The extreme heat that recently blanketed the United States is a clear sign of climate change. But rising temperatures are fueling more than just hotter summers. Climate change is contributing to the spread of drug-resistant infections. And alarmingly, the medicines we use to fight those pathogens are losing their effectiveness.

Summer means one thing...it’s fair season!

The following is a commentary on the editorial “Science, Democracy and Donald Trump” published in the Rochelle News-Leader Local Views on July 17, 2024.

Among the four different types of technology, production technology is the knowledge, tools, machines, and systems that we humans use to produce artifacts we need and want for living our lives.

Let’s get this one over with.  Yes, President Biden had a terrible debate night.  Yes, he didn’t look well. 

It can be frustrating to struggle with your mental health and to get your family and friends to understand where you are coming from.

This is the story of a storyteller. Born on Nov. 1, 1891 in Ohio, Illinois, Bernard (Buck) Faley was a “character”. His parents, James and Susan, owned a meat market and young Buck worked in the family store. Buck was raised and educated in small communities. He had many loves in his life. He loved boxing, family, and his countries, yes, his countries. Buck’s grandparents, John and Bridget, were born in Ireland and Buck was Irish to his core. He was also proud of his family’s new home, America. 

Donald Trump probably won’t destroy American democracy if he’s re-elected. It’s been ailing for some time, but has deep roots. It will most likely take more than one presidential term to finish it off.

They want you to give up gas-powered cars for electric cars, your gas stoves for electric stoves, and now regular meat for lab-grown meat. Lab-grown meat (Cultured meat, cultivated meat, artificial meat, etc.) is produced by placing animal cells in a large petri dish (bioreactor), which is a large tank operated under controlled conditions that encourages cells to grow.

Away from the sports beat for a while, it was time to get back in the fray with a trip to the Quad Cities for the John Deere Classic golf tournament.

How did religious belief, specifically Christian beliefs, start to get tangled within our government?  Though we probably are not able to trace some recent changes in federal or state law to …

The Library has been a busy place this summer.  Fourth of July week is the halfway point of Summer Reading.  We always look forward to celebrating America’s Birthday at the Library.

Many people underestimate the impact that mental illness can have on an individual or family. It can be difficult to admit that you have a mental health problem in your life. Secondly, it can be just as difficult in getting the people you know to understand your situation without making any kinds of judgments.

In 1869 a curriculum was created allowing the Rochelle school to award high school degrees.  The first graduating high school class of 1874 consisted of three students, Emma Stratford, May Parks and Kitty Parker. Three young ladies and zero young men. But this is the story of sport, more specifically girls’ sports at Rochelle High School. 

It seems as if every community, big or small, has been impacted by the problems associated with substance use and drug overdose. Within these communities, these problems extend into the family unit, with people becoming addicted and dying because of drugs.

In this article, let’s consider healthcare in America.  So many people are against socialized medicine being started in this country that it seems unlikely that we will ever see it.  Yet we should not confuse socialized medicine with socialism that we see in other countries. 

Crop insurance remains a crucial safeguard for farmers, tracing back to the Great Depression and evolving into a vital tool amidst today's market and weather volatility.

Ethanol represents a significant market for my Ogle County family farm. We can deliver corn to seven ethanol plants within a 70-mile radius, and distillers’ grains are a valuable input for our livestock enterprises.

Are you having trouble finding places to get some assistance for your mental health Nowadays, many places have waiting lists, and some places can be very expensive. This can be very frustrating when you need help right away.

As an educator, I’m constantly reminded of things that we as a society used to do decades ago that we don’t need to do anymore.

With cyberattacks on the rise, our data privacy has never been in greater peril. Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s work helping keep that information safe has been welcome, including his recent call for Meta to step up efforts to thwart hackers. Unfortunately, even with the best intentions, protections can go too far. And now we need his leadership to set things straight.

The Environmental Protection Agency published the latest edition of the Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2022. The report has been published annually since 1990 and provides an annual estimate of all man-made greenhouse gas emission sources in the U.S. as well as estimates of the amount of carbon trapped in forest and vegetation soil.

We thank the Illinois General Assembly for renewing its commitment to the Illinois Local Food Infrastructure Grant (LFIG). Thanks to lawmakers’ support, farmers like me can feed even more folks through better infrastructure to scale production and manage our operations effectively.

Rochelle Municipal Utilities Electric plays a vital role in the future progress of our community.  RMU’s electric division provides low-cost reliable public power to over 7,000 customers in our service territory.

Quite frequently I get calls from farmers across the area asking how they can dispose of old chemicals. Often these were left over from prior years plantings or many times they are cleaning out barns due to a death in the family.