Back in May, I wrote about a bill that could be considered “the bit of good news” to come out of an all-around dismal legislative session. Well, three months later, we have the final good news – Gov. Pat Quinn signed into law the Illinois Safe Children Act (HB6462), taking a major step towards protecting juveniles who get caught up in the cycle of prostitution and sex trafficking. more

It is my hope that those who were unable to attend with PCG will consider seeing the show during the remainder of the run. more

If a loved one, a child perhaps, was in the heartbreaking throws of an addiction, wouldn’t you seek help in the form of treatment? more

Let me tell a little about what happens to an ex-offender just released from prison in “A Guide for the Perplexed,” now showing at Victory Gardens Theater. While serving a four-year sentence, the protagonist, Doug, receives a body blow in the form of a letter: “Son, We are sorry you are in prison. Maybe it will help you. Although it makes us feel bad, you are not welcome here anymore. We wish you a good life, though. Mother.” Better yet, you can experience the story first-hand by attending PCG’s theater event next week. more

More people in Chicago and its suburbs are admitted to hospital emergency rooms for heroin use than in any other major city, and heroin is now the most common illegal substance for which people in Illinois enter drug treatment, a new study shows. —Chicago Sun Times more

Back in the days when progressive Republicans were still part of our political landscape, Nelson Rockefeller, as Governor of New York and the 41st Vice President, served our country well. It is ironic, therefore, that perhaps the most socially damaging legislation in the last 50 years bears his name. more

The Roman Catholics have nothing on us. We Protestants can sin with the best of them! Indeed, it may very well be a by-product of the child sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic Church that a keen eye is now being increasingly focused on the Protestant churches. more

Some might say that this year’s legislative session was a difficult one… and they’d most certainly be right! When it came to passing bills or programs that required any kind of new revenue – we faced an uphill battle. Our work for a fair budget continues to be particularly challenging, and often discouraging. This might be enough to leave a normal person feeling a bit down; but thankfully, we can share with you at least one significant success story on a piece of legislation that will do quite a bit of good. more

Jesus obviously got it wrong. He should clearly have foreseen that the states like Arizona would require, at some point, some kind of identification card to guard against those who act strangely and suspiciously – those, that is, who are illegal and, therefore, threaten the social, political, and economic order. more

Read Al Sharp’s article on drug treatment as it appeared in last Sunday’s Chicago Sun-Times Commentary Section. more