Cover Story
Farmers want the right to fix their tractors
During the 2023 harvest season, one of Jake Lieb’s tractors quit working. A week later, his combine stopped working, too. Both were new – and he was locked out from making any repairs himself because of software restrictions embedded in the machines. Instead, a technician from John Deere was dispatched to diagnose and repair the…
TCM Film Festival an oasis for movie lovers
Though I was physically exhausted at the end of the fourth day, I was culturally rejuvenated once the 15th Annual Turner Classic Movies Film Festival wrapped up. Seeing classic movies in period film palaces reminded me of the power of cinema as well as the joy that comes from seeing them with an appreciative and…
Make it a smarter summer
Summer is almost here! How will you make the most of it? Do you or your loved ones have plans that include learning something new or earning college credit? One way to take advantage of the slower pace of summer is to enroll in a class or two at Lincoln Land Community College. I recently…
Make cornbread with heirloom corn
Good cornbread is humble and simple. Great cornbread is aromatic, toothsome and flavorful. Cornbread is best when baked in a ripping hot cast-iron skillet and served warm while the aromas are at their fullest. Really good cornbread comes from really good cornmeal. Really good cornmeal is made from corn that has been grown organically, still…
April music flourishes
This has been an incredible month of live music as the outdoor venues heat up with all kinds of activities. Next comes May and on into summertime, where we behold the onslaught of fairs, festivals, homecomings, burgoos, gatherings, celebrations, jamborees and other variously titled events featuring music-makers of all kinds. But first let’s see what…
Four actors star in spoof of Hitchcock thriller
Fans of Alfred Hitchcock, Monty Python or Mel Brooks – or any combination of the three – will surely enjoy this comedy opening tomorrow night at the Hoogland Center for the Arts. The 39 Steps, written by Patrick Marlow, is a spoof of the 1935 Hitchcock spy thriller of the same name which itself was…
Hero highlights family matriarch, Boy Kills World falls short
Less-is-more approach helps Hero Abraham Lincoln once said, “No man is poor who has a Godly mother.” Truer words were never spoken where the Smallbone family is concerned. The matriarch of the family, Helen, held her family together after her husband’s business failed and their house was foreclosed on, then moved to the United States…
Editor’s note 4/25/24
It’s great that the decline of local news has gotten attention lately, and that foundations, universities and government task forces are spending money on the problem. But the more proposals that are offered, the more obvious it becomes that nobody has found a solution. Nonprofit journalism is one idea, but earlier this month Chicago Public…
City weighs whether to regulate “backyard breeders”
Anyone breeding dogs and cats for sale in Springfield would have to register with the city as part of an effort to reduce the number of unwanted animals ending up in the Sangamon County Animal Control Center. An ordinance proposed by Ward 8 Ald. Erin Conley is designed to give city officials information about the…
A new direction
Sections of Adams and Fourth streets will transition from one-way to two-way from May 6 through May 10 as part of what Springfield officials called “ongoing efforts to improve traffic flow and enhance safety in our community.” The conversion also will include the installation of a new option – reverse-angle, back-in parking – in a…
Attorney trio in trouble
A Springfield lawyer was asked to resign from her city job this month after allegations of unethical behavior came to light from her time working for the Office of the Illinois Attorney General. At the heart of the controversy is Salena Young and the two men with whom she lives; both also worked with her…
State considers ban for certain food additives
The Illinois Senate passed a bill April 18 that would ban four food additives that are found in common products including candy, soda and baked goods. Senate Bill 2637, known as the Illinois Food Safety Act, passed on a 37-15 bipartisan vote and will head to the House for consideration. The banned chemicals would include…
Observer
I once spotted Carl Sagan’s son: he’d just left the country home of mutual friends in Vermont whom I was coming to see; it was moonlit: he’d left his car to wander in a field. I was thrilled – I thought he was out looking at the stars, this grown kid of that famous heaven-watching…
Letters to the editor 4/25/24
We welcome letters. Please include your full name, address and telephone number. We edit all letters. Send them to editor@illinoistimes.com. —- FROM COUNTY BOARD CHAIR Dean Olsen’s recent article on the nationally recognized consultant’s analysis of an expansion to the BOS Center incisively covered a complex subject (“Making downtown Springfield more marketable,” April 11). The subsequent…
