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What did the General Assembly accomplish?
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Letters to the editor 06-06-24
WORK ON THE BIGGER PICTURE The lack of affordable housing, the deplorable condition of properties, racial disparities in educational outcomes and the labor market are issues that need immediate attention from the city and community leaders (“City launches program to rehab east-side homes,” May 16). The city determines areas such as downtown Springfield, Aristocracy Hill,…
Confusion over ramifications of new law
A state law essentially designed to prevent Republicans from appointing legislative candidates to the ballot after the March primary was ruled unconstitutional by a Sangamon County judge last week, but her ruling only applied to the 14 Republican plaintiffs in the case who are running for the Illinois House and Senate. The law prohibited local…
Glen Powell shines in Hitman, Hard Miles a familiar but positive journey, Summer Camp dull and predictable
Powell shines in clever Hitman Directed by Richard Linklater, Hitman is an inspired-by-fact dark comedy that gives Glen Powell the opportunity to show his range and make the case he’s worthy of the great expectations surrounding him. Employing a wry tone from the start, we see meek professor Gary Johnson (Powell) thrown into a dangerous…
Legislation passes to help BOS Center expansion
A bill recently passed by the Illinois General Assembly increases the likelihood a proposed $93 million expansion of Springfield’s convention center will become reality, a state lawmaker says. “I do think this project is something that will really benefit and save the downtown,” state Rep. Mike Coffey, R-Springfield, told Illinois Times on June 3. House…
General Assembly passes 466 bills this season
A bill banning what unions refer to as employer-sponsored “captive audience” meetings about religion and politics has cleared both chambers of the General Assembly. It was one of 466 measures to do so during the Illinois legislature’s recently concluded spring session, including measures targeting artificial intelligence and allowing for digital driver’s licenses. A Capitol News…
Democrats pass $53.1 billion budget
After a near-derailment and an all-nighter to wrap up the General Assembly’s spring session, supermajority Democrats in the Illinois House gave final legislative approval to the state budget as the sun rose the morning of May 29. Despite holding 78 seats in the chamber, it took Democrats three tries to reach the 60 votes needed…
Rebuilding the Catholic Church
Imagine a place where pupils study Aristotle and also learn how to plane boards. San Damiano College for the Trades will do just that. The future central Illinois school just hired its first president, Kent Lasnoski, who is moving to Springfield from Wyoming, where he led another Catholic college. He hopes to open the doors…
Keep picnic menus simple
I am very passionate about both food and music and few things bring me more pleasure than dining al fresco at a musical performance. Al fresco in Italian translates to “in the cool,” and has come to refer to dining in the fresh air. The combination of delicious food, live music and a beautiful outdoor…
Buried treasures from the ’60s
If you had 300 cubic foot boxes of documents, diaries and other materials, mostly from the 1960s, in your basement and garage, what would you do? When Doris Kearns Goodwin and her husband, Richard (Dick) Goodwin, assessed their situation in 2012, they did not panic or call a junk hauler. Instead, they decided to examine…
Taichi Fukumura named new ISO conductor
Following an exciting 2023-2024 season which doubled as a fierce, seven-month contest to hire a new music director/conductor, the Illinois Symphony Orchestra has announced the winner: Maestro Taichi Fukumura. The selection process took an unexpected turn in April, when Naomi Woo withdrew from the competition to become music director of the National Youth Orchestra of…
June music-making
As we drop into our first full weekend of June for 2024, the stage is set for a righteous run of wonderful live music experiences in the good old summertime. Let’s get right to it and take a gander at what’s in store for the next several days on the local scene. First, we’re jumping…
Worried that artificial intelligence is coming for your job?
This concern has become very real for many of us. I am a Generation Xer (born 1965-1980), and we have been a witness to much of the tech revolution and what a few years ago was science fiction has quickly become reality. The truth is, there are many jobs that will be automated in the…
Annual festival to benefit 10 charities
Legacy of Giving Music Festival Fri., June 7, 5 p.m.-12 a.m. Sat., June 8, 12 p.m.-12 a.m. Old State Capitol Plaza 217-306-7896 Springfield’s largest family-friendly music festival is back Friday and Saturday with 62 acts on five stages. You read that right – 62! This popular two-day festival includes food, 30 vendors, a variety of…
Oh, what a night!
The Muni’s Jersey Boys is an impressive, energy-packed romp documenting the many decades of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. It is brilliantly structured, with each of the original Four Seasons narrating a different “season” of their lives. The story begins on the seedy streets of their youth and transitions to their 1960s Top-40 glory…
Family Story Never Forgot
Family Story Never Forgot My little brother spoke with a pre-school lisp. Our Mother said to him once, after he’d committed some small misdemeanor, “Craig, why can’t you be a good little boy?” He replied solemnly, “Mommy, little boys have to be good some of the time and little boys have to be bad some…
