Sleeping is important to me, and so I’ve learned over the years to get most of my dumpster fire news from NPR. I choose NPR because other sources seem too ideological and have a tendency to make me think I’m in tremendous and immediate danger.

Too often people nowadays seem to take offense over words that are not grounded in truth. They become enraged over that which are lies. They believe the lies and reject the truth. How do we discern what is true?

By the end of WW II, it became evident that the United States was the uncontested world leader. America became respected and admired as the reach of its values and power made it a global leader and example to the world.

As an unusual summer of quarantining, wearing masks and social distancing came to an end a few months ago, it was time yet again to head back to school. There was no doubt this fall semester was going to be strange, and nothing has changed much since those assumptions.

Back in June, leading adolescent brain researcher Laurence Steinberg wrote a New York Times op-ed predicting that students returning to college campuses during a pandemic would not go well.

Forty-four years ago this week, I came to America. I had no idea what to expect. Most of my information about this country was from American movies that I adored.

Substantive change requires steadfast focus, a commitment to bold and decisive action, and a spirit of fortitude when addressing challenges.

Our beloved country is filled with hate and division. Not against the common enemies of democracy which dwell outside our borders, the autocratic and totalitarian regimes headed by dictators around the world sworn to our destruction, but hate against each other, our fellow citizens.

Greetings to all that have been readers of the columns that I have been given the honor to write thus far. I have not written since the month of July.

Recently, many authors have been writing about the fear of permanent division of our country. In an article in the current issue of the Atlantic magazine titled, “Is America a myth?” famous writer Robin Wright wrote, “The United States feels like it is unravelling ... The foundation of our n…

The Illinois Associated Press Media Editors / Illinois Press Association annual convention was held virtually this week, thanks to COVID-19.

Corrupt politicians. Public pension debt. In Illinois, both of those phrases are redundant.

Remembrance roses to all of those who lost their lives during the 9/11 attacks and in the years since as they battled health problems that persist because of those attacks. Your EDN editor was working in downtown Chicago at the time. That morning was especially unnerving as those few who rem…

Boarded-up windows, for-rent signs, thousands of workers without jobs: Main Streets across Illinois, like the country at large, are reeling from the COVID-19 economic downturn.

Fearful forecasts are afoot with the presidential election creeping closer.

This unprecedented time is challenging and there are those around us who have risen to the challenge the coronavirus pandemic has imposed, whether it is a health care worker or a neighbor. That is why the Effingham Daily News is seeking “Heroes Among Us,” a recognition given to people doing …

In a mere two months, our great nation will decide who will lead our country for the next four years. This decision, according to many pundits, is only about the personality of the candidate. How wrong they are to make this the singular point of a selection process. A gamble of that magnitud…

Roses are in order for Jim Schultz, who lives in Effingham. He took some heat this week because the EDN published a guest column by someone with a similar name, but spelled differently: Jim Shultz, a resident of Lockport, New York, and the founder and executive director of the Democracy Cent…

On Aug. 13, Illinois saw the indictment hammer fall on a powerful lawmaker for the fourth time since federal investigators began raiding government offices last year.

Four years ago, millions of American voters took a giant gamble on the nation’s future by casting their ballots for a very different kind of President.  He did not win the most votes but the Electoral College delivered him constitutionally into the White House nonetheless.

Add roses to the righteous recognition this week of Effingham City Police Officer Andrew Meyers. His prompt actions saved the life of an Effingham man in July. As EDN reporter Charles Mills notes, Meyers had just finished the daily briefing for officers on July 16 at approximately 6:15 p.m. …

The recent passing of Illinois Republican Governor Jim Thompson (1977-1990) begs the question: Can the Illinois Republican Party ever again capture the governor’s office?

The Illinois Department of Transportation is in the midst of the most challenging, most exciting time in its history.

Plopping the slime on her sister’s face finally ended the game. Rightfully confused, my oldest demanded answers while Annaka giggled out of the bedroom.

