Jim Dey: A fond farewell for a champion of free speech

May 27—It's time once again to dive into another round of quick takes on the people, places and events that were being talked about over the past week:

The real McCoy

Free speech — real free speech, not empty rhetoric supporting it — is in trouble on college campuses in this country.

That's why the death this week of former University of Chicago President Robert Zimmer is especially worth noting.

Zimmer, who died Tuesday at age 75 after a battle with brain cancer, supported free speech for all and let incoming students know it from the get-go.

"Our commitment to academic freedom means we do not support so-called 'trigger warnings,' we do not cancel invited speakers because their topics might prove controversial and we do not condone the creation of intellectual 'safe spaces' where individuals can retreat from ideas and perspective at odds with their own," he wrote in his welcome letter, and he meant every word.

At one time, such a declaration was not at all controversial. But that was before the authoritarian left in far too many educational institutions took it upon itself to decide what was acceptable for people to see and hear.

That, in fact, is why students at Stanford recently shouted down a federal appeals court judge who was invited to speak at the law school.

An accomplished scholar in mathematics, Zimmer had a distinguished record as professor, researcher and administrator before politically correct fevers swamped campuses.

In 2014, he appointed a Committee on Freedom of Expression, which drafted what came to be known as "Chicago Principles" affirming the university's commitment to free speech.

Since then, dozens of other institutions adopted those principles. Unfortunately, some embrace those principles with more courage and integrity than others.

It goes without saying that people like Zimmer are not popular with the tenured wokerati at universities across the country. That's exactly why it's a shame there are not more leaders like him in higher education, the corporate world and government at all levels.

What is 'a master'?

University of Illinois graduate James Holzhauer is a professional gambler who lives in Las Vegas.

But he's not gambling when he appears on "Jeopardy" because he comes across as a sure thing.

The 38-year-old Naperville native won the $500,000 grand prize in "Jeopardy Masters," a 10-match competition featuring previous big-time winners facing off against each other.

That addition brings his total "Jeopardy" winnings to nearly $3 million.

In addition, Holzhauer will be invited to next year's "Masters" competition along with this year's finalists, Mattea Roach and Matt Amodio.

Along with the $500,000 first prize, "Jeopardy" donated $100,000 to Project 150, a Las Vegas-based nonprofit formed by Holzhauer that provides support to homeless high school students.

Expanding the base

Central Illinois Regional Airport at Bloomington-Normal is likely to be getting a new and bigger tax base.

The General Assembly recently approved legislation that expands the airport's taxing boundaries from the city limits of Bloomington-Normal to all of McLean County.

The bill represents a tax shift — the new taxing district may levy similar amounts of tax revenue, but more people will be paying it than before.

A Bloomington-Normal news outlet said the change is "expected to raise the overall tax bill for rural McLean County residents but lower them for those living in Bloomington-Normal."

The current Bloomington-Normal Airport Authority will be replaced by a Central Illinois Regional Airport Authority and overseen by a seven-member board. Three of the board's seven members must come from outside Bloomington-Normal.

Board members will be appointed by the chair of the McLean County Board and the mayors of Bloomington and Normal.

The airport has been hugely successful for all of McLean County, but that doesn't mean rural residents wanted to pay higher property taxes to support it.

That's why the fight came down to a rural/city power struggle. After years of effort, the city folks finally won the war.

Simply the best

Music superstar Tina Turner's passing caused quite a stir among fans.

But music critics also got into the act, praising her energy and many accomplishments.

New York Times reporter Ben Sisario, who covers the music industry, wrote that she "went from R&B shouter to rock queen to pop superstar."

Sisario put together a list of Tina Turner's greatest musical moments, on record and film. He called them her "11 Essential Songs":

* With her first husband, Ike: "A Fool in Love" (1960), "I Idolize You" (1960), "It's Gonna Work Out Fine" (1961), "River Deep, Mountain High" (1966); "Proud Mary" (1971), "Nutbush City Limits" (1973).

* As a solo act: "The Acid Queen" (1975), "What's Love Got to Do With It" (1984), "Better Be Good to Me" (1984), "We Don't Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)" (1985) and "The Best" (1989).

Double-secret probation

U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski, D-Springfield, has only been in Congress for a few months, but she's already in the midst of an international controversy.

She is among nine Illinoisans and 500 Americans put on a Russian blacklist and barred from entering that country.

Other more prominent Illinoisans also on the do-not-enter list are former President Barack Obama, former U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker, Budzinski and three other congresspeople from Illinois — U.S. Reps. Jonathan Jackson, D-Chicago, Delia Ramirez, D-Chicago, and Eric Sorensen, D-Moline.

News accounts assert that Russia issued the blacklist in response to the U.S. and G7 countries imposing new sanctions on the country to punish it for its war in Ukraine.

The sanctions are aimed at tightening the "vise on Putin's ability to wage his barbaric invasion," according to the U.S. Treasury. Barring a bipartisan group of Americans from entering Russia seems like pretty thin gruel in terms of an effective response.

But it at least gives those named as barred something to brag about.