To our family and friends, Thank you. During a time like this, we realize how much our family and friends really mean to us. Thank you for your visits, texts, calls, flowers, food, and donations to the American Diabetes Association and the Partnership for Educational Excellence District 7. Your expression of sympathy will always be […]

Miners fans, After a successful inaugural meeting, the Gillespie Football Boosters are having a second meeting on Monday, April 22 at 6:30 in the Ben-Gil Cafeteria. We are encouraging anyone wanting to help the football programs to participate. Sincerely, Jake Bilbruck GHS Head Coach

Dear Miner Fan, The Gillespie High School football coaches would like to invite you to a roundtable discussion of football fundraising options for the upcoming summer offseason. Without a traditional football booster club, the team is in need of annual fundraising to provide benefits to our student-athletes.  We are seeking input and assistance from both […]

SPRINGFIELD – Without an increase to the teacher minimum wage and other changes to reverse Illinois’ teacher shortage, people should get comfortable with reports like one released this week showing the crisis is worsening. “Either you’re comfortable with the crisis, or you should be comfortable with changes in state policy to fix it. That’s a […]

Dear Benld Residents, Last year, the Benld City Council unanimously approved placing a referendum asking the residents of Benld to increase their property taxes to make the police department more financially solvent.  On April 2 you will have the opportunity to decide whether or not to approve this referendum to increase your property taxes 42 […]

Dear CUSD#7 Friends, Please allow me to take this opportunity to inform you about student performance on 2018 state assessments. District students took PARCC, Illinois Science, and SAT tests last spring assessing knowledge and mastery in English language arts, mathematics, and science. Students, teachers, administrators and support staff have worked tirelessly to improve instruction, align […]

Hi, my name is Owen Sullivan. I have been an independent pharmacy owner and pharmacist for the past 26 years in Central Illinois. Typically, I keep my politics to myself, especially as a small business owner. I generally lean Republican, but I have always voted for the candidate that best represents my beliefs, morals and […]

Dear Editor: Today, more than ever, our Second Amendment rights are under attack. Anti-gunners seem only concerned with one thing, taking away our guns. It starts with a ban on certain types of firearms, then magazines and firearm accessories, then a total firearm ban leaving us unable to defend ourselves or our loved ones. Unlike […]

To the editor, First, a brief lesson in recent history: Four years ago, voters in the 95th Legislative District re-elected Wayne Rosenthal, a Republican with a proven record of representing his district, as State Representative. Sensing that Rosenthal was too independent to reliably support his agenda, newly elected Governor Bruce Rauner elevated Rosenthal to a […]

Dear Editor, Now more than ever, I am concerned about the growing political divide in our country that is pitting neighbor against neighbor and turning our democracy into a political game show. Our ideological differences seem to matter more than what unites us and harsh words and hate have taken precedence over reason and good […]

Dear Editor, Last election, the Litchfield Chamber of Commerce hosted a candidate forum. It served as an important opportunity for voters to hear from local candidates on issues facing our communities and our state.  This forum was neutral, well-respected, well-attended, and aired on the radio. I attended the forum, not only as a candidate to […]

Dear editor, A tax on the number of miles a person drives is a terrible idea for rural and downstate residents of Illinois. That’s why I filed Senate Resolution 1589 months ago firmly objecting to such an idea – even though there is no such plan pending in the legislature. Unfortunately, only one other state senator […]

Greetings, On behalf of the Board of Education and administration, welcome to the 2018-19 school year. Every new school year presents an opportunity for staff, parents and the community as a whole to renew a commitment of unity in the quest to build a positive learning environment. This year is no exception as the Board […]

Dear Editor, I am writing in regard to the proposed dissolution of the Benld Police Department and the contractual hiring of the Gillespie Police Department to provide police services to the citizens of Benld. In that the voters of Benld elect absolutely no municipal officials within the City of Gillespie, this proposal amounts to the […]

In a recent poll held a couple weeks ago (June 26-28) by Victory Research, Democrat J.B. Pritzker had a 15-point lead over incumbent Republican Bruce Rauner in this heavily contested gubernatorial race. If you just looked at Rauner and Pritzker alone, it’s a tight race in central and southern Illinois. While the city of Chicago […]

Dear Editor, My campaign has and will continue to point out Andy Manar’s voting record. Manar’s record includes a tax hike on all Illinois residents, taxpayer funded abortions, sanctuary for illegal aliens, transgender birth certificates, and LGBTQ curriculum in public schools. This is not “Fake News”. I would encourage your readers to visit the ILGA […]

Dear editor, Seth McMillan is at it again with fake news, only this time he’s relying on the Chicago political machine he professes to hate so much to help him spread his lies. A few months back we caught him lying on Facebook with paid ads about my vote on legislation that would impact the power plant […]

Letter To the Editor, We are writing today with great concern for our children. We have recently learned about Illinois Senate Bill 3249. This bill, if passed, would amend the School Code to require that the “teaching of history of the United States in public schools shall include a study of the role and contributions […]

Dear editor, I am from Carlinville, Illinois and our State Representative is Avery Bourne. We recently have been hearing from many people here in Macoupin County that Representative Bourne is being encouraged to resign after the primary election. We are told this is because she has been living outside the district in Sherman, Illinois with […]