EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD: Flood tragedies nobody talks about

Everybody in south suburban Cook County is aware that on April 18, the area was drenched with rain from the storm that knocked out power in many households, caused huge traffic delays and flooded basements.

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD: Summer interns need to develop moral fiber

Now that some of our most promising leaders have fallen from grace and Newtown, Conn., victims along with Hadiya Pendleton have been laid to rest, where do we go from here? Summer youth employment season is coming up. Maybe that will help ease the pain.

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD: The world did not end -- for most of us

If you are reading this, then you know the world did not end on Dec. 21, 2012, as predicted. So what do we do now? I understand that the prediction actually is “the world as we know it” will end and that we actually may experience a heightened awareness of ourselves and our surroundings.

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD: Excessive train whistles deprive Cal City of sleep

Train whistle noise in Calumet City wakes me up every morning at around 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 a.m. It is so loud and unbearable that you can’t help but wake up.

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD: Build resiliency to ease financial hardship

Every day, my office phone, cellphone and email are filled with distress messages from people reaching out for resources to ease their desperate situations.

2012 Illinois Editorial Advisory Board members

Today, we introduce new members of The Times Editorial Advisory Board. They have agreed to share their opinions on issues of local and regional interest. Look for these familiar names and faces on columns in the Forum section over the next year.

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD: Still no movement toward emergency preparedness

A year ago, I presented the fact that there are very few community emergency response teams in south suburban Cook County. Chicago Heights and Tinley Park are the only two of 50-plus communities.

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD: Are we headed for a war, rich against poor?

I don't know anybody who has not heard there is an economic crisis in the United States — and the world. Yet we are constantly confronted by people who insist those suffering somehow brought their condition upon themselves.

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD: Lost generation needs to learn directions

It has been said that the problem with youths today is they have no direction. We've all heard that one. And as proof we point to school dropout rates, juvenile delinquency, young adult felony convictions, the shortage of entry-level jobs which forces "the kids" to be still living at home an…

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD: Reasons for optimism with HUD programs

In his column several weeks ago, Terry McCullough raised important concerns about two programs of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development: the Neighborhood Stabilization Program and Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program. I share a number of these concerns, particu…

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD: Has the Neighborhood Stabilization Program failed already?

In 2008, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced an innovative program called the Neighborhood Stabilization Program. It was established to stabilize communities suffering from foreclosures, homelessness and blight.

2011 Illinois Editorial Advisory Board members

Today, we introduce new members of The Times Editorial Advisory Board. These individuals have agreed to share their opinions on issues of local and regional interest. Look for these familiar names and faces on columns in the Forum section over the next year.

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD: Prepare for the bad storms ahead

November is Winter Storm Preparedness Month. The Illinois Emergency Management Agency will highlight winter storm preparedness throughout November as part of a 12-month preparedness campaign.