Column: Expert offers some fruitful advice to save my dying apple treeDespite so many ugly barren branches, despite its sad and sickly appearance, it has produced enough apples, albeit far smaller, to feed a large army of hungry marauders. August 04, 2023
Column: Paramount’s powerful ‘Next to Normal’ confronts mental illness and griefSecond Bold Series launches at Copley Theatre with a Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning rock musical that's hard to turn away from. August 03, 2023
Column: ‘Sound of Freedom’ dividing while conquering at box officeThe summer's sleeper hit focusing on the problem of child sex-trafficking has drawn plenty of controversy but also a big audience. August 01, 2023
Column: Officials, residents in Aurora say Hello Fresh situation creating headaches The city of Aurora and Hello Fresh insist they are working to alleviate sound and smell issues from the food plant, but some residents say they are still struggling with issues concerning the facility. July 30, 2023
Column: Longtime Aurora area coach Jeff Swanson remembered for his impact on young peopleHundreds of young men from the Aurora area lost their longtime football and baseball mentor when Swanson recently passed away. July 28, 2023
Column: GAR museum in Aurora looks to past to build for the futureAurora landmark built to honor Civil War veterans continues to garner awards and a community's attention. July 27, 2023
Beloved high school student’s 2021 suicide a rallying cry for Oswego communityThe 71 Reasons and More Foundation, which focuses on promoting mental health awareness in the Fox Valley, was created to honor the legacy of Mark Chapas Jr. July 25, 2023
Column: Comprehensive approach needed to deal with gun violenceAddressing the issue of gun violence will require an approach that considers the underlying social, cultural and political factors contributing to the problem. July 23, 2023
Column: ‘Favorite son’ returns to Paramount in Aurora for Bold Series musicalJake Ziman, son of former Aurora Police Chief Kristin Ziman, has a key role in the show “Next to Normal,” which will kick off the second season of the Paramount Theatre’s Bold Series beginning July 26 at the Copley Theatre in downtown Aurora. July 21, 2023
Column: Aurora man says capturing photos of recent funnel cloud ‘as close as I ever want to come’ to oneThe funnel cloud was later determined to be the end of what the National Weather Service confirmed as an EF-O tornado that traveled a 4.2-mile path mostly through Oswego and Boulder Hill. July 20, 2023
Column: CASA Kane County celebrating 35 years as the voice for abused and neglected kidsMore volunteers are needed after the pandemic dramatically drove up the number of cases of abused and neglected children in local communities. July 18, 2023
Column: A big salute to Fourth of July parade in AuroraThe return of downtown Aurora's Independence Day event was perfectly timed. July 13, 2023
Column: New lab results no help in solving brutal cold-case killing of Aurora teen in 1965An Aurora Police Department detective finally heard from the Illinois State Crime Lab about the evidence he sent last fall that he hoped would crack open the 1965 killing of Nanette Hartman, who was 14 years old when she was stabbed 62 times in her home on Aurora’s East Side. July 11, 2023
Column: Buying into Batavia’s new plastic bag policyA new ordinance that requires shoppers to pay a 10-cent fee per single-use plastic bag used in Batavia is being applauded by some and vilified by others. July 07, 2023
Column: Losing close friend and dad just hours apart a ‘double whammy’ for Aurora Police Department commanderAs a survivor of breast cancer, a brain tumor and the challenges of a long career in law enforcement, Aurora Police Commander Liz Robinson-Chan knows a thing or two about perseverance.That resolve was especially needed on June 19 when her close friend and “Auntie” Scheketa Hart-Burns passed away, and a few hours later, Robinson-Chan also lost her 73-year-old father. July 06, 2023
Column: Ode to Aurora’s Hail Mary pass to get the Chicago BearsGetting poetic about city's bid to land the Bears. June 30, 2023
Column: Construction on Farnsworth Avenue leads to end of the road for Goody’s restaurant in Aurora: ‘This place is really going to be missed’Work on a bridge on Farnsworth, that has included long delays, was too much for Goody's to withstand, says its longtime owner, who is closing the business July 2. June 29, 2023
Column: Shortage of home care nurses keeping Montgomery child in hospitalDoctors say 1-year-old Nicholas Rizo can’t be discharged until the family has at least 40 hours a week of home nursing care secured for him, family members said. June 27, 2023
Column: Ethics should be of paramount importance for members of U.S. Supreme CourtAssociate Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is at the center of reports of possible ethical indiscretions. June 25, 2023
Column: Residents vs. industrial a developing story in Fox ValleyAs those in Sugar Grove and Blackberry Township continue to debate a proposed development at the Interstate 88/Route 47 interchange, some Montgomery residents find themselves concerned about a concrete plant and mining operation planned in their area. June 23, 2023
Column: More couples saying ‘I do’ when it comes to having pets included in their weddingsSocial media and waiting longer to tie the knot have led to more ceremonies and receptions that include those four-legged family members. June 22, 2023
Column: Aurora mourns death of Ald. Scheketa Hart-Burns: ‘There is a huge, huge gap in our community’Scheketa Hart-Burns "passed the torch" when she died on Juneteenth. Now it is up to the community she loved to keep her legacy going. June 20, 2023
Column: Love of baseball helps Fox Valley father and son cope through tragedy and medical challengesTragedies and medical issues have plagued longtime Aurora-area coach Ernesto Alvarez and his son Enrique, who has to put his summer ball plans on hold to undergo cancer treatment. June 16, 2023
Letter: Balance needed in document handling issueLetter writer offers thoughts on document handling issue. June 16, 2023
Column: Coach Jim Scott a true legend at Aurora UniversityScott key when school's football program was reborn in the 1980s. June 16, 2023
Column: Forget email and text messages. Here’s why I print and mail letters to my children every month.Columnist Ted Slowik writes, prints and mails letters every month to his two adult children so they will have a tangible, written record of their shared history from an era of digital text messaging and social media pictures. June 15, 2023
Column: Honoring history of long-gone Madonna High School in Aurora a labor of loveA group of alumni from the well-respected but now-shuttered Catholic girls high school is archiving the many documents, files and photos left behind after its doors closed in 1968. June 13, 2023
Letters: There are ways to help fix CongressLetter writers discuss Congress, old Geneva structure. June 11, 2023
Column: Started by Maddie Bozik when she was a child in North Aurora, Maddie’s Mittens keeps on growing to help those in need The clothing drive the now-24-year-old woman started years ago in her parents’ North Aurora garage recently learned it was the recipient of an Illinois Infrastructure Improvement Grant in the amount of $320,000. June 09, 2023
Column: Lawns brown and rivers run low as dry conditions persist in the Fox ValleyDue to dry conditions, it looks and feels like we are already into late July, gazing onto parched fields while fondly recalling blades of emerald green. June 08, 2023