As Sen. Tammy Duckworth left Jerome Combs Detention Center in Kankakee, she stopped to thank the officers for the tour and to remind them her commitment to supporting them transcends political debate. The Democrat and junior senator from Illinois was there for an oversight visit of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities, which house up to about 190 detainees at any given time.
Current 79th District State Rep. Lindsay Parkhurst used those words in reaction to a potential challenge from Lisa Dugan in next year's election for the Illinois State House seat. Those are strong words but a rather fitting way to describe what likely lies ahead, as a Dugan-Parkhurst duel would be a political version of a battle between two skilled heavyweight boxers.
Twenty years ago this month, a dedicated Kankakee police officer was assassinated on the streets of his community doing what he always had wanted to do: be a police officer. Tony Samfay's murder devastated the community and robbed his mother, Maria, of her only child.