We don't write papers, we build scrapbooks
We don't write papers, we build scrapbooks
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As the State Senator representing the 45th District in Northwest Illinois, it is important to me to seek input from my constituents on a regular basis. Several weeks ago I mailed a fall survey to households across the 45th Senate District. The survey was mailed without regard to political affiliation. Republicans, Democrats, Independents, and others received it to ensure accurate results. While the results cannot be considered “scientific,” they do provide an excellent representation of how tho...
Now that Labor Day is past, summer is over. The fields are turning ripe unto harvest and many of the farmers have their corn silage chopped, bunked, bagged, and/or in the silo. School is underway again and time is marching on. On the calendar, the measure of a year is from January 1 to December 31. But in reality, a year is lived out from September to September. This is the time of year when we begin to panic a little because winter is just around the corner and we have so much we haven’t got do...
My daughters came up with a term whenever people would whine or complain, or come across acting like a wimp. “You big Nancy!” Living in a house full of girls, I’ve never had to call my manhood into question. I mean, yes, that was me putting on bracelets and a tiara when I played Pretty, Pretty, Princess during their Kindergarten years. And yes, I would pretend to be a flaming homosexual whenever I did one of my “Maurice” routines when I fixed them breakfast and sent them off to school. (Every Fr...
I’ve been a pastor now for about 31 years and we’ve had a lot of unique experiences along the way - mostly at weddings but a few have happened at other events too. For instance, there was one time when a couple were visiting family in Missouri and the husband passed away unexpectedly. His wishes were to be cremated, so his wife had him cremated in Missouri and she brought his ashes back to Illinois. But when she arrived in Illinois, the funeral home called and said they had given her the wro...
“Starting at defensive tackle for Lena-Winslow … Ian Cool” Hearing opposing PA announcers butcher a kid’s name – it was Ian “Keuhl” pronounced “Keel” – still makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up in anger. Why does it tick me off and get under my skin? Well, you see for four years I was the Public Address Announcer at DePauw University. And the first lesson I learned from our Athletic Director was – “Don’t butcher the names!” It was part of my job to meet with someone – anyone – fro...
In a remarkable turn of events last week, Republicans and Democrats were aligned on supporting police and using fences and walls to keep people outside of spaces where they’re not supposed to be. No, pigs weren’t flying, and the underworld had not frozen over. Last week, the Democratic National Convention (DNC) was hosted in Chicago. When it came to protecting the Democratic elite, no expense or protective measure was spared. The Democratic bigwigs and the locations where they were meeting and...
A joke I heard this week: The wedding day was fast approaching. Everything was ready, and nothing could dampen the bride's excitement, not even her parents' nasty divorce. Her mother finally found the perfect dress to wear and would be the best-dressed mother of the bride - ever! A week later, the bride-to-be was horrified to learn her new young stepmother had purchased the same dress. She asked her to exchange it, but she refused, "Absolutely not! I'm going to wear this dress. I'll look like a...
Fall Sports is dominating Dan’s time, so we let him off the hook and are printing an old column of his – we hope you enjoy. “Stevens, you need to do a story on the Blackhawk/Warren football co-op, they’re pretty good.” “I already did. In fact, I’ve done several.” The conversation is not unique, and happens often – but not between me and some reader who doesn’t subscribe to the paper. No, that typical conversation happens on a regular basis between me and my business partner – Terry Whalen! “Do...
With schools heading back to session it is time that both the Carroll and Stephenson County Farm Bureaus say goodbye to our summer office team members. Regan Scidmore, summer office assistant for Carroll County will head to the University of Illinois, and Aaliyah Whitney, summer intern with Stephenson County, will head back to Highland Community College. Each county was fortunate to have these individuals as part of our team this summer. We thank them for their dedication to our members and the...
When I was in high school, my shop teacher taught drafting, wood-working, small engines, and welding. I took all those classes at different times. One time, a friend of mine backed his dark blue, 1974 Pontiac GTO car into the shop, and another friend lifted a small engine in need of repair out of his trunk and set it on the floor and closed the trunk lid. At that moment, the friend driving the car, tromped down on the gas pedal and burned rubber from the shop floor, out the door, and into the...
I realize that I usually tend to look at some rather “unorthodox” topics in this column, but my Mother had always asked that I stop with the bathroom humor and prove to everyone that the education my parents paid for actually did some good. So, in her honor, I think maybe it’s time we look into some deep and philosophical issues regarding the human condition. Do you think that in ‘Hamlet,’ Shakespeare was exploring existentialism and projecting his own concerns about his role in the universe...
Most of us know the process of how a bill becomes a law. While that process directs the flow of bills that are filed, just how do thousands of policy ideas each year become bills in the first place? As of this writing, just under 3,000 Senate and House bills have been filed this year alone. Generally, these policy ideas come from one of four places. Many good bills are the result of a constituent who contacts their elected Senator or State Representative with an issue that cannot be resolved...
