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     DAYLIGHT Saving Time begins this coming Sunday, March 9, 2025, at 2 a.m. local time. (You don’t have to stay up until 2:00 to move your clocks one hour forward.)
     Every time we move our clocks back to Central Standard Time in the late fall, and forward one hour in March, I always think of two memories from my distant past.
(1) A farmer who attended our church believed it was a sin to change “God’s time” by going to Daylight Saving Time. He believed that God was on Central Daylight Time and that’s what we should use to keep time. (I guess other parts of the nation who were on Eastern Time, Mountain Time and Pacific Time were just out of luck when it came to keeping “God’s Time”.)
     I don’t know if the farmer ever changed his mind about Daylight Saving Time.
(2) My grandparents Bolin were split on the use of Daylight Saving Time. They resolved the difference with grandma setting her clocks to reflect Daylight Saving Time and grandpa keeping his clocks on Central Standard Time.
     Fortunately, changing clocks forward and backward one hour, depending on if it is November or March, is not as complicated as it has been in the past — since most electronic devices change automatically.
     My infamous car “Christine” has all of the “bells and whistles” of modern day technology, even informing me when there may be ice on the highway — but she does not change her digital clock when it is necessary to move it forward or back an hour.
     I have to do that myself and, although it only takes a minute or two, I still find it irritating that Christine can give me so much useless information when I am driving but cannot, or will not, change the digital clock.
I’m highly suspicious that my possessed car was previously owned by the farmer from yesteryear who had the strong belief about “God’s time”.

     • ENDORSEMENTS — Decatur Trades & Labor Assembly, representing more than 13,000 union members and their families in Macon County, have announced their candidate endorsements:
In the race for Decatur School Board, they have endorsed Karen Lauritzen, Jason Dion and Kevin Hale.
They had announced previously their en-dorsements for the Decatur City Council — David Horn, Consuelo Cruz and Ed Culp.
     The election will be held on April 1, 2025.
     Decatur Trades & Labor Assembly, AFL-CIO, engages in political action to support candidates who demonstrate a strong understanding and respect for the issues that are important to working families and labor unions.
“Local officials make decisions about union conttacts, infrastructure, education policy, local laws and ordinances and whether to raise taxes on working people,“ said Amy Rueff, chair of the council’s Committee On Political Education (COPE). “Local unions are unified and committed to providing membership communication in support of endorsed candidates.”
     The mission of Decatur Trades and Labor Assembly, AFL-CIO, is to improve the lives of working families—to bring economic justice to the workplace and social justice to our state and the nation.
The organization is a key part of the nation’s largest and strongest labor federation—the AFL-CIO, which unites 10 million working women and men of every race and ethnicity and from every walk of life.
     As a voice for working families in Macon County, they encourage anyone interested in joining their efforts to contact Decatur Trades & Labor Assembly President, Lamarcus Williams, at 217-413-3577.

     • SAD NEWS — The obituaries that are printed on pages 20 and 21 of each print and online edition of this newspaper flow to my office each day and it is getting to the point where I’m somewhat apprehensive to read the names.
     That’s because, after 55+ years of being editor of this newspaper with so many interviews and media contacts over the years, I learn of the passing of so many people who I’ve met, or worked with, along the way.
This week, I was shocked to see the name of former Decatur Police Chief Mike Mowen as having passed away.
     Mike was an assistant city manager during some of the years that I was mayor and he was very supportive of my efforts as mayor.
     Rita Gray is another familiar name whose obituary arrived this week. Rita sold advertising for this newspaper for several years a couple of decades ago before retiring.
Local radio personality Scott Busboom also passed away during the last week — only a few years after he retired. Frequent Tribune columnist Kevin Hale has written a tribute to his close friend Scott Busboom that is printed on page 14 of this week’s edition.
     I won’t mention all the names that I recognize each week, but I am sensitive about seeing those names and thinking about their families and friends who are dealing with their loss.
     I don’t want to make this column an annex to our obituary section each week, but it seems like we’ve been losing a lot of people recently who have been part of our lives for a long time.
     WSOY’s Brian Byers and I talked last Thursday about the seemingly high number of people we know who have passed away recently.
     Thoughts and prayers for the families of those mentioned —and others who have experienced the loss of a loved one.

     • IT HAPPENED!! Remember when I wrote about the legalization of marijuana in our state, indicating about all that was left to legalize was prostitution?”
     Well, guess what?
     State Representatives Will Guzzardi and Kelly M. Cassidy have introduced HB3518 called “Prostitu-tion Decriminalization” in the Illinois 104th General Assembly.
     HB3518 “Provides that the Act may be referred to as the Keeping Sex Workers Safe Act. Creates the Sex Workers’ Bill of Rights Act. Provides that sex workers shall not be subject to criminal prosecution for engaging in consensual sex work. Provides that law enforcement agencies are prohibited from arresting, charging, or prosecuting individuals solely for performing or engaging in sex work. Provides that sex workers, whether employed, contracted, or self-employed, shall be afforded the same rights and protections as other workers under Illinois law.”
     The Illinois Sheriff’s Association has come out strongly against this legislation.
One comment on the ISA’s website has a responder asking what is going on “with Illinois and decriminalizing EVERYTHING!! This state is a dumpster fire!!”
     Let’s see, in Illinois a woman can legally terminate the life of her unborn child right up until birth, you can gamble freely, you can legally purchase mind-altering drugs and now, if HB3518 makes it out of committee and passes in the General Assembly, prostitution will be legal!!!
     Of course, legalizing prostitution would be another way to generate more tax revenue for the state coffers — much of which is wasted on programs that do nothing to build better communities — or people.
     Surely, those who represent us in Springfield will vote against HB3518!
     They have more morals and common sense than HB3518 projects.
     Illinois is beginning to look more like Sodom and Gomorrah instead of the “Land of Lincoln”.

     • LETTER — Jim Taylor’s “Letter to the Editor” on page 2 of this week’s print and online edition raises some concerns about the decline of medical care services in Decatur.
     I certainly share those concerns. When I was in Decatur Memorial Hospital four years ago this month with congestive heart failure I received excellent care and felt very confident about the medical treatment I received and the prospects for a strong recovery, which has happened. (Thanks for all of your prayers.)
     All of the heart, kidney and health-related doctors I had at the time have all left the Decatur area, except one.
     Obviously, I continue to go for check-ups every six months to make sure everything is okay. (I also cannot get the prescription medicine I need without the med-checks.)
     After having the same physician for 20 or more years, I recently had three doctors and one nurse practitioner in the space of a year-and-a-half!
     In fact, the third doctor of the four I never met because, before my six month checkup was due, he had left the area and moved to another state to practice medicine.
     I certainly like the doctor I presently have, as I did the others who served me during their brief stay (the ones I met) — and I hated to see all of the others leave and start all over with someone new.
     My wife has also lost her doctors in the same time frame as mine, including one who, although she is not close to retirement age, is retiring soon.
     I really have no complaints about my present doctor and I hope she stays for many years, but I hear from readers that they are seeking medical help at facilities away from Decatur and that is concerning.
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     • I JOIN Brian Byers on WSOY’s Byers & Co., every Thursday morning at 7:00 for the City Hall Insider — something we’ve done for 23 years!

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