Columnists
10/05/2026 · Kane County
The Two-Second Pause That Gives You Your Day Back
You do not have to answer every request the moment it lands. One small pause can turn an automatic yes into a choice you actually mean.
Shakespeare’s Secret Weather Trick in Sonnet 18
“Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” is one of poetry’s most famous openings—but the sonnet’s real surprise is that Shakespeare spends the poem arguing summer is not good enough. Here’s the small, brilliant turn that makes the whole thing last.
10/04/2026
The Most Generous Thing You Can Give Someone Is Five Undivided Minutes
Simone Weil thought attention was more than concentration: it was an ethical act, a way of granting another person reality. Her idea offers a sharp rebuke to the age of the half-listening phone check.
10/04/2026
The Country Runs on Deadlines, Except Congress
Washington keeps turning routine governing into a cliffhanger, while households absorb higher costs and companies wait for clearer rules. The quieter story involves the power grid, where artificial intelligence is creating a very old problem: too much demand and too little infrastructure.
10/04/2026
The Standing Ovation Has Become a Participation Trophy
Not every show needs to end with a roomful of people leaping to their feet like they’ve just witnessed the moon landing. Sometimes applause should be allowed to sit down.
10/04/2026
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View allObituary: Jacqueline Medins Bacon
Jacqueline Medins Bacon, 94, passed away peacefully on August 1, 2026 at Cedarhurst of Woodstock, Woodstock, IL. She died serenely just as she had lived, after a long life of care for others. Formerly of Byron, IL, she was born July 27, 1932 in Oregon, IL, eldest daughter of Willard "Jiggs" Burright and Ferne Henderson Burright. Jackie attended Oregon schools, graduating from Oregon Community High School. She went on to study nursing at Rockford Memorial Hospital, graduating in 1953 with her class in the newly built hospital. During her career she continued her dedication to learning, graduating with both Bachelor of Science and Master's degrees in Nursing from Northern Illinois University. She was the first in her family to graduate from college. Through the years, she worked in many Northern Illinois healthcare settings, including the Warmolt's Hospital/Clinic in Oregon, where she met and married her husband, Dr. Gunars Medins. Together they had one son, Peter Medins, who survives his mother and has been her best lifelong friend. Her other work included: family practice with Dr. Baker, Mt. Morris; private duty nurse at West Suburban Hospital, Oak Park; Singer Zone Center, Crusader Clinic, Winnebago Department of Health, and Swedish American Hospital, all in Rockford. At Swedish American, she was a biofeedback therapist on the Chronic Pain Clinic team. In that role she was known for her special quote: "It's time to fish or cut bait." At the end of her career she became the well-loved Director of Nursing at Pinecrest in Mt. Morris. All this work was done with passion and dedication to her nursing role. In retirement she became an avid and skillful quilter with a guild in the Byron area. She was a purist, rejecting machine quilting, and pursued all of her original work by hand. A major project was the completion of individual quilts for the patient rooms at Serenity Hospice & Home in Oregon. Always loyal to her hometown, Jackie joined her former Oregon High School classmates for many summers in hands-on restoration of the Oregon Depot. Today it is a jewel of history in the town, thanks to their thousands of hours of volunteer work. Next came an opportunity to support the return and restoration of a 1947 Silver View Dome Car to a permanent home at the Depot. Jackie was one of the earliest persons to financially endorse this project. Jackie is survived by her son, Peter Medins, Woodstock, IL; nephew Mike (Marsha) Fry, Oregon, IL; and nieces Doneen McMillan, Byron, IL, and Melinda (David) Katovich, Dallas, TX. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husbands, infant brother, sisters Beverly Fry and Barbara Coloton, niece Michelle Schultz, and beloved daughter-in-law Becky Kent Medins. Forever the caring nurse and friend, she is remembered for her quiet reassurance, tenacity, and skill in patient care. Jackie was a friend to all she met in a lifetime of service. Memorial plans are pending. Donations in Jackie's memory may be made to Serenity Hospice & Home and The Oregon Depot Museum.
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