Look who’s begging for regulation
“Regulate the health insurance giants,” chanted the reformers. “Stop denying coverage to sick people,” they demanded. “Stop jacking up premiums,” they cried. “Health coverage for all,” they bellowed. It was an impressive show that the health care reform movement put on last week at a hearing before the Senate finance committee. It was especially impressive…
Green Urbanism fights sprawl with walkable cities
At the May 29 Springfield Business Alliance noon luncheon the noted architect and planner Douglas Farr will present “Sustainable Urbanism,” a program that illustrates the practices that have become more and more in vogue since Al Gore’s release of An Inconvenient Truth three years ago. Up until then, although some had embraced the “green movement”…
Letters to the Editor
Orchestra losing supporters Regarding Dusty Rhodes’ article “Out of tune” [IT, May 14], we believe she did an excellent job in exposing the personal dynamics and subsequent problems of the Illinois Symphony Orchestra under the heavy-handed tactics of Karen Lynne Deal and the oblivious pronouncements of board president John Wohlwend. Let me preface our statements…
graduationpoem #2
I missed my university’s graduation first time in years but did go to wyatt’s from daycare to kindergarten complete with caps gowns diplomas sealed and ribboned pomp and circumstance at the university they chew gum here they pick noses there they cross legs whisper laugh don’t wear socks here we’re favored with song medleys involving…
Look who’s begging for regulation
“Regulate the health insurance giants,” chanted the reformers. “Stop denying coverage to sick people,” they demanded. “Stop jacking up premiums,” they cried. “Health coverage for all,” they bellowed. It was an impressive show that the health care reform movement put on last week at a hearing before the Senate finance committee. It was especially impressive…
Recycle plastic garden pots
It’s essential for all of us to practive the three R’s of being a good steward of the earth: reduce, reuse and recycle. Last weekend I walked around my small town on community cleanup day looking for hidden treasures in others’ trash. During cleanup day, residents can put out items that are not accepted in…
Putting the leader in cheerleader
You’ve seen these guys before. OK, maybe not this specific trifecta of testosterone, but you’ve undoubtedly seen guys just like them, clowning around on the sidelines at the football game, one eye on the game, another on the girls in the matching short skirts. They’re the kind of guys who prance along with the cheerleaders,…
A summer of music begins
Summertime is always a boon to live music performances, predominantly of the outdoor sort, but on some of those infamously hot and humid Illinois days, it’s a blessing to experience the modern convenience of air conditioning while checking out some music. Nevertheless, from outdoor theaters to city sidewalks, town squares to park plazas, personal patios…
Angels and Demons action takes your mind off misery
Though I understand why Catholics around the world would be upset with the basic premise in Ron Howard’s adaptation of Dan Brown’s potboiler Angels and Demons, any protest in opposition to it would be simply adding fuel to a fire set to condemn a ridiculous movie. Even more than the first Howard/Brown collaboration, The Da…
Dinosaurs, aliens and magicians
Remember the writer’s strike that hobbled Hollywood 18 months ago? While it had an immediate effect on the television industry, it’s only now being felt on the big screen as evidenced by the weakest roster of films to grace a summer season in many a moon. There are only two sure-fire franchise hits on the…
Visit central Illinois wineries for close-to-home tourism
If you’re craving fun in the sun or a relaxing romantic rendezvous this summer, bypass the travel headache and head for a nearby central Illinois winery. The Illinois Grape Growers and Vintners Association lists five wineries within an hour of Springfield, and one more that’s just outside of Peoria. Each of these is family-owned and…
IT Picks
FESTIVALS |Illinois homegrown Here’s a festival you’ll want to explore if you love vino, bluegrass or country music. For a small admission fee, Hill Prairie Winery will give you a free glass you can take with you in the winery sample room and a full day of music outside under the pavilion. Sunday is slated…
All is well at the General Assembly, except for the $12 billion deficit
It’s been clear from the beginning that Gov. Pat Quinn muffed his budget rollout. Instead of stressing the billion dollars or so in cuts he made and the additional cuts he might be open to, Quinn has repeatedly stressed the need for a 50 percent increase in the income tax rate and has flatly rejected…