Growing up in Egypt I was surprised to realize that I had more than 100 uncles and 200 aunts. It took me a while to understand that every man in our neighborhood was an “uncle” and every woman was an “aunt.” That was the way we, as children, addressed all the friends and acquaintances of our…

Friday was the last day at the EDN for reporter Kaitlin Cordes. While Kaitlin was earning her journalism degree at Eastern Illinois University, she interned with us for two summers before joining the paper full-time. Her most recent beat was covering Effingham City Hall and Unit 40 schools. …

The recent admission by behemoth electric utility Commonwealth Edison that it repeatedly bribed minions of Illinois House speaker Mike Madigan for years (of course, Madigan knew nothing about all this; sure, right) was breath-taking for its brazenness.

I am hearing a worried buzz about our republic not holding together, something I have never in my long life encountered before. Some (many?) on the “left” worry about President Trump calling the election invalid and holding onto power. From the “right” comes concerns that those leading and s…

Roses to the Effingham County Dive and Rescue Team for averting what could have been a tragedy early Friday morning. As EDN reporter Charles Mills reports, a mother and daughter called 911 from the roof of a van that had been washed off the road and were rescued by the team. The pair were re…

During the 2014 governor’s race in Illinois, I saw yards in my hometown with a “Vote for Bruce Rauner” sign alongside a “Pray to End Abortion” sign. I couldn’t help but shake my head. My suspicion is that those folks were unaware of Bruce Rauner’s “pro-choice” view on abortion.

Roses to the return of Major League Baseball. Your EDN editor is writing this hours before his Chicago Cubs were scheduled to take the field against the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday night. Win or lose, he’s just glad to have baseball back. But here’s hoping for a win in the first game of this…

As one who scribbles largely about things Illinois, I feel almost obligated to observe on the bombshell (certainly for the small fraternity that follows Illinois politics) news that utility ComEd has agreed to pay a $200 million fine for bribery of Illinois officials. The announcement by the…

A couple of weeks ago there was a story in the New York Times entitled ”I couldn’t’ do anything” about a brilliant, compassionate and competent emergency room physician, Dr. Lorna Breen, who was treating patients with COVID-19 when she herself got infected. Her infection was severe, but even…

It’s looking thorny for Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, a Chicago Democrat who has held that position since 1983, except for a brief stint from 1995 to 1997. On Friday federal officials announced that Commonwealth Edison, Illinois’ largest electric utility company, has agreed to pay …

As I walked a country road near my rural town this past week, a local slowed his pickup alongside me. “We’re moving to Florida, Jim.” He paused, then: “Illinois is not well managed, you know.” Three weeks ago, a hugely successful commodities trader friend, who lives in splendor on a big swat…

It seems nearly every day now the Effingham County Health Department is reporting new cases of COVID-19. For months, we seemed to be relatively isolated from positive tests of the coronavirus. But people young and old are now testing positive. The seven new cases that local health officials…

If I had to choose between spending time with one good dog or five good people, I’d pick the dog every day of the week and twice on Sundays.

The Effingham Park District has kept its recreational finances in the red by just a few cents. That’s a roseworthy accomplishment in these economically difficult times. Effingham Park District Board Treasurer Anita Broom told the board this week that the recreation side of the park district …

America and Americans had a rough first half of this year. America’s smile is not as wide as it used to be. America’s eyes are full of tears. The excruciating pain is evident on her beautiful face. A deep and profound sadness engulfs her from head to toe.

In 1785, when the United States was a young nation, after returning from a trip to Europe, Thomas Jefferson wrote to his friend, James Monroe: “My God! How little do my countrymen know what precious blessing they are in possession of, and which no other people on earth enjoy. I confess I had…

As many of you know, the Illinois State Board of Education shared some guidelines recently about the return to in-person learning for the upcoming school year. Unsurprisingly, most Illinois residents took time to read the whole document, and then discussed the recommendations calmly and with…

In Illinois, we are three months into governance by Executive Order.

It was certainly roseworthy news this week that signs are pointing to students returning to class in the fall. And roses to the officials from the five Effingham County school districts who met to discuss how that would work. They raised important questions that can’t all be definitively an…