Men in uniform
In “Off the rack” I chided the governor for his too-casual choices of attire while on the job. I concede that my standards in such matters were shaped by my first tow governors, William Stratton and Otto Kerner. Stratton was a bit of a dandy, Kerner went dignified. Kerner was named Best Dressed in his…
Rauch Takes the Reins with “The Bronze”
And to think, it all started with a free pretzel. Inspiration can come from the most unexpected of places and that was certainly the case with Melissa Rauch and her husband Winston who, years ago had gone to a mall in New Jersey and were given a free pretzel. “I was on this show called…
Poetry Out Loud
Here’s a clip of Illinois’ Statewide Poetry Out Loud 2016 winners: Last week, Mariah Brooks, junior at Southeast High School in Springfield, and Amber Price, junior at Maine East High School in Park Ridge, competed at the state level in the national recitation competition Poetry Out Loud. Brooks claimed the title of Illinois statewide champion while…
Vainglory
ILLUSTRATION BY RICK NEASE/TNS Some 30 years ago I was moved by the mindless boasting of the Republican blowhard in the White House to write this column, which appeared in the Prejudices series on Aug. 8, 1985. The presidential field at the moment offers us several others of the type, so I thought my…
How to make billboards uglier
Jim Hightower PHOTO BY LARRY D. MOORE OK people, we need to discuss billboards Billboards must be living creatures for they appear to propagate, spreading everywhere growing to enormous size, shouting corporate messages at us – and even watching and tracking us with their digital eyes. Now, though, rather than billboards becoming human, we humans…
Madigan, Rauner campaign to destroy
PHOTO BY ALAN SOLOMON/TNS Illinois Republicans have long complained that House Speaker Michael Madigan’s campaign organization doesn’t just beat you, it destroys you. Madigan doesn’t always set out to merely win; he wants to make sure he doesn’t ever have to deal with you again. Madigan’s own Democratic primary race has been a good example.…
Letters to the Editor 03/17/16
QUIT POINTING FINGERSI have heard the news reports – the ones that say the governor is blaming the legislature for the budget impasse – the ones that say the legislature is blaming the governor for the budget impasse. Well, ladies and gentlemen, the time has come to quit pointing fingers and go to work…
Editor’s note 03/17/16
In this week’s cover story on the outrageous ways Illinois lawmakers spend their campaign funds, our Bruce Rushton quotes one state senator saying the public isn’t interested in this subject. “What is the concern?” asks Sen. Kimberly Lightford. “The public isn’t making any contributions to our campaigns.” Indeed, most political contributions come from corporations, special…
Don’t deny occupations to ex-offenders
The Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) released 29,962 prisoners in 2014, according to the department’s FY2014 annual report. Research suggests that the ex-offender’s biggest hurdle to reentry is convincing potential employers to overlook their past mistakes. All individuals with conviction records face numerous challenges reintegrating back into society, but African-Americans are disproportionately impacted. Blacks make…
A clean slate
Expungement and Sealing Seminar Learn how criminal records can be expunged or sealed during a Criminal Record Expungement and Sealing Seminar. The free event is organized and supported by the Springfield NAACP, Springfield Urban League, Springfield Race Unity Committee, Springfield Housing Authority and many other organizations. Presenters include the Sangamon County Circuit Clerk, the expungement…
Understand computer security threats
Cybersecurity and Privacy Protection Seminar On Tuesday, March 22, Lincoln Land Community College’s Capital City Training Center hosts a computer security and privacy protection seminar designed to help novice-to-expert users of technology understand potential cybersecurity issues. Presenter Darrell Fortae, owner of Everlast Software LLC, will share advice and steps that can be taken to protect…
Glee for free
Glee Club of the Roxbury Latin School of Boston On Saturday, March 18, enjoy a complimentary concert by the Glee Club of the Roxbury Latin School of Boston. Founded in 1645, The Roxbury Latin School of Boston, Mass., is the oldest boys’ school in America, priding itself on a long tradition of educating bright boys…
Hi money, I’m home
PHOTO COURTESY AMY ALKON Amy Alkon My boyfriend is going to a dinner out of town to get an award for a film he made, and he didn’t invite me. When I told him I felt excluded, he said that he was embarrassed because his parents are paying for his flight and he has to…
