Bumps in the roadshow
THR and Associates says it will make good on thousands of checks written on an account that was unexpectedly closed last week. Meanwhile, the Springfield-based company and its owner, Jeffrey Parsons, who owes more than $3.5 million in delinquent federal taxes, are facing lawsuits, including one filed by employees who say that the company has…
Lucky tripped up by Sparks
I have a theory about adaptations of Nicholas Sparks’ novels. Give a script of any one of his novels to a budding filmmaker and if they can successfully make a movie from it, then that’s a director to watch. If they can’t, well…. With seven films based on his best-selling novels, there’s only one worth…
Children’s library is more than books
When the Northside Community Children’s Library opened its doors in October 2011 it was originally supposed to offset the closings of the north and west branches of Springfield’s Lincoln Library. Six months later, the library in the basement of Third Presbyterian Church on North Seventh Street has developed into more than just a place to…
Carciofi alla Giudea
My favorite artichoke recipe appeared in my 11/3/11 IT column, available at illinoistimes.com. It’s a New Orleans variation of Italian stuffed artichokes that adds shrimp to the traditional breadcrumbs/Parmesan/garlic preparation. That Creole recipe is my favorite, but there are many other fresh artichoke recipes I love. Baby artichokes can be eaten raw, thinly sliced for…
Plenty of room at the inn
Sangamon County is considering options for its juvenile detention center that remains largely empty a dozen years after it opened. Possibilities include closing the center or remodeling space so that adult inmates can share the building that opened in 2000 at a cost of $13.7 million. “Everything is on the table,” said Mike Torchia, director…
Go global
Were you tucked inside your house on Earth Day? Show this ole globe you give a care and head out this Saturday, April 28 to Erin’s Pavilion at Southwind Park for the Earth Awareness Fair. You and your family will learn a wealth of environmental information from numerous vendors. There’s also live music, games, activities,…
Springfield visited
No doubt some members of the of the Springfield Diocesan Council of Catholic Women settled into their seats at the Centennial Auditorium in March 1949 looking forward to being instructed by their invited guest on the writers and converted Catholics G.K. Chesterton, Ronald Knox and Graham Greene. I suspect more of them came to learn…
Quiet before the Statehouse battle
“It’s so quiet,” sighed Pippin in The Fellowship of the Rings. “It’s the deep breath before the plunge,” counseled Gandalf. “I don’t want to be in a battle,” said Pippin, “but waiting on the edge of one I can’t escape is even worse.” That exchange pretty well sums up the current climate in the General…
IRISH DANCE JUDGE
Springfield’s Sharon Stidham, owner and director of the Achill Academy of Irish Dance in Springfield, recently returned from judging the World Irish Dance Championships in Dusseldorf, Germany. Stidham, chairperson and co-founder of the North American Irish Dance Federation, traveled to Germany after being selected as one of seven judges for the competitions, which were held…
PERFORM FOR PICNIC
Organizers for a Central Illinois Race Unity Picnic are looking for musicians, dancers and art-contest judges to come participate in a Race Unity event being held June 10 at Springfield’s Southwind Park. Organizers say the event will be a large-scale celebration of mankind’s diversity. The June 10 picnic is an expansion of an annual Race…
scavengerpoem #1
demi, you’d like my sandwich this noonthe bread is from someone’s finished mealat st. pat’s fish fry last night raw onion dittothe well-flavored beef slice I slid off johnknoepfle’s plate at a university do two nightsago sneaked it home in an elegant cloth napkin(washed today, ready for return) mayo? welljust the best but here’s your…
Vulture capital
This woman and I have been friends for a year. She’s a free spirit of sorts with zero boundaries. In the time I’ve known her, she’s been married and divorced and then engaged, and now that has ended. She always has another man on the side. (She did even when married and engaged.) She frequently…
Artichoke Hymn to Spring
This recipe is adapted from one in Jacques Pepin’s latest cookbook, Essential Pepin. It includes a DVD with dozens of useful techniques; among them is preparing artichokes for cooking. This is a classic French treatment of spring vegetables and, as the name implies, a tribute to – the essence of – spring. 4 medium artichokes…
Where would Jesus park?
