You no doubt remember the old line attributed to Ben Franklin when he was asked what kind of government the Constitutional Convention had created: “A republic, if you can keep it!” Well, I’ve noticed an interesting thing in recent years: ...

Many cultural critics and pundits were in an uproar over the shutout of black talent at the 2020 Golden Globe Awards held Jan. 5. The Golden Globes are voted on by the Hollywood Foreign Press, which is a non-profit organization ...

The end of the year is often the time to reflect on the passing year’s memorable happenings. In keeping with that tradition, here’s my attempt to remind you of a few topics covered by Wayne’s Words columns in 2019. A ...

If you work for a living but are somewhat up in the air about who to vote for in 2020 or for that matter, if you should even bother getting to that crowded polling place, I’d like to ask that ...

In 2019, the Plainfield community continued to support the PHS-CC Needy Family Drive and we feel incredibly blessed. This was our 27th year and our goal consistently remains to make the holiday season a little merrier for families of Plainfield ...

Will County roadways sustain more damage than other municipalities in the United States because we have the world’s largest inland port, CenterPoint in our back yard. The massive warehouses draw elevated levels of truck traffic and pollution to our neighborhoods. ...

When it was announced on December 8th that the late Marvin Miller, the first executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA), had finally been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame I let out a yell of ...

To budget or not to budget was the question at Tuesday’s Joliet City Council meeting. Since the decision was not made this week, the Council will meet again next Thursday. The budget vote requires at least five votes to pass. ...

Not long ago, I was in a meeting to talk about a public policy issue. It was a little complex, and as we considered the various angles I began to think about what it would take to translate talk into ...

When you elect a clown, expect a circus, and this month's impeachment hearings have been precisely that. Yelling, shouting, and disrespectful accusing seem more the rule than the exception. The increased volume of Mr. Trump's tweets echoes his fear and ...

The Prescription Drug Pricing Reduction Act would stall future drug development and deprive Americans of lifesaving cures -- all without reducing patients' out-of-pocket costs. The bill would alter Medicare Part D, the federal prescription drug benefit for seniors and people ...

Contrary to what Big Marijuana wants us to believe, state lawmakers were warned that legal weed would flood Illinois with black market activity. California is now the perfect example. California is considered the largest cannabis market in the world. Their ...

Joliet’s pursuit of a new water source has become a complicated saga of miscommunication and questionable cost comparison information. Last week the DuPage Water Commission sent a letter to Mayor Bob O’Dekirk questioning how cost estimates to become a DWC ...

The battle is on over a fair tax in Illinois. But that’s just the thing. Why is this a battle at all? When Gov. Pritzker laid out his proposal for a graduated income tax last March, he quite plainly made ...

The holidays can be glad, sad or bad. Take your pick and choose a direction I choose glad. Who wants to be sad and who needs bad? I don't want either one and neither do you. There is enough in ...