The melting pot boils again
“The Battle of Nauvoo.” PAINTING BY C.C.A. CHRISTENSEN Consider this nightmare scenario. Thousands of religious refugees whose beliefs are radically outside the mainstream, acting with the connivance of compliant politicians, establish a theocracy within the borders of the Illinois commonwealth. Believers vote the way their prophet tells them to and establish their own courts. Social…
Let’s get on board with high-speed rail
Jim Hightower PHOTO BY LARRY D. MOORE Practically every wealthy nation today is making major investments in building high-speed rail networks to transport their people: Japan, Canada, France, Russia, India, England, Morocco, Korea, Saudi Arabia, Italy, China, Mexico, Poland, Spain, Brazil, Germany, South Africa, Turkey and more. But not us, the wealthiest nation, with dozens…
Divided they could fall
PHOTO BY ALAN SOLOMON/TNS Earlier this month when the General Assembly was in Springfield, House Speaker Michael Madigan called Senate President John Cullerton six different times to ask him to move the child care program restoration legislation once it passed the House. Yes, you read that right. Six times. The man is most definitely single-mindedly…
Letters to the Editor 11/26/15
Richard Craig is a man who chooses to be homeless, but he has a plan to get back on his feet. PHOTO BY PATRICK YEAGLE TIME FOR CHANGEI would like to thank Illinois Times for covering the homeless in last Thursday’s issue (“Homeless for the holidays” by Patrick Yeagle). On any given night in…
Editor’s note 11/26/15
Having failed to win legislative approval for term limits, Gov. Bruce Rauner is running his own housecleaning operation. He’s appointed all three of Sangamon County’s veteran House members to staff jobs in his administration, clearing the way for him to appoint new legislators more likely to do his bidding. So far it seems the governor…
How race affects presidential elections
The media have often stressed the importance of the minority vote in determining presidential elections. Some pundits have even gone further, contending that black and Hispanic support has been the prerequisite for a victory. How could a small electorate exert such powerful political influence? Even as recently as in the 2012 presidential race, nonwhites accounted…
The journey of the season
Don your jammies, present your ticket and hop aboard the Polar Express! This weekend, The Legacy Theatre hosts four showings of The Polar Express, the story of one boy’s extraordinary journey to the North Pole, along with four pre-show cocoa parties which begin an hour and a half prior to show time. The Polar Express…
A 26-year tradition
Memorial Medical Center’s Festival of Trees is celebrating its 26th season as a central Illinois holiday highlight. The goal of the festival is twofold: to bring holiday cheer to all ages and to raise money for community programs and outreach. Since 1989, Memorial’s Festival of Trees has raised more than $3.9 million dollars for community…
A sacred oratorio
Join the Springfield Choral Society for its annual performance of Handel’s “Messiah,” the English-language oratorio originally intended as a thought-provoking work to be performed around Easter and Lent, but ultimately became a staple of the Christmas and holiday season. “Messiah” was composed in 1741 by George Frideric Handel and set to an arrangement by Charles Jennens…
Sweeping beauty
PHOTO COURTESY AMY ALKON Amy Alkon My new boyfriend is messy. He drops his socks, underwear and clothing on the floor by the bed. He’s not lazy or entitled, just a spacehead. It’s no big deal for me to pick this stuff up, as I feel like I’m showing him love by caretaking. However, he…
Letters to the future
ILLUSTRATION BY DON BUTTON, WWW.DESIGNBUTTON.COM World leaders from more than 190 countries will convene in Paris during the first two weeks of December for the long-awaited United Nations Climate Change Conference. Will the governments of the world finally pass a binding global treaty aimed at reducing the most dangerous impacts of global warming? Or will…
History of a holiday
Before the Civil War, days of Thanksgiving were declared by the governors of individual states. Many Southern governors declined to do so, believing Thanksgiving to be a “Yankee” holiday. DRAWING BY F. A. CHAPMAN, ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE DECEMBER 9, 1871, HARPER’S WEEKLY In the beginning there were Pilgrims and Indians, more or less like…
The price of honest government
Mayor Jim Langfelder, Ward 6 Ald. Cory Jobe and Slowly, complaints of misbehavior within Springfield city government are working their way through a fledgling system designed to handle ethics complaints. The city has spent $79,000 on a consulting firm that last year recommended that an independent office be set up under contract to receive and…
Woman pleads guilty to embezzling $2.5 million
PHOTO BY METRO CREATIVE CONNECTION A Springfield woman faces prison time after stealing $2.5 million and lying on her tax returns. Susan A. Satterlee of Springfield pleaded guilty on Nov. 5 to wire fraud, embezzlement and income tax evasion that occurred while she worked at a Springfield consulting firm. The prosecution in her case alleges…
Illinois Innocence Project adds Latino focus
Angel Gonzalez PHOTO BY PATRICK YEAGLE Angel Gonzalez spoke almost no English in 1994 when he became the prime suspect in a rape at an apartment complex in Waukegan. Gonzalez was wrongly convicted of the crime, imprisoned for nearly 21 years and finally freed earlier this year with help from the Illinois Innocence Project. If…
WHEN THE CAT’S AWAY…
