about $1 billion for education.

On second blush, it’s a bad idea for at least these reasons:

First, The proposal reinforces the widely held perception by business that Illinois has an unpredictable and unstable fiscal system. Read More

By Jim Nowlan
Outside Columnist

The young man was shivering from the bitter cold. He stood at a busy entrance to Union Station in Chicago, competing for good space with newspaper boys and panhandlers. Busy commuters rushed by him, preoccupied with getting back to the suburbs.

The fellow asked politely when he could fleetingly make eye contact with a passerby: Mister, would you like to sign a petition to reform redistricting in Illinois? Read More

By Gerald Tilley
Social Security District Manager

You’ve probably noticed the unusually cold and stormy weather we’ve been experiencing this year. That makes it more appropriate than ever to recognize National Umbrella Month this March.

National Umbrella Month is a time to celebrate a useful invention used by most everyone. It’s no coincidence that the month comes at the beginning of the rainy season. April showers may bring May flowers, but the rain starts pouring in March. When the rain pours, an umbrella has you covered. Read More

On Tuesday, March 18, Illinois voters will have a chance to cast their ballot in the primary election for national, state and local offices.

Sadly, voters often overlook the many candidates running for retention or election as judges. This is unfortunate as judges make critical decisions that directly affect our daily lives. Learning about the qualifications of judicial candidates and voting for those who are most qualified will help ensure that we have a quality judiciary. Bar association evaluations and newspaper endorsements are a reliable, independent and relevant source of information about the candidates’ qualifications.

As a way to help inform and educate voters outside of Cook County, the Illinois State Bar Association conducts an advisory poll in the circuit or district from which a candidate seeks retention or election. Polls are sent to ISBA members and non-ISBA lawyers who request a ballot. The poll reflects the opinion of those lawyers who choose to respond and not the opinion of ISBA. The ratings are readily available to the public at www.isba.org/YouBeTheJudge. (In Cook County, an ISBA Judicial Evaluations committee uses the results of a questionnaire, background investigations, and in-person interviews to rate candidates for judicial offices.)

We encourage voters to download all these poll ratings and take them into the voting booth. The ratings provide guidance in selecting the most qualified persons as judges.

Hon. Thomas L. Brownfield, Chair
ISBA Judicial Advisory Polls Committee