Opinion, letters, editorials | Belleville News-Democrat & BND.com

A new explainer by the Migration Policy Institute seeks to apply facts to the lively discussion of immigration and crime. A spokesperson for MPI said the nonpartisan research organization, known ...

https://www.bnd.com/opinion/us-viewpoints/article294294159.html#storylink=rss

There is a video clip of Vice President Kamala Harris talking to a young girl about leadership. Her advice: "You never have to ask anyone permission to lead. When you … Click to Continue »

https://www.bnd.com/opinion/us-viewpoints/article294294334.html#storylink=rss

WASHINGTON - The presidential election is still too close to call, but here are three predictions you can take to the bank: First, we won't know who won on election … Click to Continue »

https://www.bnd.com/opinion/us-viewpoints/article294293509.html#storylink=rss

With the election only two weeks away, let's stipulate the futility of any attempt by my humble column-or anyone else's-to accomplish much in the way of changing voters' minds. So-called … Clic...

https://www.bnd.com/opinion/us-viewpoints/article294292714.html#storylink=rss

The 2024 election is rife with controversy, from the politics of the campaigns to the politics surrounding the administration of elections. Accusations of wrongdoing and ineptitude continue to pl...

https://www.bnd.com/opinion/us-viewpoints/article294290694.html#storylink=rss

Bible salesmen are synonymous in American culture with hucksterism. Plying the country's backroads, the charismatic con men of literature prey on the gullibility of the faithful with insincere pi...

https://www.bnd.com/opinion/us-viewpoints/article294290644.html#storylink=rss

From the Wanderland on The Dispatch Mornings aren't as tough as you might think, at least not all of the time-they can be lovely, if everybody is cooperating, which isn't … Click to Continue »...

https://www.bnd.com/opinion/us-viewpoints/article294289039.html#storylink=rss

Today, the Tribune Editorial Board turns its attention to Springfield with our endorsements for the Illinois Senate, which will be followed later by our endorsements for the Illinois House. As �...

https://www.bnd.com/opinion/article294285604.html#storylink=rss

The price of housing in many areas of the United States is too high for many Americans, and in some areas the demand for affordable housing outstrips the supply. There … Click to Continue »

https://www.bnd.com/opinion/us-viewpoints/article294283834.html#storylink=rss

When Donald Trump picked J.D. Vance as his vice presidential running mate back in July, the predictable scrutiny a vice presidential nominee typically gets quickly devolved into a very online …...

https://www.bnd.com/opinion/us-viewpoints/article294283374.html#storylink=rss

Jacksonville Police ARRESTS, CITATIONS -A 26-year-old Jacksonville woman and a 43-year-old Jacksonville man were arrested at 3:01 p.m. Saturday at Circle K, 602 N. Main St., on criminal trespassi...

https://www.bnd.com/opinion/article294282049.html#storylink=rss

This week's wanted The following are being sought on arrest warrants, according to various sheriff's departments. The addresses listed are the last known addresses provided by the warrants and ma...

https://www.bnd.com/opinion/article294282039.html#storylink=rss

No doubt about it. The internet has shattered any illusion I might have had about being hip enough to even understand what is going on anymore. In fact, the term … Click to Continue »

https://www.bnd.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/article293944584.html#storylink=rss

Pundits sometimes claim that U.S. presidential campaigns are devoid of big, consequential policy ideas. That’s clearly not true this time around. Arguably the most profound policy change being ...

https://www.bnd.com/opinion/us-viewpoints/article294254094.html#storylink=rss

Following a dramatic few weeks, the stage for the U.S. presidential election is now set. With the current political climate carrying the potential for acrimonious division, leaders of professiona...

https://www.bnd.com/opinion/article294069539.html#storylink=rss

Whatever you have to say about mega-MAGA-billionaire Elon Musk’s political persona, in the real world, his impact is outsize and positive. In electric cars with Tesla, he’s turned the Toyota ...

https://www.bnd.com/opinion/article294093294.html#storylink=rss

Courage is so rare among politicians that we must celebrate it when we see it. President John F. Kennedy wrote a Pulitzer Prize-winning bestseller titled “Profiles in Courage,” which recogniz...

https://www.bnd.com/opinion/article294069674.html#storylink=rss

As the presidential election of 2024 moves inexorably closer, polls say the contest is too close to call. With each passing day the political ads get meaner, the vitriol grows … Click to Contin...

https://www.bnd.com/opinion/article294066244.html#storylink=rss

I have spent my life studying the development of religions, including five post-high school degrees culminating in ordination and a doctorate in religion. My undergraduate studies specifically fo...

https://www.bnd.com/opinion/article294007044.html#storylink=rss

Taylor Swift endorsed Kamala Harris following the presidential debate. Will Swift’s endorsement persuade the undecided voters, and could it have a meaningful impact on the election? Celebrity e...

https://www.bnd.com/opinion/article293839984.html#storylink=rss

As the days to the election tick down, the speed and the fury of allegations hurled between the Donald Trump and the Kamala Harris camps will explode. Parsing the truth … Click to Continue »

https://www.bnd.com/opinion/article293735739.html#storylink=rss

After college, I was saddled with a mental illness so severe that it became time to call in the cavalry. My family, friends, physicians and professors supported my Ph.D. training, … Click to Co...

https://www.bnd.com/opinion/article293716224.html#storylink=rss

Amia Bickerstaff died Tuesday, blackened, blistered and blameless in the University of Kansas burn unit. She was 18 months old. Amia is the third Bickerstaff child to die in what … Click to Con...

https://www.bnd.com/opinion/article293498154.html#storylink=rss

Back in the day, being a longshoreman was backbreaking work, hoisting pallets of goods off a ship, carrying crates in your arms and sacks on your back. My grandfather was … Click to Continue »...

https://www.bnd.com/opinion/article293484564.html#storylink=rss

In recent months, the 2024 presidential election campaign has included more twists than a Chubby Checker tribute tour. Yet, at least one thing remains constant: When it comes to third-party … C...

https://www.bnd.com/opinion/article293382409.html#storylink=rss

Is it possible the vice presidential debate was … too nice? It’s hard to believe I’m asking that, after Donald Trump’s mind-numbing, fib-filled debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, b...

https://www.bnd.com/opinion/article293334569.html#storylink=rss

Americans are increasingly walking away from partisan politics. Can you blame them? Heightened polarization, flailing trust in our institutions and disillusionment with major party platforms and ...

https://www.bnd.com/opinion/article293275169.html#storylink=rss

Even before Democratic New York Mayor Eric Adams was indicted on federal corruption charges, many of his constituents had already done the math: All things being equal, they would rather … Clic...

https://www.bnd.com/opinion/article293265799.html#storylink=rss

On Sept. 30, prescription fentanyl lollipops, lozenges and mouth sprays finally came off the market in the United States. The withdrawal of these potent, short-acting fentanyl products is good ne...

https://www.bnd.com/opinion/article293267704.ece#storylink=rss

In the first and final vice presidential debate between Ohio’s Sen. J.D. Vance and Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, expect fireworks that don’t matter. The debate at 8 p.m. Central … Click to Co...

https://www.bnd.com/opinion/article293275299.html#storylink=rss