Cover Story
Hit and run
For April Poole and Paula Harris, Aug. 13 felt like any other Friday night. They attended Brothers & Sisters, a group of friends who gather for dinner each week at a different restaurant, and on this particular Friday, they dined somewhere on the west side. It was close to 9 when they headed home. As…
Burma Shave poem #1
with super highways we have lost burma shave signs that were so clever so enjoyable – but language changes as well as highways and the last word of this burma shave sequence my grandkids didn’t recognize: “If hugging on highways – Is your sport Turn in your car – For a davenport!” 2022 Jacqueline Jackson
Letters to the Editor 4/28/22
We welcome letters. Please include your full name, address and telephone number. We edit all letters. Send them to editor@illinoistimes.com. —- GOOD MEMORIES I grew up on a farm near Loami and New Berlin. My parents would take my sister and me to Town & Country in the 1960s to shop for clothes at Goldblatt’s…
Needless angst over kneeling
Our society has developed quite a bit of consternation over folks who kneel on football fields. First there was quarterback Colin Kaepernick kneeling during the national anthem in protest of police brutality. Then-President Donald Trump’s response: “Get that son-of-a-bitch off the field.” Sigh. On April 25, the U.S. Supreme Court heard the case of Joseph…
What does it take to be important in America?
Maybe it’s the perspective a long life brings, but I find myself eyeing with some skepticism the glut of “personal brands” that assault us every day on television, in print and through social media. Entertainers, celebrities, politicians striving for acclaim, artists and writers who’ve mastered the public-relations game, journalists and media stars who are building…
Reconsider pasta primavera
Primavera is the Italian word for spring – or, literally, first green. Pasta primavera is made with sautéed spring vegetables in a rich sauce of butter, cream and cheese. But pasta primavera isn’t Italian. It was conceived in Nova Scotia in the early 1970s by vacationing New Yorkers. Italian cuisine has its own dishes that…
The art of faith
Inspiring and creative art, music, poetry, performances and more will be featured in Springfield May 6 -15. The biennial Liturgical Arts Festival is back after a hiatus due to COVID-19. This is an interfaith celebration of the liturgical arts, reflecting mutual appreciation of artistic expression. While the festival is inspired by the diversity of faith…
Goodbye Mark, So Long April
As we slip past the last weekend of April-ing and into the merry month of May-be, the live music just keeps coming on like the showers and flowers of spring. This week there are many of the usual suspects in the regular spots, a few new players at different places and a heartfelt loss of…
Springtime at the farm
The Dominican Sisters of Springfield are offering an opportunity to enjoy spring in the country during this year’s Spring Fling at their Jubilee Farm. The event will feature children’s crafts, a gift shop and music by local singer and storyteller, Tom Irwin. It will also coincide with their annual spring seedling sale where they will…
Nicolas Cage clever in Unbearable, Ben Foster soars in Survivor, Unheard Tapes nothing new
Cage quite cagey in Unbearable There’s a great deal going on in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent and it all has to do with Nicolas Cage…or is it Nick Cage? Of course, there’s probably a bit of Nicolas Kim Coppola floating around as well, but we won’t bother to parse all that out. At…
Patricia Ward Kelly reflects on the enduring legacy of Singin’ in the Rain
“I’ve actually talked about that quite a bit lately,” said Gene Kelly’s widow, Patricia, after I asked her if her late husband was ever aware he was making something special while filming his seminal musical, Singin’ in the Rain. “This notion about what Gene wanted for this movie was very simple. He said people would…
Kin of deceased inmate sue
Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell and his underlings at the county jail, as well as the company that provides medical care to inmates under contract with the sheriff’s office, are targets in a federal lawsuit filed April 28 on behalf of the estate of Jaimeson Cody, who died last year after an altercation with guards.…
Editors note 4/28/22
When I arrived, Micah introduced himself, without anybody asking him to, and welcomed me to Mrs. Wells’ fourth-grade class at Sandburg Elementary. The kids have been reading Illinois Times as a class project, and so were well-prepared with questions, and with answers to mine. “How can a newspaper make money if it’s free?” “Advertisements,” several…
UIS faculty could strike as soon as May 2
An “overwhelming” vote by unionized faculty members at University of Illinois Springfield to authorize a potential strike should send a message to university officials, the union’s vice president says. “In essence, the faculty are tired and fed up with the administration,” Steve Schnebly, UIS professor of criminology and criminal justice, told Illinois Times. “This is…
Peace for Ukraine banners downtown
“Peace for Ukraine” banners are being installed throughout downtown to demonstrate Springfield’s friendship with Ukraine. The banners also feature a vibrant sunflower, the national flower of Ukraine. Sunflowers are a key component of the Ukrainian economy and a symbol of peace. The banners are an initiative of Mayor Jim Langfelder and Barb Malany of the…
Political problems for Prisoner Review Board
When they were young, they murdered and were sent away to prison. Now they are old, infirm and still incarcerated. The Illinois Prisoner Review Board has voted to parole some of these individuals. And those votes have thrown the once obscure, Springfield-based board into controversy. Illinois has been phasing out parole since 1978. Anyone sentenced…
Highway camera expansion includes Sangamon County
A pair of bills on Gov. JB Pritzker’s desk would expand a state roadway camera monitoring program to 21 additional counties while also expanding the number of crimes the cameras can be used to investigate and the number of parties that can prosecute them. The measures – House Bill 260 and House Bill 4481 –…
