Letters to the Editor
Untitled Document We welcome letters. Please include your full name, address, and telephone number. We edit all letters. Send them to Letters, Illinois Times, P.O. Box 5256, Springfield, IL 62705; fax 217-753-3958; e-mail editor@illinoistimes.com. SURPRISED BY “NEWFANGLED” REPORTING Excellent article on the Kerasotes/Stomp the Yard controversy [Dusty Rhodes and R.L. Nave, “Misstep,” Jan. 18]. Honestly, I…
Just in from the cold
Untitled Document Please join me in sending out hearty congratulations to Scott Richardson and the crew at Roxy Theatricals for putting together a record-breaking weekend at the Sangamon Auditorium with the local production of Disney’s High School Musical. The event, held Jan. 19-21 and featuring more than 50 area high-school students, was a phenomenal success,…
A good start
Untitled Document The problem with Illinois’ system of public-education funding is well documented. Though many agree that the formula relies too much on local property taxes, others think the issue is spending rather than funding. “Our state doesn’t show the will to address what we’ve done with the money we’ve spent, so how will more…
Expect the unusual
Untitled Document Menomena isn’t easily pigeonholed. The Portland, Ore.-based experimental trio doesn’t fit easily into any particular genre; it’s much too complex for that. At first glance, the band’s setup seems simple enough — guitar, drums, piano — but then such instruments as the baritone sax and what sounds like a large set of keys,…
A new old friend
Untitled Document It’s a wonderful and rare experience to return to a once-favorite restaurant after several years’ absence and find it as good as ever. It’s akin to running into an old friend with whom you’ve lost touch and quickly and easily slipping back into a comfortable, close relationship. It’s even more wonderful and rare…
The church of clout
Untitled Document “There is nothing on earth that God does not do,” the Rev. James Meeks tells thousands of worshippers at Chicago’s Salem Baptist Church House of Hope, “but God has to have some people to do it through.” It’s the last Sunday in October, only a week and a half before Election Day, and…
Bit by bit
Untitled Document After more than four years of complaints, controversy, and turmoil, the race-discrimination lawsuit filed by two now-retired Springfield Police Department officers finally made it into court last week, only to end two-and-a-half days later in a mistrial. U.S. District Judge Jeanne Scott halted proceedings last Wednesday, chastising lawyers on both sides for “creating…
Cutting edge
Untitled Document Are the animals used in classroom dissection taken from the wild? If so, wouldn’t this be endangering their populations? Are there other environmental issues associated with classroom dissection? According to the Humane Society of the United States, most animals used in dissection — including amphibians, birds, snakes, turtles, fish, and invertebrates — are…
He’s paid his dues
Untitled Document Forest Whitaker just received his first Oscar nomination for Best Actor for his role as the evil dictator Idi Amin, who ruled the nation of Uganda during the 1970s, in The Last King of Scotland. Whitaker is the frontrunner in his category, and a win will be well deserved. I defy anyone to…
Super Bowl chaat
Untitled Document I know little about the upcoming football showdown (it’s in Miami, correct?), and, frankly, I don’t care. What’s important is the need for superior snacks for a marathon session in front of the television. Movie-awards buffs will need similar sustenance just a few weeks later for the Academy Awards. For inspiration, I turn…
Answering the call
Untitled Document I don’t know about you, but I’m with George W. Bush on this one: It’s time for surge! Yes, let’s surge into Iraq with another 21,500 soldiers — put ’em out there in the hot spots, sweating sniper fire, praying that the car that just pulled up doesn’t explode in hellish fury, fretting…
