Opinion: Herrin should aid its schools after bond vote
After the Herrin bond referenda, school leaders face deadlines for waivers to keep Southside and Hurst Bush open. Opponents urged local remodeling to save costs, but the district faces funding gaps as Capital Development Board aid favors new builds only. The call goes out for volunteers to craft workable plans for all students.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Southside
Herrin
Hurst Bush
The
Illinois Capital Development Board
Illinois Board’s Desegregation Decision Falls Short
The Illinois Board of Education grants Chicago Public Schools a six month extension to meet desegregation guidelines, but critics say the plan lacks mandatory backup provisions and true progress. A panel found little real desegregation expected, while legal action looms from civil rights groups and potential lawsuits.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Illinois Board of Education
Chicago School Board
Chicago
Chicago Board
State Board
National Association For the Advancement of Colored People
State
Senate fights Nazis with risky protections in Illinois
In urging defense of free speech and assembly, the piece condemns Senate bills meant to keep a Nazi demonstration out of Skokie. It warns such laws could ban marches by Holocaust survivors and criminalize defensive or provocative communications, risking unconstitutional abridgment of rights. The House is urged to defeat the Senate measures and seek better methods to oppose hatred.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Illinois Senate
Senate
Skokie
Chicago
House
Illinois pension funding crisis demands action now
Illinois officials have neglected pension health as taxes and services take priority. The 474 systems face a roughly 7 billion shortfall if full benefits were paid, with funding averages at 44 percent and many local funds below 60 percent. Proposals urge long term plans to reach 66 percent, but political leaders remain silent, risking further deterioration and potential bankruptcies in coming years.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Illinois
Springfield
Thompson
Bakalis’ shallow plan on graduation tests for Illinois
The piece criticizes governor hopeful Bakalis for avoiding education policy, proposing a vague competency test plan that would allow districts to set content and award attendance certificates if students fail. It argues the plan lacks educational rationale, risks branding graduates, ignores reform context, and mirrors his broader shift toward populism over bold policy.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Robert E. Hartley
Lindsay-Schaub
Michael Bakalis
Bakalis
Illinois
Florida
Chicago
Geary Bauman's Sacrifice Honors Patriotism and Duty
Letter from the editor recalls Lt Geary Bauman a Herrin High School and West Point graduate who died in the line of duty. The writer praises his service over self and argues that youth remain capable of altruism and patriotism beyond the draft era, honoring the Geary Baumans as keepers of the nation’s legacy.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Geary Bauman
Herrin High School
West Point
Bauman
Lt. Bauman
Anti Christian Rabbit Test drawn as anti faith critique
A Southern Illinoisan letter condemns the film Rabbit Test for mocking Christianity from conception to birthplace. The writer blasts the PG comedy as promoting anti Christian themes and ethnic jokes, urging readers to skip the movie and sparing no group.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Southern Illinoisan
Christ
Also Mentioned on This Page
Lee Roy Brandon
Illinois Board
Martin Luther King Jr
Joseph Ebbesen
R-Dekalb
Massachusetts
Ilinois
James Thompson
NEA
Talinoss
Boonrock Conty
Geary Baumans
John C. Gardner
William B. Cox Jr
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