New Dixie woes amid progress in the New South
In a three month diary Chet Fuller examines poverty and discrimination in the Deep South. He finds blacks and poor whites trapped by unemployment, inadequate housing, and limited public services despite some political gains and rising black representation.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Chet Fuller
Atlanta Journal
Atlanta
New South I Law
America
Deep South
New South
Old Dixie
A zoning lesson from Benton shows plans can adapt over time
Benton’s experience in Franklin County shows zoning laws can be revised as growth and court challenges require. Chester residents challenge the concept while Benton adapts a sound land use framework to ensure rational growth, with citizen input highlighted as a key zoning advantage.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Benton
Chester
Illinois
Franklin County
Bend Lake
Herbert Mundell
Randolph County
Chester Area
Stanley Maciejski
Do Leaders Make History or Does History Make Leaders
The piece questions if leaders shape history or history creates leaders amid Illinois politics. It criticizes Gov. Thompson and Bakalis for lacking clear policy, Alex Seith for outdated anti communism, and Percy for showy image making. It argues voters need leaders with vision to solve Vietnam era and tax era woes, not TV personas.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Illinois
James Thompson
Thompson
Michael Bakalis
Alex Seith
Charles Percy
Seith
Percy
Senate
Washington
Vietnam
Remedial education policy in Illinois universities
Illinois universities wish to exit remedial education but only if K through 12 schools improve college readiness. IBHE rejected a shutdown, noting removing remedial courses would cost more than $2 million yearly and fail to solve the root problem. Accountability, smaller classes, and parental/community involvement are urged to eliminate the need for such courses in the long run.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Illinois
Illinois Board of Higher Education
IBHE
Letter memorial to a lost American editor in southern illinois
In a heartfelt tribute, David L. Johnson Freeman recalls Frank Baczewski, a small town grocer who opened at 4 a.m. and closed after 9 p.m. Each day he offered wisdom from 70 years of experience, serving as a pillar for his community. The piece laments the decline of small businesses amid vast conglomerates and marks Baczewski’s Aug. 27 death as a loss to America.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Southern Illinoisan
Chicago
America
Texas
Frank Baczewski
David L. Johnson Freeman
Slavery lives in modern work grind at Red Lobster
An Anderson, South Carolina diary excerpt describes taking a job at a Red Lobster with inadequate pay and harsh hours. The writer details debt, debt-fueled acceptance, and grueling chores from 8 a.m. to 4 or 5 p.m. for $2.85 an hour, plus a weekly take of about $106 after deductions. The piece contrasts the manager’s fairness with the brutal, continuous labor and my shrinking funds.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Tupelo
Miss
Plenty
Jim Rankin
The
Journal
Columbia
Red Lobster
Division and longing in a nation of haves and have nots
A speaker recalls shared meals in Americus and rural North Carolina as a journey on poverty’s edge. He sees a widening gulf between rich and poor, black and white, with black officials facing scrutiny and accountability. The piece argues money alone won’t heal the divides and urges education and empathy across communities.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
America
Machine Rouse
North Carolina
Bert Lance
Also Mentioned on This Page
Carbondale-Herrin-Murphysboro
Marion
New Dixie
Black
Beast
Corp
Martin Luther King Jr
City Hall
Gadsden
Ala
Georgia
Alabama
Charlotte
Greensboro
Charleston
Birmingham
S.C
State Job Service
Whitney Street
Americus
DeKalb County
Jimmy Carter
Carter
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