Tebrinke featured speaker at national legislative certificate completion

National Conference of State Legislatures selected Tebrinke as the only Illinois participant  Springfield, IL— November 4, 2022— Aaron Tebrinke, selected for a highly competitive legislative certificate course given by the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), was a featured speaker at the official closing program on November 4, 2022.  An important part of a lifelong …

Full State Journal Register Interview Answers

Feel free to read the short answers from the October 18, 2022 SJR interview, or for those wanting to hear more, read the full answers below. A DEDICATED PUBLIC SERVANT  In my first year working for the Illinois Senate, I was the only representative from the State of Illinois selected for a very competitive legislative …

Tools You Need to Complete the Sangamon County Residential Broadband Survey

Are you receiving the Internet speed you are paying for? Probably not. Do a speed test on all your devices in your home to find out what your actual speed is compared to what it is supposed to be. Why? An expansion of broadband strong enough to meet telehealth needs will save lives. Sangamon County …

Declaration of Dependence

  A declaration by Aaron Tebrinke, July 4, 2022.   When in the course of a long string of negative events hopelessness can overcome our individual values and make us surrender to the opinions of a small group with beliefs far beyond the mainstream of society. When we allow them to arbitrarily pull away from …

Two Additions to the Illinois Constitution That Could Expand Your Outlook on Life

The Preamble of the Constitution for the State of Illinois is a unique document. In 1970 some profound things were added to the Preamble that really gave me hope for the future. Specifically, stating the intent of this government is to eliminate poverty. I read this for the first time as a kid, and it …

10 Hashtags About Social Issues

Raising awareness is the goal of hashtag activism. Political engagement is key and giving a voice to problems faced by many people in a specific geographic area.  Hashtag activism lets people actively shape the policies that influence their daily lives in the present, and in their future. Awareness can translate into real impact in the …

The Trouble with Statues

My first reaction to all the horrible insanity that came out of the madness in the context of statues after the terrorist attack in Charlottesville, Virginia had absolutely nothing to do with statues. If we are talking about statues, from the viewpoint of art history and sculpture only, my immediate reaction would be don’t take …

Healing with Dialogue

Healing with Dialogue Election Year Strained Friendship by Aaron Tebrinke with reflections by Shirley Johnson and J. Graham Thompson, LMFT Aaron Tebrinke, our Multimedia Specialist, and Shirley Johnson have been friends since 2013. Aaron feared that their friendship was damaged by the general election last November. He was eager to try an exercise in contemplative …