The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum is joining the America 250 Celebration in a big way on the Fourth of July. The day begins with free admission to the museum starting at 9 a.m., where visitors can fully explore the life and legacy of our 16th president – including a new exhibit, “The Second […]
Arts & Culture
Posted inFilm
Supergirl misses the mark for DC Studios, Strike lacks sense of urgency
Narrative inertia is Supergirl’s Kryptonite An oddly inert movie, Craig Gillespie’s Supergirl is a major misfire for James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DC Studios, their reboot of the stable of superheroes already off to a less than stellar start with last year’s Superman. While that feature contained just enough to allow it to pass muster, […]
Posted inBooks
A history of public education
Why does Illinois have an education system that relies on property taxes? Where did physical education, high schools and vocational education in Illinois schools originate? How did Chicago become its own school district with separate rules and a separate pension from the schools in the rest of the state? These questions and more are explained […]
Posted inIT Picks
Annual event draws artists downtown
Artists of all ages and skill levels will once again take over Washington Street downtown to create masterpieces in 6-by-6 squares. Each artist receives a paint supply bucket (including brushes and the tempera paint participants will be using which is water soluble/washable), a giveaway bag with goodies from sponsors and one Paint the Street T-shirt. […]
Posted inPoetry
Tavern
In our move-about early marriagewe went for low- or no- rent spots.One year we lived over a tavernwhose jukebox blasted till 1am.We solved that problem byputting the kids in our bedroomwhile we took theirs cantileveredover the outside. Come spring wemoved to a free cottage in Vermont.While I was cleaning one little girllay on a bed […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Stephanie Mamaga Avi and Josephine Kamwela interview
Leaving home to study in a new country is about more than academics. It is about navigating loneliness, building community, and finding your place between cultures. Stephanie Mamaga Avi and Josephine Kamwela, international studies students at UIS, share their experiences adjusting to life in Springfield, the challenges of being far from family, and the cultural […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Goodwill to host Youth Summit
Area youth, families, community members and service organizations are invited to attend the Land of Lincoln Goodwill Industries 5th Annual Youth Summit on Thursday, June 25, at its headquarters located at 1220 Outer Park Drive in Springfield. The event will be held from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., and is free and open to the […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Footloose meets Jailhouse Rock
When talking with All Shook Up director Kelly Robertson, she cleverly offers, “If you bring the wine and crackers, we’ll bring the cheese.” The show, a jukebox musical packed with Elvis songs and loosely based on Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare, indeed stands as a high-energy, crowd pleaser with lots of corny jokes and a campy storyline. […]
Posted inCommunity & Lifestyle
Do we really want to be human?
Do we really want to be human? Sometimes I think not. I’m pondering this now in light of Pope Leo’s first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas: On safeguarding humanity in the time of Artificial Intelligence. Billed as the “AI” encyclical, it is more than that. The document includes a masterful summary of Catholic Social Teaching. It recenters […]
Posted inCommunity & Lifestyle
United is the Way
As I wrap up my year as board chair of United Way of Central Illinois, I find myself reflecting on a journey that began more than 25 years ago. My United Way story started in 2001 when I led the workplace campaign at Eaton Hydraulics. Not long afterward, I began volunteering as a co-chair on […]
Posted inIT Picks
Former Cubs, Cardinals stars to play
See former Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals legends battle it out in this seven-inning game. Playing for the Cubs side will be former pitcher Kyle Farnsworth, Women’s Pro Baseball League star Amanda Gianelloni and actor Thomas Ian Nicholas, who starred as Henry Rowengartner in the movie Rookie of the Year. Representing the Cardinals will […]
Posted inFilm
Leviticus both terrifying and heartbreaking, Jessie stars in Toy Story 5
Heartbreaking Leviticus terrifying yet poignant Though discredited, conversion therapy relating to homosexuality is still being used today, albeit with much less frequency. Some of these practices are folded into other approaches, have been renamed and also presented as a free speech issue through a U.S. Supreme Court ruling issued in early 2026. While steps are […]
