Letters to the Editor

The cost of maintaining the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum is going to rise as the building ages. Questions as to who is responsible for the building’s management have already risen. PHOTO BY E. JASON WAMBSGANS/TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE ALPLM ISSUES NO SHOCKIt really comes as no shock to hear the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library […]

BIRD COUNT RESULTS On Jan. 4, 2015, 25 observers endured cold, wind and snow from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. to complete Springfield’s 80th annual Christmas Bird Count. All birds that were seen and heard within a 7 ½-mile radius of the Old State Capitol were counted. The total number of birds was 23,113, which […]

PHOTO BY DAVID HINE DESIGNING DOWNTOWNSpringfield’s history and its future are intertwined. In that sense, urban planning has become a key issue for this city. We are finally taking a hard look at changing what we have done in the past, what other cities are implementing and how to use their experiences to our advantage. […]

BEZOS THE BUSINESSMAN Jim Hightower describes where the fault lies as he describes the plight of Amazon workers. (“Think of the Amazon workers,” Dec. 25.) Does he honestly believe that Jeff Bezos pays these people so little and works them so hard because he is an evil man? No, it’s all about competition. If Bezos […]

ILLUSTRATION BY TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE DRIVING WHILE DRUGGEDAlthough Illinois is usually considered more progressive than Missouri, that is not the case when it comes to driving while drugged laws. Earlier this month, Bruce Rushton wrote about the absurd results from Illinois’ law, which convicts a driver if they have any amount of an illegal drug […]

The Alan J. Dixon building at the Illinois State Museum. THE NAME GAME James Krohe certainly hit the mark with his column on naming state buildings (“Official Graffiti,” Dec. 18). Illinois has a proud tradition of honoring people we’d just as soon forget by carving their names in stone – for example, William G. Stratton, whose […]

James Armstrong, known as “The Ambassador of the Blues,” just doing his thing. PHOTO BY DAVID J. SIMCHOCK JONESIN’ FOR JAMESMany thanks to Tom Irwin for the great article on our new Springfield resident, Mr. James Armstrong. (“At home with the blues,” Dec. 11.) After reading the article, I decided to browse through the Pub […]

RECONSIDER CITY CROSSWALKS I read with interest James Krohe Jr.’s “Why did the pedestrian not cross the road” in Illinois Times (Dec. 4). The state has marked and posted at least three crosswalks across multi-lane streets without stop signs or traffic signals, which is not considered safe practice. The lanes across Madison Avenue at Rutledge Street and Kline Street […]

Examining statistics surrounding the deaths of law enforcement officers in on-the-job incidents such as the killing of Mike Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, may help police officials better determine if officers are acting out of self-protection or haste. POLICE ANALYSIS NEEDEDA key element in the case surrounding the killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, is […]

NOT-WHAT-YOU-THINK-IT-IS NEUTRALITY I fell off my chair when I read Jim Hightower’s explanation of net neutrality (“Net neutrality in the way of corporate profits,” Nov. 20). He misses the whole point. Net neutrality is about taxing the Internet in the same way that wired and wireless telecommunications are taxed. Mr. Obama is using his puppet, […]

Solar panels installed on the homes of CWLP customers would help power Springfield and keep local money in a local market. DON’T BUY IOWA WINDI just finished reading Patrick Yeagle’s Nov. 6 article, “Gloomy Days for CWLP.” The purpose of this letter is to point out the foolishness of the contract to purchase electricity from […]

Springfield residents have mixed opinions on the Second Street bike lanes, which were installed this past September. PHOTO BY DAVID HINE MORE BIKE LANES As one who would do a lot more riding, how about putting bikes lanes all over town, not just downtown? Like on the overpass between Sangamon Avenue and Ridgley Avenue (North […]