There hasn’t been much going on at the Capitol complex lately, at least outwardly. The General Assembly is spending most days at home, mired in a weird war of attrition with the governor as Illinois prepares to celebrate the holidays without a state budget that was due before the Fourth of July. But mice, it…
HOLIDAY NUMBERS
The Illinois Chamber of Commerce released its 2016 Annual Holiday Survey this week, providing a glimpse at how Illinois employers will handle paid holidays in 2016. The survey of 483 firms showed that employers will offer slightly fewer paid holidays next year than last year – on average 8.8 days in 2016 compared with 8.9…
Beautiful Brooklyn a love story for the ages
Domhnall Gleeson as Jim Farrell and Saoirse Ronan as Ellis Lacey in Brooklyn. PHOTO COURTESY Fox Searchlight Pictures What a beautiful movie John Crowley has made in Brooklyn, the adaptation of Colm Toibin’s 2009 novel. This loving look back to early 1950’s America and one young Irish girl’s immigrant experience is a gorgeously rendered slice…
Thanks for music
The Brat Pack plays for your listening and otherwise pleasure on Wed., Nov. 25 at Boondocks. As we prepare for the Thanksgiving holiday and ensuing weekend, please remember to add music to your list of items to be thankful for this year and all the time. Take a moment to actually notice all the moments…
Captain Geech and the Shrimp Shack Shooters
Winners of the Rock Band award in our “Best of Springfield” poll for 2015, this band has steadily won a “Best of” category in music for the last several years. Considered the go-to popular band in central Illinois, there’s no doubt that bandmates J Bird Geech (drums, vocals), Peter Geech (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Majeeda…
work, part 2: thanksgiving for work
I shared “work-thoughts-1” witha teacher friend single mom whoworks a second job her response:“Those words prompted me tothink about what I value in thiswork too. I enjoy the catering forI get to interact with a verydifferent set of people, in otheremployees and guests. I feel mywork contributes to the wellbeingof everyone who attends anevent –…
Turkey bone gumbo
Turkey bone gumbo. PHOTO BY PETER GLATZ This is the third column in four weeks that I’ll have written about the food and people of Southern Louisiana. The first two were in response to culinary news: the passing of Paul Prudhomme, who was – literally and figuratively – a figure of immense importance in the…
Rauner gets tough on terrorism
CARTOON BY CHRIS BRITT
Kids’ toys
This holiday season your local Target is sure to be decked out in red and green, but not so much in pink and blue. Over the last few months, so shoppers don’t “feel frustrated or limited by the way things are presented,” the retailer has eliminated many of the gender-based labels in their stores, including…
Rauners writes, gets it wrong
Last week, Bruce Rauner signed a letter sent jointly by Republican governors to President Obama asking him “respectfully” to suspend all plans to resettle additional Syrian refugees in the U.S. “Respectfully” — but also confusedly and cowardly. Readers who don’t regularly read Rich Miller’s dispatches at Capitol Fax.com might wish to read his Monday post critiquing…
Rauner’s cowardice
Sadly, two weeks after writing a column extolling a senior Illinois Republican for his brave stand on admitting refugees from the horrors of World War II Europe into the U.S., our state is shamed by a senior Illinois Republican who has surrendered to fear and xenophobia. I pass with applause this comment by the editors at…
Unhappy days are here again
Photo by G. Kunz/ Tribune News Service The news media, as their name suggests, focus on what is new in the world. Journalism’s only subject is current events – “current” having been defined of late to mean “within the past 10 minutes.” Yesterday is barely mentioned, last year is nearly forgotten, a century ago does…
Let’s break away from Black Friday syndrome
Jim Hightower PHOTO BY LARRY D. MOORE Here comes the holiday season. It’s a monthlong season of friends, family and spiritual reflection, and a time to decompress from our usual helter-skelter lives. It kicks off with Thanksgiving: the one holiday on our calendar that’s meant to be a calm, family-oriented time to get away from…
Rough week for Madigan
PHOTO BY ALAN SOLOMON/TNS “He seems so done with it all,” said one top Republican earlier last week about House Republican Leader Jim Durkin. “He hates this,” said a close Durkin pal not long afterward. The overtime session’s constant battles with the House Democrats and super-strict marching orders from Gov. Bruce Rauner were wearing Durkin…
Letters to the Editor 11/19/15
PHOTO BY Brian Jackson/Chicago Tribune/MCT SOS FOR EMS All Illinoisans should be able to count on the arrival of a well-trained, well-equipped medical crew within minutes of dialing 911. After all, every minute counts in a medical emergency. Unfortunately, Illinois’ Emergency Medical Services have been underfunded and overlooked for years. This has resulted in fewer…
Editor’s note 11/19/15
Illinoisans are still getting to know Gov. Bruce Rauner, who seems like a friendly and compassionate man when he’s not cutting children out of day care or closing museums to the public. So it was not surprising, but still disappointing, when he said this week Illinois will no longer accept new Syrian refugees. He surely…
Gov. Rauner, please open the Illinois State Museum
Dear Gov. Rauner: My name is Guerry Suggs, I serve on the board of the Illinois State Museum and I am currently chairman of the board. This past week the Illinois House of Representatives passed Senate Bill 0317. It was passed by the Senate in August. The bill states that the State of Illinois shall…
