Corporate arrogance and malfeasance seem like modern phenomena, but they’re not. Take the story of Springfield’s 1890 “streetcar wars,” for example. Shortly after the Civil War, Springfield got its first “modern” transportation – horse-drawn trolleys. A company organized in 1861 by some local bigwigs, including several of Abraham Lincoln’s friends and peers, established a trolley […]
Community & Lifestyle
Posted inArts & Culture
Alive and welded
What is an appropriate amount of togetherness time for a couple? My 9-year-old son spends half the week with me, plus every other weekend. My girlfriend of a year wasn’t happy with only the other half of my time, so she started joining me and my son. She and I are now together 5 1/2 […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Bride and zoom
I’m in love, and I just said yes to marrying the man of my dreams. We’ve only known each other for two months, but we’re in the Peace Corps. You really see the core of a person when conditions are not so comfy. We’re planning on traveling home to get married on our next monthly […]
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The dark mite
I’ve been separated from my wife for three years, but I find myself craving her. I say “crave” because I don’t think I ever really loved her. We only got together 15 years ago because she asked me out. I would never have approached her, as I’m not attracted to her. She is overweight, has […]
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Golf classic to benefit injured motorcycle riders
Charlie Roberts, 51, of Springfield, knows what it’s like to race a motorcycle at speeds of more than 130 miles per hour around a flat track. He also knows what it’s like to lose control of a bike, ending up seriously injured and hospitalized a long way from home. After an injury in 1980, Roberts […]
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Secrets uncovered by 1950s drought
It’s hard to think of anything good about droughts, but they have turned up some interesting finds. On Aug. 6, the Illinois State Museum announced a new acquisition that resulted from the current dry spell – a local family gave the museum some bones they found on the Sangamon River. The bones, which were visible […]
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Life is what you fake of it
I’m in love. This person makes me feel like a shaken-up Coke bottle ready to explode with happiness! But, not even my therapist understands. She wants to hand me pills for the problem. Being in love isn’t the problem; it’s the fact that I’m in love with someone who doesn’t exist. I’m 19, and I’ve […]
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Attention Defici–Oooh, Shiny!
My girlfriend of eight months has ADHD (attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder). She was diagnosed about 10 years ago, in her early 20s. She takes medication that helps her focus better at work and has steps (like writing everything down) to avoid forgetting important things, stay more organized, etc. Despite this, she is very disorganized and often […]
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Love me tinder
I met a woman, and we hit it off like wildfire. It seemed everything she said and did was perfect. In six months, we were engaged. She and her four kids moved in with me and my two kids. Shortly afterward, it turned sour. We parent quite differently. Her kids are bad-mannered, curse at her, […]
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Better luck nest time
For nine months, I’ve been having fun seeing a nice woman a few times a week. We’re both 50ish. I told her I didn’t want a serious relationship. She went along with this but now clearly wants more. She has a picture of me at her desk. (I wouldn’t think of displaying her picture on […]
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When Vladimir Nabokov came to Springfield
When the great Russian novelist Vladimir Nabokov visited Springfield in 1942, he met a man who would become fodder for one of the most entertaining letters he wrote to his wife. It was excerpted last year in The New Yorker magazine and is among 300 letters to be published in a forthcoming volume titled Letters […]
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Bitter Homes and Gardens
If your wife says another man’s name while making love, what does that mean? It was her ex’s name – my stepson’s dad. She apologized, saying it was only because she remembered needing to call him about problems their son’s having at school. Although I don’t think she’s cheating, I can’t say I believe her […]
