Bing Crosby says it best: “Baby, it’s cold outside.” As winter seeps into Springfield, there are too many families out there who could use a little warmth and a little cheer. That’s just what Eastside Pride, with the help of the Springfield Housing Authority and Coca-Cola, is trying to do this month with its fourth […]
Cap City
Posted inOpinion
USER FRIENDLY
Ever wonder how much of local and state government’s inner workings are open for public review? Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan plans to give you the skinny through a series of free seminars held around the state beginning this week. Her office will explain the Freedom of Information Act and the Open Meetings Act and […]
Posted inOpinion
BUSH BEGONE
Springfield author Forrest P. Redd describes the morning of Nov. 3, 2004, by saying “It feels like I just got hit by a bus.” It was the day after the reelection of former President George W. Bush, and Redd was quite displeased, to put it mildly. More than five years later, Redd is releasing a […]
Posted inOpinion
COMPUTER MEMORY
The Illinois State Fair celebrates agriculture once a year, but let’s face it, that’s just not enough for some of us. This week the Illinois State Museum introduced a solution with its new Audio-Video Barn Web site. The two-year Oral History of Illinois Agriculture project showcases audio and video interviews with more than 130 people […]
Posted inOpinion
JOGS ON ICE
As winter sets in, many athletes begin moving their exercise regiments indoors to escape the cold. However, one Springfield group revels in the low temperatures. The Frost Toes running group is a band of Springfield runners training for the Springfield Frostbite Festival’s 10-mile foot race on Dec. 6. Their motto? “It’s never too cold to […]
Posted inOpinion
FUNKY FRESH FRIDAYS
ReChad Bradley, an algebra teacher at Southeast High School, decided this year that he was going to challenge his students in more than just math equations. Instead of dressing down and wearing jeans on Fridays, Bradley dresses up in a new sweater vest and matching French cuff shirt at the end of each week. “I […]
Posted inOpinion
WAR MACHINES
Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) announced this month that Congress had approved $11 million in defense appropriations that will buy two new types of vehicle simulators for the Illinois Army National Guard stationed at Camp Lincoln in Springfield. One kind of simulator teaches soldiers to drive the Army’s new mine-resistant armored personnel vehicles, which are designed […]
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BLAZING A NEW TRAIL
The Springfield Bicycle Club and the Springfield Park District will team up this weekend to celebrate the grand reopening of the Interurban Trail. The trail, a seven-mile asphalt trail that runs from the intersection of Wabash Avenue and MacArthur Boulevard in Springfield to Chatham, was rerouted and temporarily closed in some sections during construction on […]
Posted inOpinion
MOVE OVER ABE
“Beatle Bob” Bartel doesn’t like to be called a fanatic. However, the Springfield resident does like adding to the extensive collection of Beatles memorabilia he and his wife Janice have amassed – around 5,000 pieces, he estimates. But the Bartels say they would like to do more with their artifacts.They are planning a museum dedicated […]
Posted inOpinion
SHOUTING FIRE
If this week’s feature story [see “Blogger busted,” pg. 11] doesn’t satisfy your hunger for First Amendment rights, be sure to snag a seat for next week’s Liberty Brew & View movie. In Shouting Fire: Stories from the Edge of Free Speech, Oscar nominated filmmaker Liz Garbus teams up with her father, First Amendment attorney […]
Posted inOpinion
BIKING THE TRAIL
Wanted: Experienced Mountain Bikers. Lincoln’s New Salem State Historic Site near Petersburg wants you to help open Central Illinois’ newest mountain bike trail — billed by the organization as scenic and physically demanding. The 3.8-mile trail was constructed this summer and features steep climbs and descents along a very technical course through the woods. Less […]
Posted inOpinion
CROSSING LINES HITS SPRINGFIELD
Last May we introduced readers to Indira Somani, a Springfield native who co-produced Crossing Lines, an award-winning film that looks at Somani’s life as a second-generation Indian and how she connected to her roots after her father’s death [see “Crossing Lines, the documentary,” May 27, 2009]. At 7 p.m. Oct. 15, Crossing Lines makes its […]
