When it comes to putting out music that makes a statement, rap has ebbed and flowed. In the late 1980s and early ’90s, hip-hop’s mantra was “black power,” and its uniform was a (Malcolm) X baseball cap and Africa medallion. The Stop the Violence Movement’s “Self Destruction” and West Coast Rap All Stars’ “We’re All […]
R. L. Nave
Posted inNews
“Major” change
The Salvation Army is serious about getting its new shelter and community center off the ground. For one, the agency brought in Majors Barbara and Paul Logan to replace Captains Deon and Michelle Oliver. What’s more, the Logans are relocating from Milwaukee, a city more than five times the size of Springfield. But the Logans […]
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The gap men
One way to fix the achievement gap between black and white children in Springfield schools might be to reintroduce a little bit of segregation to the classroom, say three prominent area educators. The three men — Jim Forstall, Gordon Smith, and Allan Woodson — are proposing that District 186 offer special instruction just for black […]
Posted inOpinion
Beat the heat
Al Gore went from flying on Air Force Two to having to take off his shoes before getting on a plane. Since losing in 2000, the former vice president of the United States has stayed busy by launching a cable network, working for tech giants Apple and Google, teaching, and delivering speeches around the world. […]
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Shell’s game
Not surprisingly, Shell Oil Co. president John Hofmeister isn’t a fan of ethanol. Appearing on NBC’s Meet the Press on June 11, along with two other Big Oil execs, Hofmeister explained that when it comes to ethanol, he prefers the blended variety, which contains 5 to 15 percent of the corn-based fuel, to E85, which is […]
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Deadbeats or Dead Broke?
Outside Courtroom 6B in the Sangamon County Building, a young man with rotten teeth and arms covered in tattoos stands nervously as an assistant state’s attorney discusses his child-support payments. To the man’s surprise, he’s paid up. “Whew! I thought I was going to jail,” he says, obviously relieved. Here, every Thursday morning, child-support cases, […]
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Leaving nothing to chance
The last time a statewide referendum went before the Illinois electorate, 1978, Hustler publisher Larry Flynt had just been shot and paralyzed, perennial Hall of Fame reject Pete Rose cracked his 3,000th hit, and Ted Kaczynski sent his first bomb to Northwestern University. On May 8, volunteers from a conservative group called Protect Marriage Illinois submitted […]
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Cat nipped
In the coming weeks, activists plan at least three separate actions against Peoria-based Caterpillar Inc., protesting the company’s role in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine. On June 13, participants in a peace-and-justice walk from Springfield to Chicago will hold a vigil at Caterpillar’s corporate headquarters. The next day, a group called Stop Caterpillar […]
Posted inOpinion
The Hype
SEEING GREEN The political dynamics of Illinois’ 115th House District are somewhat unusual. A former Democratic stronghold, the 115th elected conservative Mike Bost as their state representative in 1995. However, Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, many believe, provides a solid base of liberal-minded folk in the district as well. So in 2002 when Carbondale attorney Rich Whitney, running on […]
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The Hype
Betting on a gamble Not long after Gov. ROD BLAGOJEVICH announced his proposal to fund education by leasing the state lottery for $10 billion, the wordplay began. “Governor takes gamble on funds,” read one headline. Chicago Sun-Times columnist MARK BROWN announced that the “plan looks like a bad bet for schools.” Even state Treasurer JUDY […]
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The long march
In March of 1965, thousands of protesters, led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., walked 50 miles from Selma, Ala., to Montgomery, the Alabama capital. Centuries earlier, around 1290 B.C., Israelites wandered the desert for 40 years after being freed from the bonds of slavery. The “Walk for Justice: The Midwest to the Mideast” will […]
Posted inOpinion
The Hype
ILLINI NOISE Illinois lawmakers want entities that regulate intercollegiate sports to stay out of schools’ beeswax in terms of athletic nicknames, mascots, and logos. Earlier this month, Republican House Speaker Dennis Hastert, Republican U.S. Reps. Tim Johnson, Ray LaHood, and Mark Kirk, along with Democratic U.S. Rep. Jerry Costello, co-sponsored the Protection of University Governance […]
