By Jim Nowlan
Outside Columnist
Several readers have asked me to comment on the increasingly nasty campaign for the Republican nomination for governor.
As a member of the Illinois Executive Ethics Commission (appointed by state treasurer and gubernatorial candidate Dan Rutherford), I am prohibited from participating in politics. My observations here are about the nature of campaigns and of how such may be affecting the present gubernatorial race. Read More
By Jim Nowlan
Outside Columnist
Should Illinois prison parolees be granted legal counsel in cases where their parole officers have recommended they be sent back to prison?
That is the nub of a case filed recently in federal court by a justice center at Northwestern University School of Law titled Morales v. Monreal (the chairman of the state Prisoner Review Board) that seeks to require legal counsel for those charged with violation of parole.
The bigger issue is that of how can we reduce the high numbers of men and women who end up back in prison. Read More
By Jim Nowlan
Outside Columnist
Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel recently pushed through his city council a prohibition of “smoking” electronic or e-cigarettes in any public spaces that ban smoking of tobacco cigarettes.
Is that a good idea? The issue is sure to come before the Illinois Generally Assembly.
As with nearly all public issues, the matter sharply divides those who see e-cigarettes as a cessation of smoking tool versus those who see the use of e-cigarettes as a gateway for youth to the smoking of the real thing. Read More
by Dan Hagen
NP Columnist
I think the producer, director, author and actor John Houseman’s three volumes of memoirs, in recounting his half-happenstance career, manage to do as good a job as I’ve seen of evoking the adventure of theatrical production.
The meshing and conflicting personalities, the late-night bonding, the technical challenges, the economic uncertainties, the creative dead ends, the mysteries of inspiration, the unexpected triumphs, the passion, the romantic ephemerality of each production as the applause surges, echoes and then dies — fascinating and romantic stuff. Read More
By Jim Nowlan
Outside Columnist
Effective lobbying is absolutely essential to the functioning of a legislative body where interests clash incessantly.
Full of spit and vinegar at 90, Richard Lockhart has for 55 years been the gold standard in lobbying Illinois government, that is, in getting the right information in the right format to the right people at the right time.
Lockhart has some suggestions for small organizations and individuals with interests in legislation. Read More
![Tom Emery 2[1]2](http://newsprogress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Tom-Emery-212-185x300.jpg)
by Tom Emery
Guest Columnist
Before his presidency, Abraham Lincoln traveled across Illinois practicing law and campaigning for office, earning countless acquaintances along the way. Some of that time was spent in Moultrie County, particularly in the county seat of Sullivan.
Lincoln passed near the current site of Sullivan as early as 1830 with his family while they were moving from Indiana to Macon County. Between March 12 and 14, the Lincolns crossed the Kaskaskia River at Willow Ford, four miles southeast of Sullivan. The trail then proceeded northwest, passing between Chipps and Lovington before finally settling southwest of Decatur.
By Jim Nowlan
Outside Columnist
Republican gubernatorial aspirant Bruce Rauner spent more than $4 million in the past quarter alone on sophisticated TV ads to define himself as the anti-union, pro-term limits candidate who can transform Illinois government.
As a result, the previously unknown candidate is now the clear front-runner in a four-way race, according to recent polls. Read More
by William C Bailey
Professor, Western
Illinois University
Recall the national attention and concern generated just before Thanksgiving when the country’s largest turkey producer indicated the possibility of a shortage of large, fresh turkeys? There is a major national celebration that will soon be upon us, and the question may again arise - might another poultry shortage befall the American public? The day of the possible shortage is Super Bowl Sunday. And the possible shortage would be chicken wings, not turkeys. Read More
By Jim Nowlan
Outside Columnist
Republican gubernatorial hopeful Bruce Rauner stuck his foot in his mouth with an impolitic remark recently in the Quad-Cities that the Illinois minimum wage of $8.25 an hour should be cut back by a buck-an-hour.
Rauner’s three GOP primary opponents and Gov. Pat Quinn immediately piled on, calling him everything from “out of touch” to “cruel, heartless and wrong.” Read More
by John Golden
NP Columnist
Just as most adults do, I work almost every day, and my workdays always start with a jolt of java; every morning, every time. On most of my days off, I drink my liquid caffeine injection at home. So I guess by using the old process of elimination trick, that would mean that I drink coffee seven days a week, every week. Read More