Happiness filled Wrigley Field.

Happiness filled Wrigley Field. It rang out in laughter, in chatter, in cheers. It reverberated in the organ music, in the shout of the hotdog man, in the crack of the bat. You could see it in the steps of the grounds keepers as they raked the baselines. You could feel it in the flap of the flags lining the ballpark. But most of all you could sense it even behind our masked faces. We were all smiling. And even though there were only 10,000 of us instead of the usual crowd of 40,000, happiness

"I know what you're thinking."

"I know what you're thinking." Ever have anyone do that to you? Splash right into the big puddle of your thoughts and you suddenly feel exposed. Then you relax. Of course they can't read your mind. They can only guess. Or they can gently ask, "Penny for your thoughts." (Why is it always a penny? Our thoughts are valuable. Should be a million bucks for your thoughts.) What's interesting is how we respond. I think we tend to dodge and weave. We don't reveal what we are thinking. We shrug it off

In the arsenal of what keeps us alive, food comes to the top of the list, right next to water and oxygen. Thankfully, we all have choices. Another new exciting choice is coming to McHenry County: The Food Shed Co-op, owned and operated by its owner/members. Food Shed will offer a significant percentage of products from local vendors.

In the arsenal of what keeps us alive, food comes to the top of the list, right next to water and oxygen. Thankfully, we all have choices. Another new exciting choice is coming to McHenry County: The Food Shed Co-op, owned and operated by its owner/members. Food Shed will offer a significant percentage of products from local vendors. Here’s the thing though: Owner-operated means us -- you and I. I have been a Food Shed member from the beginning. My $200 membership entitled me to hang in there

Happy Birthday, WNIJ! I remember when I turned 30 - well sort of. My recollection of when I started listening to WNIJ, however, is clear. In the 1990’s I was living down under in Sydney, and my mate in Geneva would mail me tapes of WNIJ broadcasts -- yes, cassette tapes! Programs like the Saturday Blues that Dan Klefstad curated and hosted, along with NPR news and arts features. My passion for radio kicked in, and I volunteered at a community station.

Happy Birthday, WNIJ! I remember when I turned 30 - well sort of. My recollection of when I started listening to WNIJ, however, is clear. In the 1990’s I was living down under in Sydney, and my mate in Geneva would mail me tapes of WNIJ broadcasts -- yes, cassette tapes! Programs like the Saturday Blues that Dan Klefstad curated and hosted, along with NPR news and arts features. My passion for radio kicked in, and I volunteered at a community station. Years later when I moved back to Illinois, I

The Derek Chauvin trial for the murder of George Floyd has gone to jury and I'm numb.

The Derek Chauvin trial for the murder of George Floyd has gone to jury and I'm numb. When the killing happened, I decided to only watch the footage of the killing once out of respect. Now I have watched this chronicle of depravity hundreds of times and it doesn't get any easier. And it's not sadness, nor anger -- it's trauma. Yale sociologist Jeffrey Alexander says cultural trauma occurs when members of a group feel they have been subjected to a horrendous event that leaves indelible marks upon