Columns — The Villagers Voice

State’s Third Graders are Eating at the 9th Grade Level

April 1, 2023 by Villagers Voice

No one gets held back in this class.

By guest writer J.R. Hubele, a satire

(Satire...the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues.)

After reviewing the results of recent statewide school testing, the Illinois Association of School Boards is pleased to announce there is one period of the day when our students surpass grade level expectations. While we have long struggled with deficiencies in other areas of public education, there is one subject our not so little ones excel at: lunch. [Read more...]

Coming July 1: Brunt Prairie will Require a Permit to Not Own a Firearm

April 1, 2023 by Villagers Voice

By guest writer J.R. Hubele, a satire

(Satire...the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues.)

Many people have known what kind of place this is, but now it is becoming official.

The mayor said that starting July 1, anyone living in Brunt Prairie Township will be required to get a permit if they don’t have a shooting iron.

“We don’t want some lowlife wondering off the interstate, discovering they can cause trouble, and telling their friends this is a place to come without getting shot at,” he said. [Read more...]

Guest Column: School boards looking to boost attendance at monthly meetings, By J.R. Hubele

August 12, 2022 by Villagers Voice

Jason (J.R.) Hubele was The Villagers' Voice guest columnist for the April Fool's day columns that ran April 1 this year. Jason writes satire, defined as the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues. But at the core of satire, it is still commentary on the state of politics, education, culture and current events. Let us know if you enjoy Jason's satirical look at things.

School boards looking to boost attendance at monthly meetings

By J.R. Hubele [Read more...]

Special Column: The Anti-U.S. Energy Movement Deserves More Scrutiny

March 24, 2021 by Villagers Voice

By Seth Whitehead, Executive Director, Illinois Petroleum Resources Board

Energy makes the high standard of living most Americans enjoy possible. Affordable, reliable energy is the lifeblood of our economy. And as University of Texas Bureau of Economic Geology director Dr. Scott Tinker recently noted, “All forms of energy come from the earth.” It is with those fundamental facts in mind that “Keep It In the Ground” (KIITG) groups should be viewed as anti-U.S. energy. Though it is obvious traditional energy sources such as oil, natural gas and coal come from the ground, it is often overlooked that wind, solar and battery technologies would not be possible without massive mining projects. [Read more...]

Guest Column: Demonization of Oil Industry Unwarranted in These Critical Times

December 23, 2020 by Villagers Voice

By Seth Whitehead, Executive Director, Illinois Petroleum Resources Board

The North Face, a company whose product line is dominated by petroleum-based polyester and nylon, recently refused to allow an oilfield service company’s logo to be placed on its jackets. The reason: because the oil service company is “not consistent” with The North Face’s co-branding standards. To be more blunt, it was reported that The North Face places oil and natural gas companies in the same undesirable category as alcohol, tobacco and pornography. Talk about biting the hand that feedstocks you! [Read more...]

Rich Gurka: DID THE IDNR DELIBERATELY DESTROY 55+ TROPHY DEER MOUNTS?

October 8, 2020 by Kathy Sands

Dumpster full of deer mounts. Photo provided.

If you have ever been to the Springfield or Du Quoin State Fairs, you may have stopped by an Illinois Department of Natural Resources display booth manned by IDNR staff.

One of the main attractions of these booths was the display of numerous trophy whitetail deer mounts, most of which had been seized from poachers. [Read more...]

Covid-19 Good News…The Recovery Rates Are Extremely High, CDC Says

October 5, 2020 by Kathy Sands

By Kathy Sands, Editor

The Villagers' Voice online

On the national scene and in the state of Illinois, most news reporting in the past few months has been only about the rising numbers of positive Covid-19 infection cases and the number of deaths. Governor Pritzker continues to move regions of the state back into strict mitigation where cases have been rising above a certain level. Rising cases is all that is ever talked about. There has been little to no reporting on the ever decreasing death and hospitalization rates. The constant drumbeat is the infection rate. [Read more...]

Guest Column: The Bloody Truth of Domestic Abuse

August 14, 2020 by Kathy Sands

By Jenny McKinney

Domestic Violence may have earned a prettier name and a month of its own, but our losses still outnumber our victories. As a nation, we are losing this war. There is no outrage in our communities when a woman speaks out, and resources are limited. We live in a world that chooses to not see, and see they do not. [Read more...]