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It was only fair
Sooner or later, every rookie reporter must face the ugly facts: Somewhere, sometime, there will be a school board meeting she will have to cover. A veteran opinion monger like me faces a similar dilemma. As he seeks to meet readers’ demands for wisdom on a deadline, he must occasionally write about education funding.

The U.S. and North Korea: Give peace a chance
This triangle of the world is where the two world powers brush up against each other in a perilous friction caused by an upstart nuclear power. Kim Jong Un, the North Korean leader, threatens to hit us with nuclear fire. Perhaps after decades of failed U.

Do-It-Yourselfers unite
Such an attack on individual and independent fixers is unprecedented – with cabals in industry after industry asserting their ownership control far after sales.

LETTERS
SOLAR PARKING METERS Thank you Bruce Rushton, for your excellent article on parking, including the Decatur idea, worth considering, of yanking all the parking meters. [See “Time expired?” July 20.] One of the biggest problems with parking meters is they make you guess how long you’ll be gone and then insert the money for that time.

No plan yet to pass a bill
A court ruled during the Rod Blagojevich-era that the General Assembly must convene at the date and time ordered by the governor, but Rauner’s staff found nothing in state statutes that gives the governor the power to, for instance, deploy the Illinois State Police to haul legislators to Springfield.

FLY FISHING
“They catch them with their hands, they’re drunk all the time.” This is an analysis of the annual Redneck Fishing Tournament recently overheard in a Springfi eld offi ce that shall remain nameless, and it is pretty much spot on, especially the part about being drunk.

MISTER TRANSPARENCY? OOF!
Just ask him. The gov who keeps losing Freedom of Information Act cases – IT prevailed after the governor balked at releasing his appointment calendar; the Springfi eld Business Journal, our sister publication, recently won a ruling from the attorney...

A haven for neighborhood kids
“One little girl who is about six, when she found out the dog was coming, said ‘I don’t like dogs, dogs frighten me,’” said library coordinator Barbara Kienzler. The girl, along with her brother and sister, expressed fear of dogs and all three kept their distance – for a while.

No fracking way
IDNR granted a public comment period regarding the Woolsey well permit application, which, not coincidentally, expired on the day of the protests.

Illinois, nuke dump
In reality, though, that radioactive waste – tens of thousands of tons of it – is sitting in temporary storage at dozens of current and former nuclear power sites all over the country, as it has been for decades. The largest portion of it is divided among seven sites that dot the nation’s fifth-largest state: Illinois.

When life gives you too much basil…
I spent the summer between high school and college working as a maintenance man at a girls’ summer camp in Wisconsin. I was known as “Mr. Pete” and I shared the duties with a college student known as “Mr. Tim.” The camp operated under very strict rules and Mr.

Scarce emotional connection bogs down Detroit
The flashpoint that began the riots occurred at a club in the early morning of July 23 where a party was being thrown for returning African-American Vietnam veterans. A disturbance is reported and the police arrive and begin emptying the club, only to be met by an angry crowd that’s gathered outside.

August with gusto
Check out the Billy’s Tumbleweed Retro Reunion this Saturday evening starting at 5 at Weebles Bar & Grill on Peoria Road (the old Horseshoe Lounge, for those of an age). For decades, Billy’s was a great, hard-partying, live country music roadhouse bar off North Dirksen, owned by the Barr family.

BAND SPOTLIGHT | Midnight River Choir
This Texas quartet (they’re really from New Braunfels, but people just say Austin) got their name from an incident on the first night they met. While floating together down the Guadalupe River, they bonded by harmonizing and singing songs through the night.

PUB CRAWL
James Armstrong Presents: Dan Rivero.

THE CALENDAR
Powerlight Super Cruise and Movie Night.

FAIRS & FESTIVALS | Circus sans animals
If family-friendly fun is what you’re after this weekend, don’t miss Cirque Italia, an animal-free traveling “water circus.” Cirque Italia, which has been performed internationally more than 1,000 times, takes place under a swirling blue and white tent featuring a one-of-a-kind stage filled with 35,000 gallons of water.

FAIRS & FESTIVALS | Hot in here
Get ready to enjoy Decatur’s strongest summer tradition, as the Decatur Celebration roars to life for its 32 nd year.

FAIRS & FESTIVALS | Celebrate the Mother Road
Start your engines bright and early for the Fifth Annual Powerlight Abraham Lincoln Car Show Spectacular. The car show, free to all spectators, will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., rain or shine. Vehicle registration will occur from 8 a.m. to noon and judging will run from noon to 4 p.