Recent Contributions
Illinois Historic Sites Could Face Deep Cuts
by DIRK JOHNSON | Feb 1, 2012
Illinois is so broke that virtually nothing is sacred: Even historic sites connected to Abraham Lincoln could face significant cuts in the upcoming state budget. State preservation officials warn that expected deep cuts, coming after reductions of 15 percent and 16 percent in the past two years, will risk shuttering some locations and cutting back
Woman Who Inspired Farmers’ Help Dies
by DIRK JOHNSON | Jan 20, 2012
Carol Bolander, 45, whose battle with cancer inspired the DeKalb County farm community to pull together and harvest her family’s crops, died on Jan. 12 at home before dawn on the prairie, with her husband, Glenn, clasping her hands. “Just the two of us together,” said Mr. Bolander, 47, a tall farmer who shed tears
For Ailing Family, A Reminder of Community
by DIRK JOHNSON | Nov 16, 2011
Even for a farmer as strong as Glenn Bolander, with hands as callused as sandpaper and a stance that reaches six-foot-four, emotions get rubbed raw with heartache. His wife, Carol, is battling cancer. Cancer or not, harvest season still comes to farm country. For all its poetic lore, the harvest is an intensely demanding time.
Chicago Exurbs See a Bust After a Long Boom
by DIRK JOHNSON | Aug 22, 2011
Far west suburban Yorkville scarcely looks as if it was once one of America’s hottest boomtowns. In some subdivisions, lots for big homes are patches of scrub grass and rocky soil. Weeds crawl up around some curbs. A mere handful of houses dot the barren landscape. “This was going to be the place to be,”
Taking on the Catholic Church, from Chicago
by DIRK JOHNSON | Aug 1, 2011
It’s a long way from the Vatican to Roscoe Village, but a group based in that North Side neighborhood is leading a high-profile protest among American priests that challenges the Roman Catholic Church’s ban on ordination of women. The group, Call to Action, an organization for reform-minded Catholics, has collected signatures of more than 150
After Amputation, Wrestler Tries to Ease Rival’s Pain
by DIRK JOHNSON | Mar 5, 2011
BELVIDERE, Ill. — When Heriberto Avila lost his leg as a result of an accident during a high school wrestling match in January, he and his family could have started calling lawyers. They could have turned bitter or angry.
RV Business Revives, Spreading Economic Benefits Widely
by DIRK JOHNSON | Jul 1, 2010
ELKHART, Ind. — Working so hard on the assembly line that his T-shirt was soaked, Clint Lehman hustled to build a camper trailer meant for someone else’s vacation. He could not have been happier. “It’s great to be back,” said Mr. Lehman, a stocky 29-year-old who had been laid off for eight months last year.
DuPage Struggles to Handle Increased Need for Public Aid
by DIRK JOHNSON | Jun 17, 2010
Not far from million-dollar homes in DuPage County, a line of people spills through the doors of a public aid office in Villa Park, now the busiest branch of the Illinois Department of Human Services. As many as 900 county residents come to the office every day looking for food stamps, emergency financial assistance and
Advice From a Winning Republican Governor
by DIRK JOHNSON | May 30, 2010
While this state has elected governors who did not eventually face indictment or go to prison, most college students were not yet born, or are too young to remember.
Library Buys 14th-Century Book by Catholic Rebels
by DIRK JOHNSON | Apr 18, 2010
Denounced by the Vatican as heretical some seven centuries ago, the writings of an influential Franciscan dissident have found their way to the fourth floor of the Newberry Library. The handwritten texts of Peter John Olivi, bought last month jointly with the University of Notre Dame, could shed light on theological disputes during the early