Ride the rails to Alton
Passenger rail may have seen its heyday come and go, but 21,000 miles of train track still crisscross America. Ten of Amtrak’s routes wind through Illinois and can connect those looking for summer fun with several destinations throughout the Midwest. Of all the options in the region, Amtrak’s Texas Eagle provides one of the best…
Sierra Club to Shimkus: Clean energy is no ‘assault on democracy’
As U.S. Rep. John Shimkus, R-Collinsville, continues to condemn cap-and-trade legislation to limit carbon emissions, the Sangamon Valley Group of the Sierra Club prepares to fire back. During a House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing on April 22, Shimkus sparked outrage in environmental groups across the nation, including the local Sierra Club, when he made…
Summer Picks
Capital City Bicentennial CelebrationJuly 3-4 What happens when Abraham Lincoln meets the 21st century? The Capital City Bicentennial Celebration. The inaugural event fuses the Springfield Jaycees Capital City Celebration, Taste of Downtown and the Secretary of State’s Ice Cream Social in a two-day festival that also continues the celebration of Lincoln’s 200th birthday. The 16th…
Extreme Makeover
Last October ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition came as close as Peoria. This year, Ty Pennington and his tool belt-clad crew have set their sights on Springfield. The celebrity builders want to construct a brand-new home for a capital city family that’s been a pillar of support for the community. They’ve inspired others through acts…
Craigslist update
Last week, after Illinois Times went to press, Attorney General Lisa Madigan announced that her May 5 meeting with craigslist officials was a success [see “Attorney General gets tough with craigslist,” May 14]. Craigslist, an online classifieds community, agreed to shut down its erotic services section after failing to comply with a November arrangement made…
Things will be great when you’re downtown . . . Chicago
Remember Petula Clark? She used to sing, “The lights are much brighter there, You can forget all your troubles, forget all your cares. So go downtown, things’ll be great when you’re downtown — no finer place, for sure downtown — everything’s waiting for you.” It is fun to kick the dust off your shoes, grab…
Memories of Trader Vic’s
When I was a child, it seemed impossibly exotic. When I was an adolescent, it seemed impossibly tacky: Trader Vic’s in St. Louis. I never ate there, though. For my family, dining in St. Louis meant going to Ruggieri’s, a defunct restaurant on the Hill, or, for extra special occasions, Tony’s. But whenever we drove…
The American game
Not a full year after the first organized baseball game was played in New Jersey’s Elysian Fields, in 1846, poet Walt Whitman is said to have written of the fledgling sport, “I see great things in baseball. It’s our game, the American game.” In the years since Whitman penned that line, baseball would indeed become…
Play in Peoria this summer
For some, a trip to the Peoria area is sheer Par-A-Dice, as they seek to fatten their pockets on the riverboat. While the riverboat is a popular spot, the river city, about 70 miles north of Springfield, has a variety of fairs, festivals and museums for the entire family. For example, you may bask in…
Visit Missouri’s Hermann and Hannibal for river lore
For a river adventure with a bit of history, fiction and mystery, take a weekend and hit two Missouri landmarks, Hermann and Hannibal. Start with the farthest point and head for Hermann, then catch Hannibal on the way back. The trip will take less than three hours and if you head for Pittsfield and over…
See Oliver and Abe outdoors this summer
Summer theater in our area gets better every year and this summer looks promising with a not-to-be-missed new production of an old favorite: Forever This Land at New Salem, Carly Shank’s take on Oliver! at the Muni and a top-notch cast in Into the Woods in Jacksonville. Muni Opera opens its season with Oliver! (June…
Bike and run, a pace for everyone
As the summer sun emerges and time-consumers like Lost and Dancing with the Stars end (just for the season!), the capital city’s trails and parks come alive with walkers, joggers and bikers. Some are veterans. They’ve been doing this for years, know their split times and don’t mind donning spandex. Others are more casual. They…
Out of tune
Everybody in this story loves the Illinois Symphony Orchestra. The musicians who drive hundreds of miles from every corner of this state to play for $63 per performance love the orchestra; the board members who pony up $1,000 a year for the privilege of attending meetings and working at fundraisers love the orchestra; the bare-bones…
