Illinois News Network | Archive

Stanley Cup Stands as Best Trophy in Sports

Hockey may play third fiddle in many towns (and fourth everywhere else), but trophy to the NHL champions stands alone because of the Stanley Cup’s culture. By Justin Shimko You can see it on parade after parade. Bars see profits soar on mere rumors of its arrival. There’s even a mobile app to help you […]

June 25, 2015Comments Off on Stanley Cup Stands as Best Trophy in SportsRead More

Radically Centered: OU’s SAE Racist Remarks Present Teaching Moment

March 10, 2015 Comments Off

What happened at Sigma Alpha Epsilon is a disgrace, disgusting and demeaning, but it also creates a chance to eliminate of racism on campus and beyond. by Justin Shimko It took all of three seconds for me to go from curious to shocked to outraged when I received a link to a story from a […]

Radically Centered: Daylight Saving Time is a Failed Experiment

March 5, 2015 Comments Off

Daylight Saving Time is nothing more than an arbitrary exercise in controlling the uncontrollable. So why do we continue to do it? By Justin Shimko Sunday morning, churchgoers will wake up to alarms that are seemingly earlier than normal. Monday morning, parents will struggle to wake up their kids as toddlers on up to high […]

Radically Centered: Rauner Budget Begins New Tango in Springfield

February 26, 2015 Comments Off

The Rauner Budget Proposal has him and Madigan doing something Springfield has not seen in years: negotiate. by Justin Shimko Something strange happened in Springfield last week. While masses of Catholics, Lutherans, Episcopalians and many other Christians going to the lunchroom and local parishes to receive their ashes to mark the start of Lent, Gov. […]

Radically Centered: Adults Need a Snow Day, Too.

February 4, 2015 Comments Off

Hearing the words snow day brings joy to children all over the north, but it may be a way to reduce a prolonged problem with adults, too. By Justin Shimko Snow days for a child in Chicago must be an adventurous good time. I could imagine kids getting giddy at sleeping in, bundling up to […]

Radically Centered: Redefining Poverty

January 28, 2015 Comments Off

There will always be poverty people, but we seem stuck on trying to win an unwinnable battle. It’s time to redefine the fight. by Justin Shimko Last week, I laid out the fundamental problem with increasing the minimum wage. That concept, along with higher taxes for the rich and more economic programs that create negligible […]

Radically Centered: Minimum Wage Isn’t The Answer

January 22, 2015 1 Comment

Minimum Wage increases won’t help the poor, no matter how high you raise the rate. By Justin Shimko The State of the Union, oftentimes the best and most-watched speech of the year for a President, is typically where we see new policy initiatives and a recap of previous ones, successful or not. What we saw […]

Quinn No-Show Proves Sore Loser Label

January 15, 2015 Comments Off

Quinn’s actions could be compared to the 5-year-old who fails to win at whack-a-mole at Chuck E. Cheese’s, only there’s no pizza around to dry his three-month-old tears. by Justin Shimko As Gov. Pat Quinn’s moments running the embattled and cash-strapped state died out, Illinoisans across the Prairie State caught a good glimpse of the […]

From the Right: Charlie Hebdo and Censorship

January 7, 2015 Comments Off

Islamists may have attacked Charlie Hebdo out of cowardice, but that doesn’t excuse censorship among news organizations. By Justin Shimko This morning started like any other for billions of people on this planet. This evening ended in tragedy for 12 in a Paris news office after terrorists showed their cowardice in attacking the Charlie Hebdo […]

From the Right: Remembering Judy Baar Topinka

December 10, 2014 Comments Off

Illinois Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka was a true leader in Illinois, providing the blueprint for winning as a Republican in Illinois. by Justin Shimko The State of Illinois lost a fantastic woman early Wednesday morning as Illinois Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka passed away suddenly after suffering a stroke just the day before. The news shocked […]