The assortment of counter-clogging cookware you need to braise, bake or warm a holiday menu can be replaced by this year’s one must-have appliance: the slow cooker. This trusty tool, which cooks weeknight chili or sloppy joes when time can’t be spared, works magic on elegant cuisine. The slow cooker’s makeover as a gourmet […]
Community & Lifestyle
Posted inArts & Culture
Cheap, easy and eco, too!
Arriving at Pat Smith’s home for her holiday party, one might think her little tree, perched on a table and adorned with a delicate strand of lights, is an homage to “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” But actually, the little tree makes a big statement about Smith’s commitment to the environment. Buying and disposing of both […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Books un-covered
Amazon Kindle $139.99The latest generation of the Kindle makes it easy to lighten the load in a backpack or briefcase. Owners can carry up to 3,500 eBooks in the device – which weighs less than a typical paperback novel – and stay on the go for nearly a month (with Wi-Fi off) on a single […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Community Wish List 2010
Animal Protective League (APL) 1001 Taintor Road (217) 544-7387http://www.apl-shelter.org/DotNetNuke/ The Animal Protective League (APL) is a private, not-for-profit animal welfare organization, funded by donations. It operates an animal shelter, a low-cost spay/neuter clinic and maintains numerous programs that benefit members of the community. APL services individuals and other animal welfare groups and animal control facilities […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Dynamic Duo
A hint of peppercorns; the sweet-tart tang of a Meyer lemon. That’s right. The before-dinner drinks are headed to the dining room table. Pairing food with mixed drinks is this season’s holiday trend, according to Colin Cowie, expert on wedding and event planning. Why cocktails and courses? “It’s fun, different and can be creative,” says […]
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Many buildings. Many battles.
“What did I know about restoring old buildings when I started out? Absolutely nothing,” recalls Carolyn Oxtoby, who is often called “the patron saint of downtown Springfield” for her work as a real estate developer. Recently Oxtoby was in Chicago to receive the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award from Landmarks Illinois as part of the Richard […]
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When slaves were sold at auction in Springfield
You can’t help but wonder what Abraham Lincoln would have thought if he’d witnessed the public auction here of two slave girls in July, 1827. Even though the event occurred 10 years before Lincoln came to Springfield, its repercussions would affect him many years later. It’s hard to imagine a slave auction being held in […]
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Schedule a day of mindfulness
An entire day meditating in silence may not be how you usually fill a Saturday, but here’s an opportunity to try something different. Eva Muller and Juliet Slack are leading “A Day of Mindfulness: a Meditation Retreat” Saturday, Oct. 23. They claim that the activity is a calming, healing experience. And as the cacophonous political […]
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The cost of Bill Brady’s plan
Of the estimated 400 to 500 people who showed up to a Columbus Day rally in Charleston for state senator and Republican governor hopeful Bill Brady of Bloomington, most were Republican voters angry with the state of the state. They cheered loudly as Brady criticized the policies of current Democrat governor Pat Quinn, comparing him […]
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Lincoln didn’t sleep here
No, Lincoln didn’t sleep here. And, in the case of Edwards Place, the Springfield Art Association’s antebellum Italianate mansion, Lincoln didn’t court here. Abraham Lincoln actually called on Mary Todd at the home of her brother-in-law, Ninian W. Edwards, and married her there on Nov. 4, 1842. That house used to stand on South Second […]
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The ‘Angry Atheist of Champaign’
More than 60 years ago, a landmark ruling established a precedent that would permanently alter the relationship between religion and public education in America. And it happened right here in central Illinois. Jay Rosenstein, an associate professor of journalism at the University of Illinois, retells the story in a recently completed hour-long documentary scheduled to […]
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A couple’s date to remember
“I believe in luck, fate and destiny,” says Christopher Trudeau. So when Trudeau, 27, and his bride-to-be, Joann Durbin, 24, realized that this Sunday comes up 10-10-10 on the calendar, they rescheduled their wedding to coincide with what they think will be an auspicious date for them. “I don’t know what’s going to happen to […]