Eric Reiss knows the cars by heart, right down to the license plate numbers. Where, he wonders, is the gold Toyota today? “A wonderful little girl drives it,” says Reiss, who lives at the intersection of Monroe and Adelia streets, a stone’s throw from Sacred Heart-Griffin High School, which is both a blessing and a…
Pearce wisecracks his way out of Lockout
Though the credits in Lockout assure us that it is “based on an original idea by Luc Besson,” those with a rudimentary knowledge of genre filmmaking will immediately recognize its premise as a knockoff of Escape from New York. I think that the director of that film, John Carpenter, could sue to get at least…
Two Trick Pony
Using Elvis Presley, Patsy Cline, Johnny Cash, Chuck Berry, the Beatles, the Crystals and Buddy Holly from days of yore, plus a mishmash of more modern cuts from the Ramones and the Misfits, Two Trick Pony forges a special place in the Springfield music scene by converting classic tunes into fuzz guitar-driven, punkish sounding anthems.…
Artful artichokes
Fresh artichokes aren’t local, even though recently cultivars have been developed for home gardeners outside the Mediterranean-type climate that’s their natural habitat (my attempts at artichoke-growing have been dismal at best). Like strawberries, fresh artichokes are available throughout much of the year in groceries, but they’re at their seasonal best in spring. Edible artichokes are…
The Citizens United gang
The Lone Ranger was a masked man who was out to bring bad guys to justice. Ed Conard is a masked man who is out to bring bad guys to power. A multimillionaire financier who was a top henchman in Bain Capital, Mitt Romney’s old outfit of corporate plunderers, Conard is currently riding with the…
Poetic spellbinder
Some music you like instantly at first listen. Such is the sound and lyrics of Jeffrey Foucault. Check it out for yourself on his website. Better yet, hear Foucault in person Saturday, Apr. 28 at the Hoogland Center for the Arts. A blend of intoxicating country/folk with the occasional Southern rock-Lynyrd Skynyrd twist, Foucault is…
Creativity uncovered
Breath in fresh air and creativity at Lincoln Memorial Garden at its popular Art in the Garden Saturday, Apr. 28 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The day includes artists painting who welcome visitors to chat and watch them in action along the winding trails. The kids can try their hand at en plein air…
Nature’s friends
When the Friends of the Sangamon Valley – formerly known as the Friends of Carpenter Park – was established in 1998, the organization began by targeting one piece of land to preserve. The target was eight acres of land that was to be developed for a hotel, located at the 322-acre Carpenter Park north of…
Incarcerated but innocent
When Jonathan Grayson went to the Kane County courthouse on March 6, he wasn’t expecting to walk out a free man. The 30-year-old had spent 10 years in prison for murder, and he still had another 65 years of prison ahead.But Grayson didn’t commit the murder that led to his incarceration, and on March 6,…
Big on the Big Band
While lollygagging somewhere recently I ran into longtime Springfieldian and self-proclaimed “jazz junkie” Byrd Davis. We talked about the upcoming Spring Jazz Brunch (Sunday, April 29, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., K of C Hall on Meadowbrook, 217-414-2955) and the history of jazz performance during Byrd’s stay in the capital city. He wrote an article…
Modern marvels
Modern dance troop, Pilobolus turns Sangamon Auditorium, UIS upside down, and all around, with usual and spectacular movements Sunday, April 29. A work of art on two-and-twenty legs, this creative dance theatre captivates the world and will marvel you with their inventive, athletic and collaborative performance using the human body on stage as a medium…
Letters to the Editor 04/26/2012
WOMEN AGAINST REGISTRYJerry Sandusky is at the center of the Penn State sex abuse scandal. Jerry Sandusky was not on any sex offender registry, which is the case in more than 95 percent of sexual offenses. [See “Reformers: six offender mandate would hurt Illinois,” by Patrick Yeagle, April 19.] More laws and more money being…
A caring economy would invest in children
We’re being told that fiscal responsibility requires big cuts in education, nutrition and health care for millions of children. This shortsighted and uncaring thinking is not only a nightmare for those directly affected; it is an imminent threat to America’s economic future. We have to let our policymakers know that fiscal responsibility requires caring economic…
