City Beat

             On July 1st of this year, Illinois drivers will have to pay 48 cents per gallon in motor fuel tax! According to an article by Dylan Sharkey, assistant editor at Illinois Policy, “That means Illinoisans will likely stay at No. 2 in the country for highest gas taxes.      “It might not stop there…

     The past week has been one filled with news of departures from office involving those who represent us in public office in Decatur.      City Councilman Chuck Kuhle attended his final meeting of the council after serving for eight years and was honored for his service. Chuck decided that two four-year terms were enough and did…

     Concern continues to increase over the high amount of taxes Decatur and Illinois residents pay to government bodies each year.      When you consider Illinois’ combined state and local sales, excise, income and property taxes, the average household this year will pay $13,099, costing more than 16.5% of a family’s income.      That amount is not even…

     There was a time when members of the General Assembly who represented Decatur districts lived in Decatur or in a community close to Decatur.      I was very much aware of who represented me in the General Assembly because I talked with them quite often, in interviews for this newspaper and whenever we would see each…

     Over the decades that I’ve been editor of this newspaper I’ve had the opportunity to be inside about all of the buildings of community significance many times.      One building, still known today by most residents as the Staley Office Building, is one of the most impressive and you can read more about it in the…

     It should not come as shocking news that Illinois is now the highest-taxed state in the country, at least according to WalletHub’s latest annual study on state tax rates, and since Decatur and Macon County are in Illinois — that means we are being taxed more than anywhere else in the nation! The WalletHub report…

         April Fools Day is next Tuesday and, as the above headline points out, it is also Consolidated Election Day.      Some people are probably trying to determine if holding an election on April Fools Day is a reflection on the candidates running for office — or the voters who vote them into office!      As I’ve…

     The answer to the question in the above headline probably depends on what era your childhood was experienced in the past.      For many of us, our favorite place to eat was at home because our parents couldn’t afford to “eat out” much when we were growing up.      “Fast food” and “drive-through” windows at restaurants were…

     AS I’M writing this week’s column President Trump has shifted gears a few times on his recently announced sweeping 25% tariffs so I’m not sure where the tariff status will be by the time you read these comments.      However, I can affirm, without a doubt, that the 25% tariffs will especially hit community newspapers…

     DAYLIGHT Saving Time begins this coming Sunday, March 9, 2025, at 2 a.m. local time. (You don’t have to stay up until 2:00 to move your clocks one hour forward.)      Every time we move our clocks back to Central Standard Time in the late fall, and forward one hour in March, I always think of…