Dr. Elamin Elamin came to Illinois from Egypt 16 years ago. He is now director of the Critical Care Division of Pulmonary Medicine at Southern Illinois University’s School of Medicine. In 1999 he joined millions of Muslims on the spiritual pilgrimage known as the Hajj. The pilgrimage is one of five Pillars of Islam, and […]
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“I Saw You”
Fairy tales usually have happy endings, especially the ones involving love at first sight. Cinderella and Snow White both snared their princes with just one look. It would seem only fitting if the following story ends as happily. To protect this subject’s privacy, we’ll call our prince “Lance.” Readers might know him better as the […]
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Not in my public housing complex
Times are not good for the Springfield Housing Authority. About 25 percent of all SHA units are empty and federal funding has plummeted over the past five years, according to SHA director Willis Logan. The feds briefly took over the SHA in 1996, as the agency struggled with financial woes and high vacancy rates. The […]
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Between the lines
For a moment, it looked like the Black Guardians might have a point. The group of black cops had been complaining (some say whining) for years about discriminatory testing, uneven discipline, and other indignities they say added up to a hostile work environment at the Springfield Police Department. But in this era of subtler racism, […]
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Full Disclosure
My nine-year-old came home from school last Friday with a carton of $1 candy bars and a head full of pep talk on door-to-door sales. He was fired up and eager to walk the neighborhood, peddling chocolate to raise money for a copy machine for the school office. I wouldn’t let him and couldn’t tell […]
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Houses divided
In 1838 Maria Goudy married George Chapman. Over the next 13 years they had five children. When Maria discovered George was unfaithful, she sued for divorce. George hired a lawyer and denied his wife’s charges. But the court found him guilty, granting Maria the divorce and custody of their children. The judge ordered George to […]
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Seeking asylums
In a 40-year-old photo from the Jacksonville Developmental Center, an unidentified woman crouches in a hallway with walls marked by divots and flaking paint. Her face is hidden under her arms. A caption reads, “Did this woman have people who loved her? Did they visualize her huddled in this corner? How could we not care […]
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Pulliam’s pit
A recent archaeological dig in west central Illinois has revealed a bit of early Sangamon County history. Robert Pulliam, believed to be our area’s first settler, was remembered as a rough-and-rowdy pioneer who led a band of three men and one woman into present-day Sangamon County in the fall of 1817. They grazed cattle, hunted, […]
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Getting in with the in crowd
What could a motorcyclists’ advocacy group possibly have in common with the Illinois Arts Council? Members of ABATE (A Brotherhood Aimed Toward Education) champions the right to ride without helmets, while the arts council wants more money for music, art, and poetry. But both organizations know their way around the Capitol dome and, more importantly, […]
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Not tonight, honey: there’s a war on
One sure-fire way to get men to lay down their arms is for all the women to keep their legs crossed. That’s the premise of the play Lysistrata, a bawdy anti-war comedy first performed in 411 BC and the subject of performances worldwide on Monday. Written by the Greek satirist Aristophanes, the play tells how […]
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Parole officer
Nancy Bowman, 45, has been a parole officer for 13 years. Originally from Salisbury, North Carolina, she relocated to the Springfield area after graduating from Southern Illinois University. Last week she spoke with writer Traci Moyer about her career choice. She sat in a high-backed chair, which dwarfed her petite five-foot-two-inch frame. Her soft Southern […]
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A new fight for equal rights
Three pieces of legislation were debated a few weeks ago at a low-key hearing of the Illinois House’s civil-law committee. One bill would allow trusts for pets. Another would grant elderly victims of crimes the right to give depositions at home. Both proposals were sent to the full House with no objections, 18 to 0. […]
