You’ve likely driven by the Sacred Heart Convent Chapel many times without realizing you are passing by an architectural gem filled with spectacular stained glass. The Sacred Heart Convent, on West Monroe Street between Amos and Lincoln avenues, is the motherhouse of the Dominican Sisters of Springfield and retirement home for their senior sisters. To […]
Karen Ackerman Witter
Karen Ackerman Witter started freelance writing after a 35-year career in state government holding various senior leadership positions. Prior to retiring she was associate director of the Illinois State Museum for 14 years. She is the past president of the Kidzeum Board of Directors and is an active volunteer with the Rotary Club of Springfield Sunrise, Women for Women giving circle of the Community Foundation, NPR Illinois and other community organizations.
Posted inNews
Architecture makes life better
As a freelance writer, I enjoy writing about an eclectic range of topics – health and fitness, nutrition, museums, travel, advocacy, government, local businesses, community leaders, wedding planning, programs for kids, activities for seniors and interesting people, places and organizations. Recently, I was asked to write about two seemingly different topics: the Sacred Heart Convent […]
Posted inNews
Growing green buildings
Solar panels, monarch butterflies, energy efficiency, eco-designed chairs, clean energy, rooftop gardens, manufactured construction and pollinator pockets are just some of the sustainability topics discussed at the 15th annual Green Symposium held at the University of Illinois Springfield Student Union Sept. 20. The keynote speaker addressed how the environments we create impact the lives of […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
Exercise for your mind
If you are 50 or older and want to stay active, be socially engaged and continue to learn something new, consider joining the Academy of Lifelong Learning (ALL). With 14 different programs and interest groups, there is something for everyone. Sponsored by Lincoln Land Community College (LLCC), the Academy of Lifelong Learning offers informative lectures, […]
Posted inNews
Explore the world from Springfield
Springfield-area residents can learn firsthand about U.S. foreign policy and global economic issues through free programs presented by the World Affairs Council of Central Illinois (WACCI). This civic organization hosts a speaker series with experts on a wide range of topics that are important globally and also have a local impact. The first program of […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
The new Arch park
Mike Ward, superintendent of Gateway Arch National Park, says being involved in the redevelopment of the Gateway Arch is a once-in-a-lifetime career opportunity. Eight years in the making, the CityArchRiver project is a $380 million public-private partnership that has transformed the Arch grounds and surrounding areas in downtown St. Louis. Hallmarks of this huge undertaking […]
Posted inNews
Springfield High students to study abroad
Three Springfield High School students are about to embark on a one-year experience that will have a lifelong impact. Mandy Lynn, Maia Ojugbele and Yasmin Martinez-Powell are Rotary Youth Exchange students who will soon leave behind the familiar to study abroad for the coming school year. These three 16-year-olds will become part of a local Rotary […]
Posted inNews
Open for learning. Ready for play.
The Kidzeum of Health and Science opens in downtown Springfield on Saturday, July 21. After years of planning and fundraising, the long-awaited children’s museum will at last be a reality. Kids are certain to have fun tickling a giant nose and making it sneeze. Although the focus for kids is having fun, at the Kidzeum […]
Posted inNews
From dream to reality
Opening the Kidzeum has been a long journey with a winding path. In the end, it came full circle, with the Kidzeum opening in downtown Springfield just a few blocks from the original location of the Springfield Children’s Museum. In the intervening time, a lot has changed downtown. The idea of a children’s museum started […]
Posted inNews
Bicentennial and Beyond opens at Illinois State Museum
A vibrant and fanciful painting of Carolina parakeets is juxtaposed with a taxidermy mount of this once prolific bird that was hunted to extinction. An original John Deere steel plow appears so simple, yet it broke the prairie soil and transformed agriculture. These are just two examples of objects telling stories in the new exhibition […]
Posted inNews
Tiny insects, big annoyance
Buffalo gnats are back. This time of year in central Illinois, many people are experiencing large red welts around their face and neck as a result of bites from these insects. Commonly called buffalo gnats, these annoying insects are part of the Simuliidae family of black flies. To find out more, we contacted Dr. Chris […]
Posted inNews
World Affairs Council makes global issues local
Since 1988 the World Affairs Council of Central Illinois (WACCI) has been sponsoring programs to educate citizens in the local area about U.S. foreign policy, global economic and environmental issues and international politics. WACCI, affectionately pronounced “wacky” by its members, hosts a speaker series with recognized experts on a wide range of topics of global […]
