Cover Story
House divided
Hear the name “Lincoln” and you see the man splitting rails, say, or on a debate platform towering over Stephen A. Douglas. Few recall the soon-to-be president being shooed out the front door of his house in a hail of potatoes. But that image of Lincoln was as valid as the others, as we learn…
June music moves
Things are looking up, as the old saying goes, and just to prove the point, we’re ending June with a big bang of live music performances. Your most pressing issue will be deciding where to go and what to see, but after the lost year of 2020, let’s just say that’s an OK problem to…
Picasso on pavement
The Springfield Art Association (SAA) is geared up to get back on the streets with the annual Paint the Street. Each registrant will receive a 6×6-foot square to paint solo or with family, co-workers, clubs or sports teams. They will also receive one paint supply bucket and a bag with filled with goodies from sponsors.…
Springfield’s humble treasure
As the soldiers who fought in the Civil War returned to civilian life, many retained the bonds of brotherhood forged in battle. Several fraternal organizations of the Civil War veterans sprang up, and the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), founded in Springfield in 1866, became a leader among them. The GAR Memorial Museum collection…
Two good family flicks, but skip F9
Physics, logic both casualties in F9 Look, I know I’m supposed to suspend disbelief when I go to the movies and allow that certain things that might not happen in real life are allowed on the silver screen. It’s part of an unwritten contract between the viewer and filmmaker. Breaking this rule more brazenly with…
Session ends with major legislation, but no energy bill
Illinois lawmakers finished a two-day special session June 17 by passing some important legislation but without reaching agreement on the one issue they had hoped to resolve – an energy bill that would phase out all carbon emissions from power plants over the next 30 years. “I think a very successful legislative session got a…
editor’s Note 6/24/21
As life continues to reemerge, we’re being more selective about what meetings to attend, how much socializing to do, how we spend our time. Businesses, happy to have survived, are looking for ways to do business differently, more boldly. Activists, empowered, are gathering ideas for next steps. State politics is on the move. The new…
Explaining the Black Agenda
The Illinois Black Caucus made several “significant, impactful changes” by introducing four omnibus bills to address systemic injustice earlier this year, said state Sen. Kimberly Lightford, D-Maywood. The measures have been called the “Black Agenda,” drafted in part as a response to the ongoing national dialogue around police brutality in the wake of the murder…
The Big Read made us grow and thrive
Kudos to the LLCC Academy of Lifelong Learning for sponsoring the NEA Big Read Sangamon County. As one participant said, “This has been a good project to have during this pandemic. We have needed something to take our minds to another place…. This whole thing has really been expansive for me.” The organizers distributed 1,235…
Woman freed after serving 19 years for murder
A woman found guilty of a McHenry County murder had her conviction vacated last week after serving 19 years of her 27-year sentence and maintaining her innocence throughout her imprisonment. With the help of the lawyers from the Illinois Innocence Project, Jennifer McMullan was released from prison June 16 as a result of a plea…
Archival find # 41: Booklet
by my daughter Gillian, 12, decorated with colorful accurate blossoms. SPRING A Book of Poems and Haikus, by Jill Jackson ©copyright 1970, Jackson & Co. Rockford – Kent – New Haven The motorboat’s buzz Is a constant mosquito Across the blue lake In a dark alley A cat runs across the street To talk with…
Letters to the editor 6/24/21
We welcome letters. Please include your full name, address and telephone number. We edit all letters. Send them to letters@illinoistimes.com. —- TEST POWER PLANS Governor JB Pritzker has stated he is adamant about closing all coal and gas-burning power plants by 2035 (“Senate adjourns with no energy deal,” June 17). Commonwealth Edison is blackmailing his…
Fix the underlying problems
I’d been hearing since the end of May when the General Assembly adjourned for the summer that there were some problems with the state budget legislation which needed to be fixed. Some effective dates apparently weren’t drafted right. But, silly me, I failed to follow my own rules and didn’t read the bill (SB2800) for…
Springfield at a crossroad
We have some real positives in our community, not the least of which is that we are at the intersection of Interstates 55 and 72. This location, with with east-west and north-south interstates, should be advantageous for business development. We have a vibrant and growing medical community, with a medical school to develop the next…
Icebox cake 101
When temperatures soar there’s nothing so pleasing as a recipe that doesn’t require the use of an oven or stove. Enter the icebox cake. These old-fashioned desserts became popular in the 1930s as reliable refrigeration became a new reality for many American households. Essentially a spinoff of classic layered desserts like trifle tiramisu, an icebox…