Learning with lyrics
Schoolhouse Rock Live! JR “Schoolhouse Rock,” the Emmy Award-winning 1970s Saturday morning cartoon that used music and the power of imagination to teach children about history, grammar, math, science and more, makes a small-stage comeback this weekend at the Hoogland Center for the Arts. The musical centers on Janet, a stressed-out schoolteacher who is attempting…
A symphony of gratitude
Holiday Pops in the Heartland Join the Illinois Symphony Orchestra for the annual Holiday Pops in the Heartland concert, a central Illinois holiday tradition. During this special performance of festive music and traditional songs that celebrate the season, the Illinois Symphony Orchestra will be joined by the Illinois State University Concert Choir, Sangamon Valley Youth…
A shared meal
Annual CORAL Community Thanksgiving Dinner On Saturday, Nov. 21, join the Coalition of Rainbow Alliances for a Thanksgiving dinner that is open to all individuals in the community, regardless of age, sex, gender or sexual orientation. CORAL will provide fixings for the main meal, which will consist of turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, gravy, dressing, rolls…
Homeless for the holidays
Richard Craig says he chooses to be homeless, but he has a plan to get back on his feet. PHOTO BY PATRICK YEAGLE If you didn’t know better, you might think Richard Craig is a powerful businessman. An athletic, handsome man of 46, he’s dressed sharply from head to toe: black wingtip dress shoes, black…
Bishop Hill for Swedish holidays
Christa Downing bakes cookies in preparation for the Bishop Hill Julmarknad (Christmas market), held annually in the Swedish settlement in Henry County. This year’s market will be Nov. 27-29 and Dec. 5-6. Photo courtesy of Bishop Hill State Historic Site When Swedish seekers of religious freedom spent their first winter huddled in shelters dug into…
Shooting down drones?
Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group/TNS A proposal to ban drones within Springfield city limits may not remain as strict as currently written, according to a sponsor. “I don’t necessarily expect that this version that we have right now is the version that will go to the council (for a final vote),” says Ward 3 Ald.…
City doesn’t post council information
Springfield City Clerk Frank Lesko has failed to post information about city council business on the city’s website that had been posted under his predecessor. The law requires public bodies that maintain their own websites to post agendas of meetings on the Internet. The city clerk’s office had traditionally posted agendas more than 72 hours…
PLANT GRANT
Illinois may not strike people as a diverse ecosystem, but this state actually has a wealth of native species that create surprisingly different environments. In southern Illinois, for example, you’ll find cypress swamps that look like they belong in the Everglades – minus the alligators, of course. There are also tall beech-maple forests with sparse…
INFLUENTIAL ARCHITECT
A nationwide design blog recently recognized one of Springfield’s own as an industry leader. Last week, Jeff Sommers of Square Root Architecture + Design in Springfield was named a “groundbreaker” by Curbed.com for his innovative C3 prefabricated modular home concept. He was one of eight architects across the country to receive the designation. The concept…
Solid, compelling Spotlight is one of the year’s best
Michael Keaton and Mark Ruffalo in Spotlight. Tom McCarthy’s Spotlight is a movie that doesn’t have to raise its voice. Much like the reporters it focuses on, this is an assured work, firm in its convictions, telling its story in a factual, non-exploitive way, knowing full well that what it has to say, while necessary,…
Reuniting with Ruth
Hurricane Ruth debuts Winds of Change, her latest recording, at Casey’s Pub, next Fri., Nov. 27 with the Big Bad Blues Machine. We finally got the “cold and gray November days,” as grandma always called them, but inside our cozy venues, the music keeps us warm and dry, hopping and hopeful. Our first order of…
Jason Boland & The Stragglers
Jason Boland & The Stragglers These guys hail from Stillwater, Okla., and play what has become known as “Red Dirt” country music. The name comes from the color of earth you find in Oklahoma, and the band’s style lives in old-school country with a slight rock edge and excellent lyrical sensibility. With Jason on guitar,…
Not-so-sweet pumpkin preparations
Pumpkin stuffed with quinoa and cranberries. PHOTO BY PETER GLATZ For most of my life, my family’s Thanksgiving menu was set in stone. With the exception of cranberries, much, if not all, of it came from our own garden/farm: potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, lima beans, spinach and for years, even the turkey. And, let’s not…
The gospel of lukewarm
PHOTO COURTESY AMY ALKON Amy Alkon I’ve been in a long-distance relationship with my dream man. When we aren’t together, I feel super disconnected and needy. I’ve never been that sort of person, but he is a master of compartmentalization and just calls or texts back when I contact him and is happy to see…
work poem, first part
work poem, first partI’ve been thinking about worktelling my overworked friendsthey are working too hard notthat I should talk but have justhad two thoughtful responsesthis first from a nephew, aneditor: “There’s a lot to be saidabout the value of work, asidefrom the benefits of income. Ifeel like I matter – I’m makinga contribution, adding value,shaping…
How to tell the differance between ISIS and Muslims
CARTOON BY JEN SORENSON
