I asked a friend that has a home weather station to go back 24 months and tell me do we have a plus or minus water balance. He came up with 18 inches short.

It was a mixed bag of victories and losses for locally produced food and conservationist efforts when the Illinois General Assembly passed its $55.2 billion fiscal year 2026 budget.

Several times over the past few weeks I’ve been approached by a friendly stranger. They wanted to know if I would comment on an issue and sign my name in support or opposition.