Desperate for rain up here in Stephenson County. Less than half an inch in last six weeks. Grass is brown and crunchy, plants are dying, trees are dropping leaves, Have only mowed once in the last six weeks, even the weeds stopped growing.
I posted this in the COVID thread yesterday, but a Springfield mom is planning a rally in front of District 186’s headquarters (at Grant Middle School) today at noon to call for the district to return to remote learning.
Maybe ISBE should reconsider their stance against remote learning for this year? And allow districts to offer the all-remote option again. At least until all the variants get under control and until those under 12 can get vaccinated.
Remote learning, as I see it, works for a few, but not all. The burden on the teachers, to provide both in classroom and remote has to stop. It’s not fair to them.
Capitol Fax, as been described by many, and coined by Mike Flannery, is the “800-pound gorilla” of Illinois political blogs.
I read other blogs, more “on occasion”, than habitual, I don’t think blogs are even remotely dead, what I’ve come to realize is the bar of quality, information, and the commitment to the community in its feedback and “adding”… I need, as a consumer of information and the time I’m willing to devote, the bar that is high, and many who have fallen to the wayside may have not had the recipe blogs like Capitol Fax has to make such restaurant quality content.
I do, very much, appreciate Zorn recognizing that great blogs do exist… and it’s no accident why they are so great
=Maybe ISBE should reconsider their stance against remote learning for this year?=
Why? The kids are safer in school where we make them keep their masks on and socially distance if only between 7:30am and 3:30pm. The spread is happening outside of school when those mitigations are not being practiced.
Remote learning was, by all indications, bad for the overwhelming majority of students both academically and in terms of their mental health.
We need people to smarten up, get off facebook, follow the mitigations, and get vaccinated.
Zorn’s work is so layered, smart and welcome even if I disagree with his point of view sometimes. what an incredible contrast to what Kass is putting out, with his legion of screaming stans on Facebook.
Yours is my first and only blog. I have learned a lot about Illinois politics here. Having spent half my life in Virginia (the Commonwealth, not the town), I must admit I was shocked by the nature of politics in Illinois when I first moved here 27 years ago. Republicans and Democrats here seemed different, even if platforms were roughly similar.
Reading your blog over the past couple years has helped me better understand the rationale of political parties in Illinois better. Thanks, and also thanks to the regular contributors here.
I won’t say blogs are out of style since I still blog. The attention is now on social media which didn’t exist back when I started blogging. At least back then facebook and YouTube were starting to grow.
Yesterday, I went for late breakfast out for the first time in a long time on the Northwest side at Bryn Mawr & Kimball, and walking back to my car, passed a CPS grade school with recess in full swing. It was so great to see kids actively playing, running, shouting, doing cartwheels, and interacting with each other (and not with a screen). They all had their masks on but masking wasn’t bothering them a bit. I felt hopeful.
Good to see Zorn back…Capt Fax is the Cadillac of solid info….Feder continues to scoop others on media “news” Not familiar with others. Wondering if there is central place to go to monetize this stuff? Might avoid fate of newspapers.
=Maybe ISBE should reconsider their stance against remote learning for this year? =
My very scientific analysis of my own 2 children shows that remote learning worked very well for 50% of kids and was an utter disaster for the other 50%.
So when does @statehousechick bring her blog online? Kass got his anger online right away after leaving the Trib.
Guessing Jeanne Ives and some others would love to be interviewed for it? Maybe a podcast?
I see Statehouse Chick more about a podcast or working in radio, also trying to find a television pundit slot.
It’s easier to lob ridiculous bombs in those mediums than writing about wanting a deadly hurricane as a savior and those words haunting for years after.
Say something in a podcast, in radio, tee-vee… different than a written word.
- very old soil - Friday, Sep 17, 21 @ 2:47 am:
Desperate for rain up here in Stephenson County. Less than half an inch in last six weeks. Grass is brown and crunchy, plants are dying, trees are dropping leaves, Have only mowed once in the last six weeks, even the weeds stopped growing.
- Anyone Remember - Friday, Sep 17, 21 @ 3:07 am:
Will we see a repeat of the 1917 World Series - White Sox v. Giants?
- NonAFSCMEStateEmployeeFromChatham - Friday, Sep 17, 21 @ 4:56 am:
I posted this in the COVID thread yesterday, but a Springfield mom is planning a rally in front of District 186’s headquarters (at Grant Middle School) today at noon to call for the district to return to remote learning.
Maybe ISBE should reconsider their stance against remote learning for this year? And allow districts to offer the all-remote option again. At least until all the variants get under control and until those under 12 can get vaccinated.
https://www.sj-r.com/story/news/2021/09/16/sangamon-county-reports-15th-death-september-due-covid-19/8361884002/
- NonAFSCMEStateEmployeeFromChatham - Friday, Sep 17, 21 @ 5:24 am:
The last Sears store in Illinois, at Schaumburg’s Woodfield Mall, will be closing in November:
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/09/16/sears-is-shutting-its-last-store-in-illinois-its-home-state.html
I assume that Kmart is also totally gone in Illinois too.
