Understaffing in Illinois DCFS and union contract views
AFSCME Illinois claims chronic understaffing in the Department of Children and Family Services worsens child abuse reports despite steady case worker counts. The union argues four-year pay stagnation, 30 percent inflation, and overtime costs burden taxpayers, while urging funding, accountability, and new standards under the latest contracts.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Southern Illinois
Afscme
Illinois
Illinois Department of Children and Family Services
DCFS
Department of Children and Family Services
DCF
Marion
George Bogdanich
Afscme Council
Springfield
West Bank Gaza speech signals shift toward Palestinian participation
The Israeli government stated Arabs in the West Bank and Gaza have the right to participate in determining their own future, aligning with Carter era aims. Egypt calls for self determination, while Israel worries of a radical state. Diplomacy remains fragile as peace talks stall and mistrust persists among regional players.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
West Bank
Gaza Strip
Courts must hear selves and restore trust in justice
Fred Friendly argues courts must engage the public to restore faith. He advocates plain English, juror education, end note taking bans, and televised cases. A poll shows most know little about courts, and better public knowledge correlates with lower trust, while reform of judicial selection and enforcement against misconduct are urged.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Fred Friendly
CBS
Friendly
Illinois
League of Women Voters
Vis
A Law of Diminishing Incentives Opinion Piece
The writer blasts overuse of the word incentive as a cliché and urges restraint. Recalling Edwin Newman, the piece mocks “incentives” for jobs, peace, or welfare, arguing the term itself is a generic motive noun and should be retired to curb jargon.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Edwin Newman
First Grade Teacher Counts Shape Future, Editor Notes
The author highlights the impact of preschool and first grade teachers on a child’s future. Citing an Associated Press piece, it argues teachers often go unrecognized while guiding diverse classrooms. The Harvard Educational Review notes optimistic teachers improve expected student performance.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Southern Illinoisan
Associated Press
Harvard Educational Review
Doonesbury vs Tiger row sparks reader protest
Joyce E Baumgarte Herrin writes to the Southern Illinoisan declining to like Doonesbury. She compares the strip to The Emperor's New Clothes, saying the humor escapes her and the public remains unpersuaded by the strip's sophistication. She chooses to side with readers who see through the hoax.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Southern Illinoisan
Letters They Went After Big Bet Investigating Williamson County
A reader notes long running narcotics and shoplifting issues in Williamson County fueled by a bold investigative unit. The writer lauds their focus on a case cracking the sale of $2 betting cards to sports fans who wager on football and basketball games, with one arrest and two suspects imminent.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Southern Illinoisan
Williamson County
Knights of Bold
Local Letter Praises Sheriff. Warns on UnAmerican Baseball Pools
Bob Rogers of Carterville urges support for the sheriff and vows to help stop lawbreaking during World Series time. He promises to record suspects in unAmerican baseball pools and expresses pride in American governance. An editor notes a March 16 story about three restaurant workers arrested by the Williamson County Detective Unit for arranging $2 bets since December.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Derring
Williamson County Detective Unit
Abortion stand misread by Granite City letter writer
In a Carbondale letter Walter C. Henneberger argues the Rev Edwin Arentsen’s stance on abortion reflects his view that a fetus is a human being. The writer recalls Arentsen’s disorderly conduct conviction at the Hope Clinic in Granite City on January 19 and compares reactions to biblical and wartime events.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Southern Illinoisan
Edwin Arentsen
Father Arentsen
Dachau
Granite City
Christ
Temple
Walter C. Henneberger
Carbondale
Arentsen
Hope Clinic
Doonesbury defended as sharp satire and education
A reader praises Doonesbury for tackling reality with humor and style. They commend Trudeau as one of today’s top cartoonists who educate while entertaining, and applaud the Southern Illinois newspaper for recognizing that cartoons can teach as well as amuse.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Southern Illinoisan
Doonesbury
Trudeau
Carter urban policy signals shift toward states and neighborhoods
Neal R. Peirce reviews President Carter's urban policy announcement and its potential to reshape city fortunes. He notes that federal aid remains a major factor for large cities, while the plan pressures states to craft growth strategies and involves neighborhood groups in targeted development projects, with a $400 million private sector jobs initiative and scrutiny of regulations to curb urban decline.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Neal R. Peirce
Washington
Carter
Richard Hatcher
Gary
Ind
Hatcher
White House
America
Development Bank
Also Mentioned on This Page
Edgar Hoover Ebl
Dept. OF the Interior
Mideast
Egypt
Israel
U.N
Yigael Yadin
Middle East
Doonesbury’s
Joyce E. Baumgarte
Herrin
Lindsay-Schaub
John C. Gardner
William B. Cox Jr
Bob Rogers
Carterville
P.S
Pable of
Cloning Inc Experimental Lab
Congress
East
Midwest
Chicago
St. Louis
Detroit
Coleman Young
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