Spotlight on Ice turns 40
Paige Zolnierek as Peter Pan and Hallie Griffin as Captain Hook. PHOTO BY GRUSSENMEYER PHOTOGRAPHY This weekend, take a break from the taxes, leave the yard work, gather up the family and head to Nelson Center for the 40th anniversary Springfield Figure Skating Club celebration “Spotlight on Ice.” This year’s show promises to be bigger…
Poetry Out Loud
Mariah Brooks, a junior at Southeast High School, is named statewide champion for the Poetry Out Loud contest. PHOTO BY WILLIAM RICHARDS Springfield’s Southeast High School junior Mariah Brooks claimed the title of Illinois statewide champion for the Poetry Out Loud competition last week. It’s part of a national poetry recitation competition that creates a…
Court drama
These kids have seen a lot: broken families, violence, drug use, poverty and despair. Now they’ve seen something else – something they probably never imagined: the Illinois Supreme Court justices sitting unrobed and absorbed with interest in their lives. The state’s highest court played host this week to a theater troupe composed of troubled kids…
Targeting autism
The Illinois State Library and the Illinois Secretary of State teamed up last week to host the second annual “Targeting Autism” forum, a national conference that creates a platform for discussion and networking between parents and administrators. This year, the conference welcomed former ABC News correspondents John Donvan and Caren Zucker, the two New York…
Inmate challenges faith-based rehab
Rayshawn Vonperbandt An atheist prisoner in Illinois is suing the state and a private prison contractor for alleged unfair punishment stemming from his mandatory faith-based rehabilitation. The inmate claims he was put in solitary confinement for refusing to stand during prayers that conflict with his beliefs. The case revolves around the First Amendment prohibition on…
MCCANN THE MAN
Sen. Sam McCann won the hotly contested Republican primary race for Illinois’ 50th Senate district yesterday, earning 52.6 percent of the vote to challenger Bryce Benton’s 47.3 percent. The race was one of the most expensive ever in Illinois, with Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner dumping millions into Benton’s campaign – mostly indirectly through a “dark…
BEAUTIFYING HER BEAT
Springfield police officer Tami Walcher saw a problem last year and decided to fix it. Walcher is the beat officer for Beat 500, which covers the area south of South Grand Avenue between Chatham Road and 11th Street, extending south to encompass Lake Springfield. During her patrols, she began talking to a panhandler at the…
10 Cloverfield Lane gets half the job done
John Goodman, Mary Elizabeth Winstead and John Gallagher Jr. in 10 Cloverfield Lane. Put 10 Cloverfield Lane in the “almost, not quite” file, what with it being a film that straddles two genres yet only succeeds in achieving half of what it sets out to do. Covering some of the same ground as Room, 10…
St. Patty’s and beyond
The Emerald Underground continues the Celtic celebration at Lime Street Cafe, Thursday, March 17, 7 p.m. Thursday, March 17 is the day designated as St. Patrick’s Day, and even though Springfield and other places may have celebrated with gusto last Saturday, many folks still call this the real deal. With the election primaries over and…
Deep Lunar Blue
Deep Lunar Blue When a group calls itself an “American rock band from Springfield, Illinois” on their website’s homepage, you know they better mean it. Deep Lunar Blue has been setting a standard of original and classic rock jam music in the local scene like no one else does or can since 2009. The talented…
note on kitchen table
hi dad hi mom I know being elected prez ofthe whole high school senate can’t comparewith head of the free world but it’s prettybig stuff for me yeah that was my winningplatform—big stuff, my big stuff is biggerthan your big stuff your big stuff is reallypretty puny stuff that took care of julioI decimated savanna…
Three easy pastas
Fried eggs, red pepper flakes and herbs pasta. PHOTO BY PETER GLATZ Four years ago I bought a school bus and named her Bertha. I removed all the seats and outfitted her with sleeping bunks, a restroom, a dining nook, and a small, but fully equipped kitchen. Bertha and I love hitting the open road…
Lifestyles of the rich and elected
CARTOON BY CHRIS BRITT Fancy cars. Luxury hotels. Trips to the tropics and beyond. Money paid to “unknown.” Meals bought in bars without kitchens and money sent to an address that doesn’t exist. All this and more appears on campaign disclosure reports filed by Illinois legislators, who are barred from spending campaign money on anything…
I’m a uniter
CARTOON BY CHRIS BRITT