What is the difference between a true democracy and a constitutional republic? By definition, a republic is a representative form of government that is ruled according to a charter, or constitution, and a democracy is a government that is ruled according to the will of the majority. Although these forms of government are often confused, they are quite different. In a democracy, the people periodically, by majority, vote at the poll to select rulers. The rulers then have absolute power by...
We all need that certain “get away” - you know, the place where we go to recharge our batteries, reward ourselves for getting through another year of working, and go somewhere far from the daily grind to get away from it all. For me - that’s Vegas - and I must say I thoroughly enjoyed my four days - even if the temperatures out there were 115 degrees each day. But I realized something - while I truly love going places - New York, Vegas, Cruises, etc - what I really hate is getting there. Here...
One of my favorite things about late summer is the availability of delicious fresh sweet corn. Some of you may remember from past columns that corn is one of my favorite foods, and I especially love fresh sweet corn. With that in mind I wanted to share a few facts on corn. There are three primary kinds of corn. Sweet Corn: This is the kind we eat. You may even grow it in your own garden. Field Corn: Field corn is also known as dent or feed corn. It is hard on the outside and starchy in the...
Open Letter To Stephenson County From Sheriff Stovall Like many of you, I have viewed the body-worn camera footage that was released yesterday afternoon from the senseless and tragic murder of Sonya Massey, and I want to make it clear that I am thoroughly disturbed by the horrific actions of former Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Grayson both during and after the shooting. This incident was investigated by the Illinois State Police, and as a result of that investigation, a Grand Jury has indicted former Deputy Sean Grayson for three c...
Summer days and summer nights are a thing to behold. I think if one only gets their groceries from the store, they lose a little of the awe of God’s Creation in watching their food grow. Every year, I stand amazed at how you can put a seemingly dead seed in the ground, cover it with dirt, and it grows and produces fruit. I say seemingly dead, because it only looks dead. There is life inside that seed waiting to grow when it is given the right conditions. Every year I prepare the seedbed for my w...
With Dan on vacation, we are turning the clock back four years to when Covid dominated everything we did. Kind of as a reminder of what we all had to deal with. This is a column. By definition, that means that this is an opinion … not a factual story, but what I – as the author - “think”. I really need to point that out before getting started. And even though I’m doing that, it’s a safe bet that at some point someone will pass the word, “I know it’s true because Stevens said …” ya-da, ya-da...
What a week it has been! This week the Farm Bureau hosted our annual Farm Fun Zone at the Stephenson County Fair. The Farm Fun Zone included a petting zoo with pigs, a mini donkey, and a calf. In addition to the animals, we had educational activities for children and adults alike to learn about agriculture. We enjoyed seeing some familiar and new faces. Thank you to everyone who stopped by to see us. We want to thank our many volunteers who assisted in making our tent possible and a big thank...
Those who follow the activity of state government may recall that earlier this year a bill protecting children was stripped of its language and replaced with politically-motivated wording that, among other things, prevented the practice of “slating” candidates for General Assembly races after primary elections were complete. “Slating” allows political party leaders to place an individual on a ballot in races where the party had no candidate who ran in the primary election. Republicans have us...
We have about ten acres of pasture on our farm that I tend to every summer. We run a few head of cattle on them and they always make things interesting. They are very curious animals and are constantly getting into trouble. So far this summer, I have cut the pasture twice in an effort to keep it looking nice and to keep the weeds down and the grass fresh for the calves. In my shed I have a couple of old tractors that I like to play with from time to time. One of them is a 330 International...
By the time you are reading this, I will be in Las Vegas. Someone, back when we were all living under the same roof when it was cold, got the idea for the four of us – Chuck, his wife Jules, Me and my wife, Cathy – to go out to Vegas and renew our wedding vows. Now, I wasn’t even in on the original idea, but what began as a conversation piece turned into a concrete plan complete with airline tickets and rooms reserved at the Paris Casino on the Vegas Strip. Admittedly, some of the plan chang...
This past week both the Carroll County Farm Bureau and Stephenson County Farm Bureau Young Leader Committees held their pre fair meetings. These groups are made up of individuals aged 18-35 years of age who are passionate about agriculture. These groups are always interested in welcoming new members. If you are interested in learning more about how to get involved please reach out to your county Farm Bureau. Carroll County Farm Bureau, 815-244-3001 or [email protected] or Stephenson County...
My advocacy for the constituents of the 45th District is three-fold. It includes bills I file, bills I co-sponsor, support, and help get passed, and those I fight against. The column two weeks ago highlighted some of the more egregious bills I fought against this year. This week I would like to focus on some of the positive pieces of legislation that I sponsored or co-sponsored this year that will soon become laws. Senate Bill 2767 is a big win for hunters because it allows wild turkey hunters...
UV Safety Month is observed in July to raise awareness about the dangers of UV radiation and the importance of protecting our skin from the sun's harmful rays. It's a great time to remind everyone, especially agricultural workers, to take precautions when working outdoors to prevent skin cancer. Remember to wear sunscreen, protective clothing, and seek shade whenever possible. Stay safe in the sun! 1. Wear Sunglasses: Protect your eyes from the sun's harmful UV rays by wearing sunglasses...
