The Illinois Audubon Society has heard the reasons not to raze Margery Adams’ old farmhouse on Clear Lake Avenue: A remnant of Lincoln-era Springfield, the building is part of the city’s historical fabric and one of the few of its kind remaining in the city. They also say they’ve considered the alternatives but that most […]
R. L. Nave
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No child unsolicited
Local antiwar groups are focusing attention on a provision of the federal No Child Left Behind Act that requires public schools to provide military recruiters with contact information for juniors and seniors. Schools must comply with the provision, known as Section 9528, or risk losing federal educational funding. Peace groups such as the Conscientious Objection […]
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Keeping Guard
The state of Louisiana, a third of whose National Guard troops are in Iraq, is activating 3,500 soldiers, roughly half of the state’s forces, to clean up behind Katrina, the hurricane that slammed New Orleans on Monday. Florida, Alabama, and Mississippi, also with large Guard contingencies on overseas duty, have mobilized guardsmen to deal with […]
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When pumpkins fly
As if being the nexus of the pumpkin universe weren’t awesome enough, Morton, Ill., is also home of the Aludium Q36 Pumpkin Modulator (essentially an enormous pumpkin cannon), a machine with no utilitarian value but really cool nonetheless. Designed by Matt Parker, vice president of Morton-based Parker Fabrications Inc., and a few of his buddies, […]
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Taking aim
Just as the cool autumn day begins to fade, the quarry suddenly appears. You’ve been waiting in the damp brush for hours to capture this moment. Heart rate down . . . don’t move . . . don’t make a sound . . . don’t breathe. . . Your heart is pounding like a cornered […]
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Barack and a hard place
When U.S. Sen. Barack Obama filled the tank of his flexible-fuel sport-utility vehicle with E85 at a Decatur gas station last week, farmers, ethanol producers, and even oil companies made money. Plus, the senator saved himself $10.92. Obama, who was holding a series of town-hall meetings in downstate Illinois to talk about education, health care, […]
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Filling in the gaps
This morning, a group brought together by Mayor Tim Davlin’s Office of Education Liaison and the Springfield Urban League will meet for the second time this summer to discuss barriers to African-American student achievement and success in Springfield. The group, which comprises community leaders and District 186 staffers, students, and parents, will address the disproportionately […]
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These old houses
Mike Boer, president of the Illinois Medical District at Springfield, wants residents to know that when the master plan for the proposed district receives approval from commissioners, advisory board, and ultimately, the City Council, that changes won’t be immediate. Train tracks won’t move, the direction traffic flows will not shift suddenly, no buildings will sprout […]
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The feet of war
At least two Illinois soldiers have given their lives in the War on Terror — recently renamed the Global Struggle Against Violent Extremism — each month since 9/11. The American Friends Service Committee, the social-justice arm of the Quakers, will remember these servicemen and women with a special exhibit called Eyes Wide Open-Illinois: The Human […]
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Where the sidewalks end
The Bunn Park neighborhood, on Springfield’s southeast side, hasn’t changed much in 30 years: Many roads are unpaved, sidewalks don’t exist in some spots, and thick vegetation grows on empty parcels of land. One might think that this is all done in the name of preserving the historic charm of the community. “I don’t see […]
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State of the disunion
When three unions amputated themselves from the AFL-CIO at the federation’s 50th-anniversary convention in Chicago last week, gloom-and-doomers chalked it up as another sign that the American labor movement has all but clocked out. Indeed, the impact of the breakup of the largest labor organization in the nation, but arguably also the most politically influential, […]
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Let it flow
Making government more transparent has been a hallmark of Sam Cahnman’s political career. In 2002, Illinois Times reported how the freshman member of the Sangamon County Board wanted to tighten up laws to protect would-be whistleblowers. Fellow board members were less than enthusiastic about the idea. More recently, Cahnman has been trying to do away with […]
