Some guys hunt, some guys golf. Brent Bordenkircher plays football. He’s not just talking about throwing the pigskin around the backyard or calling up some buddies f]]> BEST SPRINGFIELDIAN Carolyn Oxtoby Downtown Springfield has come a long way, baby. Just a decade ago, folks had little incentive to venture downtown. Hardly anyone lived there, let alone came ]]> After about an hour of drinking, making small talk about local political races, and prognosticating on the outcome of the following day’s election, the crowd in the banquet room of t]]> Untitled Document The trek up the concrete steps to the University of Illinois-Springfield’s rooftop observatory is a lesson in endurance. At the top, the open sky awaits. ]]> Like any rookie Springfield police officer, Tara Holder Borders spent her first few weeks on the streets learning to navigate unfamiliar neighborhoods, communic]]> It all started with the cheese balls. The vendor who supplied gourmet snack mixes to Phoenix Center’s Marketplace — the resale boutique meant to be an ongoing fundraiser]]> Despite pockets of success, the East Side of Springfield continues to suffer from crime, substandard housing, poor infrastructure and a lack of money. Decent sidewalks are hard to come by, fly d]]> It’s the only national forest in our predominantly agricultural/urban state, and it offers a great escape from our daily routines. Located down in the southern tip of the stat]]> At 280,000 acres, the expansive beauty of the Shawnee National Forest in southern Illinois can feel both breathtaking and intimidating. In fact, in April of this year, Saline County Central Dispatch a]]> Untitled Document As the Bush administration moves forward with plans to double or triple air traffic capacity by 2025, the government may be placing concerns about aviation&rsqu]]> Untitled Document “You have to understand, I’ve been doing this for 25 years,” says Joshua “Illinois” Shapiro, “and for 25 years there were no]]> BEST BAKERY Panera Bread 3101 W. White Oaks Dr., 217-726-5070; 3019 S. Dirksen Parkway, 217-529-6200 It's hard to dispute the popularity of Panera Bread. Nearly any time of day, a line of peo]]> Untitled Document During the Civil War, Springfield had one of the state’s largest soldier-training facilities: Camp Butler, located about six miles northeast o]]> Like an art critic judging a sculpture, Mike Earles leans back and places the end of his goateed chin between the raised thumb and forefinger of his left hand. His eyes narrow as he leans]]> Darren Feller recalls that while he was attending the 2002 winter baseball meetings in Nashville, a prospective employer asked a question right out of the job interview playbook. “S]]> THE FRANCHISE You know the drill: Every year you give us your best, and we tell you why. This year’s “Best of Springfield” has new categories, but — surprise, surprise —]]> Gene and Betty Hoots bought a successful ice-cream stand in Mattoon in the early 1950s. A few years later, the young couple decided to expand the business by adding hamburgers, french fries and ]]> The South African Boer goat quietly invaded the United States via Texas about 15 years ago – and has been nibbling its way north ever since. Developed by Dutch farmers]]> Untitled Document There are a handful of freedoms that have almost always been a part of American democracy. Even when they didn’t exactly apply to everyone or weren’]]>