- Broom - Friday, Sep 17, 21 @ 5:58 am:
Remote learning is terrible for the kids…. hope we can hold out in person until the vaccine is available for kids.
- Blue Dog - Friday, Sep 17, 21 @ 6:12 am:
Remote learning, as I see it, works for a few, but not all. The burden on the teachers, to provide both in classroom and remote has to stop. It’s not fair to them.
- Sangamo Girl - Friday, Sep 17, 21 @ 7:10 am:
Love me some Zorn. Glad to see him back on substack. And congrats for the CapFax call out in such august company[banned punctuation.]
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Sep 17, 21 @ 8:04 am:
Capitol Fax, as been described by many, and coined by Mike Flannery, is the “800-pound gorilla” of Illinois political blogs.
I read other blogs, more “on occasion”, than habitual, I don’t think blogs are even remotely dead, what I’ve come to realize is the bar of quality, information, and the commitment to the community in its feedback and “adding”… I need, as a consumer of information and the time I’m willing to devote, the bar that is high, and many who have fallen to the wayside may have not had the recipe blogs like Capitol Fax has to make such restaurant quality content.
I do, very much, appreciate Zorn recognizing that great blogs do exist… and it’s no accident why they are so great
- JS Mill - Friday, Sep 17, 21 @ 8:10 am:
=Maybe ISBE should reconsider their stance against remote learning for this year?=
Why? The kids are safer in school where we make them keep their masks on and socially distance if only between 7:30am and 3:30pm. The spread is happening outside of school when those mitigations are not being practiced.
Remote learning was, by all indications, bad for the overwhelming majority of students both academically and in terms of their mental health.
We need people to smarten up, get off facebook, follow the mitigations, and get vaccinated.
- Amalia - Friday, Sep 17, 21 @ 8:35 am:
Zorn’s work is so layered, smart and welcome even if I disagree with his point of view sometimes. what an incredible contrast to what Kass is putting out, with his legion of screaming stans on Facebook.
- H-W - Friday, Sep 17, 21 @ 9:11 am:
Yours is my first and only blog. I have learned a lot about Illinois politics here. Having spent half my life in Virginia (the Commonwealth, not the town), I must admit I was shocked by the nature of politics in Illinois when I first moved here 27 years ago. Republicans and Democrats here seemed different, even if platforms were roughly similar.
Reading your blog over the past couple years has helped me better understand the rationale of political parties in Illinois better. Thanks, and also thanks to the regular contributors here.
- Levois J - Friday, Sep 17, 21 @ 9:17 am:
I won’t say blogs are out of style since I still blog. The attention is now on social media which didn’t exist back when I started blogging. At least back then facebook and YouTube were starting to grow.
- Three Dimensional Checkers - Friday, Sep 17, 21 @ 9:17 am:
Sox Machine is a great Sox blog. High quality baseball writing and nuanced takes on the economic and political issues that come up around baseball.
- 32nd Ward Roscoe Village - Friday, Sep 17, 21 @ 9:18 am:
Yesterday, I went for late breakfast out for the first time in a long time on the Northwest side at Bryn Mawr & Kimball, and walking back to my car, passed a CPS grade school with recess in full swing. It was so great to see kids actively playing, running, shouting, doing cartwheels, and interacting with each other (and not with a screen). They all had their masks on but masking wasn’t bothering them a bit. I felt hopeful.
- Annonin' - Friday, Sep 17, 21 @ 9:25 am:
Good to see Zorn back…Capt Fax is the Cadillac of solid info….Feder continues to scoop others on media “news” Not familiar with others. Wondering if there is central place to go to monetize this stuff? Might avoid fate of newspapers.
- Cheryl44 - Friday, Sep 17, 21 @ 9:49 am:
Substack, where Zorn is posting, is monetized.
- Joe Bidenopolous - Friday, Sep 17, 21 @ 9:54 am:
==Yesterday, I went for late breakfast ==
Bryn Mawr Breakfast Club? That place rocks
=Maybe ISBE should reconsider their stance against remote learning for this year? =
My very scientific analysis of my own 2 children shows that remote learning worked very well for 50% of kids and was an utter disaster for the other 50%.
- Frank talks - Friday, Sep 17, 21 @ 10:10 am:
So when does @statehousechick bring her blog online? Kass got his anger online right away after leaving the Trib.
Guessing Jeanne Ives and some others would love to be interviewed for it? Maybe a podcast?
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Sep 17, 21 @ 10:21 am:
===@statehousechick===
I see Statehouse Chick more about a podcast or working in radio, also trying to find a television pundit slot.
It’s easier to lob ridiculous bombs in those mediums than writing about wanting a deadly hurricane as a savior and those words haunting for years after.
Say something in a podcast, in radio, tee-vee… different than a written word.
Wonder if her podcast will have guests?