Opinion

Eight markers in central Springfield were set out to tell the story of the 1908 race riots. The markers were put in place in 1994 by the Historical Events Memorial Committee under then-mayor Ossie Langfelder. On August 14 and 15, 1908, two blacks, Scott Burton and William Donnegan, were killed by a white mob. Governor […]

Brunon Blaszak recalls that about 25 years ago a Bengal tiger bit through his mother’s arm. He was somewhere between 8 and 13 years old, but wasn’t traumatized by the incident–he went on to pursue the family business. At the age of 16, he became “The World’s Youngest Animal Trainer.” Blaszak’s mother and father were […]

Quick–who was the first poet laureate of Illinois? If you said Carl Sandburg, you’d be wrong. Don’t feel too bad; Governor Rod Blagojevich didn’t know either. When he announced his search for a new principal poet, he mentioned only two: “This individual will follow in the footsteps of previous Poet Laureates Carl Sandburg and Gwendolyn […]

The quality of the voice has little to do with singing. Placido Domingo can sing, but so can Willie Nelson. Singing depends on weight and balance and knowing when to shut up. It’s not a matter of normal intelligence, because most singers can’t do simple math or parallel park: They sing the way Hank Aaron […]

On June 14 and 15, for the sixth year in a row, the Grand Village of the Kickapoo Park–a few miles northeast of LeRoy, about an hour away from Springfield–will be the scene of color, sound, and dancing, as many from the four directions of Turtle Island (as North America is known) gather for an […]

A.J. Woodson knows how to say no. As a late-night deejay on WNNS-FM “Lite Rock 99,” he has received hundreds of phone calls over the years from listeners wanting to hear their favorite songs. If the song was on the station’s playlist, Woodson was happy to oblige. If it wasn’t, he wouldn’t. Or rather, couldn’t. […]

Rob Eure recalls his first visit to Springfield. He wasstanding in a line of tourists outside Abraham Lincoln’s house, but he knew he’d bring a new view of the Confederacy back home to old Virginia. Eure says something similar happened last year when he spent several months in Africa and Eastern Europe. As a Knight […]

The rumor that had seemed obvious since last week turns out to be true: WTAX-AM 1240 has hired broadcasting veteran Bob Murray to host its morning drive-time “news watch”–the same shift left open back in February, when WTAX fired the rabblerousing Donald “One-Eyed Jack” Jackson. So in essence, Murray–who prides himself on being a gentleman–is […]

What a great time for a magazine dedicated to Illinois politics. The Democrats own Illinois again. Its leader, Governor Rod Blagojevich, is the son-in-law of a Chicago ward boss. Its head law enforcer, Attorney General Lisa Madigan, is the daughter of Illinois House Speaker and Democratic Party Chairman Mike Madigan. Not that the other party […]

Over the last month, local news has bristled with nasty swipes at any and all who publicly opposed the war with Iraq. There’s a sad, wide gulf between the two groups who have followed the event most closely, who track every bootstep and weep for each life lost on the battlefield. Despite reporters’ shorthand, nobody […]