Four Illinois counties to vote on secession from Chicago. What if they succeed?
Matthew Rago, Editor-in-Chief
May 16, 2020
Shelby County, Ill., voted Thursday to include a question on the November ballot examining whether the Land of Lincoln should eject Chicago from Illinois. Shelby County becomes the fourth county to include the question of secession, joining Effingham, Lafayette and Jefferson counties. As the fissure b...
Trump vs. Biden: How did we get here, America?
Matthew Rago, Editor-in-Chief
May 4, 2020
In a harrowing rehash of the 2016 general election, Americans are once again presented with a false choice, forced to select between two uninspiring leaders with a history of alleged sexual misconduct. When Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders' decided to suspend his presidential campaign, the politically-educated...
Chronicling Joe Biden’s vendetta against recreational drug use
Rachel Willard, Arts & Life Editor
April 17, 2020
Joe Biden’s stance on cannabis and recreational drug use is not only prehistoric but also needlessly hinders the United States’ ability to resolve substance abuse-related issues. Biden, whose well-documented vendetta against recreational drug use saw the former Delaware senator prohibit researc...
Instructors are grading students on their ability to teach themselves. Just end the semester.
Matthew Rago, Editor-in-Chief
April 8, 2020
Northeastern Illinois University’s decision to move forward with the remainder of its spring semester is a clear acknowledgment that the grade matters more than the instruction that precedes it. After returning from an extended spring break, students are essentially tasked with educating themselve...
Tame Impala releases reimagined version of ‘The Slow Rush’ amid global pandemic
Rachel Willard, Arts & Life Editor
April 6, 2020
Tame Impala, the Australian-based psychedelic rock project founded by Kevin Parker, recently took to youtube to release The Slow Rush In An Imaginary Place, a reimagined version of his latest album. A much needed reprieve from the limitations of social distancing, the immersive mix is a welcome escap...
Opinion | Gavin Newsom commutes convicted child murderers, goes too far left
Matthew Rago, Editor-in-Chief
March 31, 2020
On Monday afternoon, California Gov. Gavin Newsom commuted the prison sentences of 21 state prison inmates over fears surrounding the transmission of coronavirus COVID-19. Fourteen of the 21 sentences commuted by Newsom involve murder or a related crime. Two of those sentences resulted from the death...
Lane: How coronavirus COVID-19 affects oil demand, prices
Daniel J. Lane, Writer
March 30, 2020
As oil prices plummet to levels unseen since the late 20th century, commuting students at Northeastern Illinois University rejoice. But like other campuses across the globe, NEIU remains shuttered “for the duration” of the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic as the virus continues its deadly course. Ev...
The dilemma surrounding online-only education
Daniel J. Lane, Writer
March 26, 2020
In response to the current coronavirus pandemic, 272 institutions of higher learning in the United States have either closed or gone online-only, according to Bryan Alexander of Georgetown University The ad hoc effort put together by Alexander, a senior scholar at Georgetown University, shows how,...
Opinion | Breaking down the effect “Bernie Bros” have on Sanders’ campaign
Daniel J. Lane, Writer
March 22, 2020
With 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders’ campaign reeling, detractors of his coalition are blaming his fall from Democratic frontrunner to distant second on what some consider pro-Sanders zealotry. Since 2016, a significant portion of the media narrative surrounding the Ver...
OPINION: Biden suffers from cognitive impairment. Here’s how that affects the Democrats.
Daniel J. Lane, Writer
March 13, 2020
“There are definitely moments,” Democratic senator (and then-presidential candidate) Cory Booker told CNN viewers last fall, “when you just wonder.” Booker was referring to former Democratic vice president and presidential candidate Joe Biden’s speech habits, which to some minds (like Booker...
OPINION: Mike Bloomberg should not run as an Independent
Matthew Rago, Editor-in-Chief
March 10, 2020
Following a disappointing result on Super Tuesday, former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg suspended his presidential campaign. However, while Bloomberg campaign’s abandoned its political ambitions, members of a pro-Bloomberg Facebook group recently circulated an ambitious strategy for the billionaire...
OPINION | America should retain and reform the electoral college
Montgomery Blair
March 10, 2020
The president-elect has lost the popular vote but won the Electoral College four times in U.S. history. The first two occurred in 1876 and 1888. More recently, Al Gore and Hillary Clinton won the popular vote but lost the electoral college to George W. Bush in 2000 and Donald J. Trump in 2016, respectively. It...
