Cover Story
Abortion haven
When Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died in September, many began to lament the potential undoing of a host of human rights milestones. High among them was the federal decision on abortion access. In 1973, via the landmark Roe v. Wade decision, the Supreme Court ruled that a woman’s right to choose an abortion…
Bar owner, lawyer depicts governor as Hitler
A local lawyer and tavern owner has compared Gov. JB Pritzker to Adolf Hitler on a Facebook posting that depicts the governor, who is Jewish, as the German dictator. “Achtung!” reads the posting by Tim Timoney, owner of The Corner Pub and Grill, “der Fuhrer has spoken!” The posting includes a doctored photo of Pritzker…
Fire chief announces retirement
Springfield Fire Chief Allen Reyne will retire effective Dec.1. The chief, who has led the city response to the pandemic, announced his decision at tonight’s city council meeting. In an interview, Reyne said that the stress of responding to the pandemic hastened his decision to retire, which he said was his decision alone.
Titans set to depart SJ-R
A pair of heavyweights are leaving the State Journal-Register. Political writer and columnist Bernard Schoenburg and statehouse reporter Doug Finke have accepted buyouts and will be departing the paper on Dec. 1. Finke has worked at the SJ-R since the 1970s; Schoenburg’s first byline appeared in the paper in 1990. Their departures will leave the…
Dist. 186 to remain remote through 2020
Springfield Public Schools will continue to hold remote classes through the rest of the calendar year. The decision comes as Sangamon County – along with the region, state and country – sees a surge in COVID-19 cases. In an email to staff on Friday, District 186 superintendant Jennifer Gill writes: “Over the last few days the…
Third of fire department sidelined by coronavirus
More than a third of Springfield firefighters have been sidelined by coronavirus. Of 73 firefighters in quarantine, 19 have tested positive for COVID-19. The city employs 214 firefighters. Fire chief Allen Reyne, who has led city efforts in responding to the pandemic and acted as a liaison with Sangamon County officials, also has tested positive…
Go home
A plan to combat homelessness arrived with a thud last week as the Springfield City Council approved nearly $200,000 for a winter shelter to keep the destitute from freezing. The $190,000 contract with Salvation Army to run a temporary shelter until next spring came with the proviso that no money be given to John Fallon,…
THE FIGHT CONTINUES
While scores of firefighters have been quarantined after being exposed to coronavirus, Gene Mitchell, speaking on behalf of union employees, told the Springfield City Council this week that the city isn’t doing enough to keep germs out of city hall. “The administration has considered Plexiglass to be tantamount to a vaccine,” Mitchell told the council…
SESSION CANCELED
Veto session in Springfield has been canceled. “The front page in today’s Springfield paper warns of a COVID ‘tsunami’ sweeping the region and its health care system,” said Illinois Senate President Don Harmon in a Nov. 10 statement. “It’s not safe or responsible to have a legislative session under these circumstances.” That might come as…
Facing racial disparities in Illinois health care
State legislators heard testimony from health care experts Nov. 9 on policies the state could pursue to address racial disparities in health outcomes and access. That testimony was given during a joint hearing of the Senate Health and Human Services and Public Health committees prompted by the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus, which has highlighted health…
Pot licenses bogged down
Even as Springfield’s third recreational marijuana dispensary opened this month, the state’s recreational cannabis program isn’t panning out as planned. Revenue is booming from dispensaries since recreational marijuana became legal on Jan. 1. Through August, the state has collected $106 million in taxes, the state Department of Revenue announced last month. Otherwise, there are problems…
World War II South Pacific vet remembers there was… “A lot of praying going on.”
To Ed Sathoff, 94, of Petersburg, Veterans Day is an important holiday. “It is hard to explain, but it means everything to me,” Sathoff says. “It means we must remember our freedoms. We have the freedom of speech, the freedom of religion and the God-given right to vote. Many other countries don’t have these rights.”…
Spicy chili crisp will see you through
I can’t say that I’m 100% proud of my behavior during this pandemic. I’ve kept a stiff upper lip and maintained a good attitude. That I am proud of. But I have, on occasion, put my dietary values and philosophies into the closet for a while because I felt that I needed an emotional bump.…
Settling in for now
Howdy folks, and welcome to mid-November of 2020, the year of things you never ever would believe could happen, happen every day in spades. Seems like we’re just settling into a world so full of surprises, that said surprises aren’t even surprising anymore. So let’s go see what’s left out there as our Now Playing…
Spread holiday cheer by sharing your talent
In one of my all-time favorite movies, Dan in Real Life, Steve Carell plays Dan Burns, a widower who writes a weekly advice column for the local newspaper. In the movie, Dan takes his three young daughters to a family gathering at his quirky parents’ rustic, beautiful, well-lived-in home on the shore of Rhode Island.…
Jason McKenzie
This talented and inspiring performer on acoustic guitar and vocals brings an exuberant quality to his solo shows that is uplifting and outstanding, winding his way through a substantial list of songs, all played with good taste and fine abilities. Jason McKenzie does songs in a range unlike any other local player, going from Black…
Closing time
Coronavirus didn’t take long to school Mayor Jim Langfelder and Sangamon County Board Chairman Andy Van Meter. Both sounded like politicians as they pitched the absurd on Election Day: We are, they posited, not defying the governor by refusing state orders to close bars and sit-down restaurants, it’s just mitigation of a different stripe. We’ll…
City sidewalks, busy sidewalks
The Old Capitol Holiday Walks are starting a little early this year to give you plenty of time to shop and enjoy all of the fun. Of course, extra precautions are being taken to keep you and your family safe, so be patient with downtown businesses as they have mandated safety guidelines they have to…
Concession civility is more than polite politics
A candidate concession speech is an important rite in a democracy that is done not for the benefit of the winner or the loser but as a means of honoring the voters and our system of government. Sometimes the speech is done at a podium before a crowd, but more often than not it happens…
Loren dazzles in The Life Ahead
There’s a tattered dignity about Madame Rosa. Life has been hard for her. Circumstances have forced her to compromise herself from time to time. As a survivor of the Nazi death camps, she’s learned the hard way that living another day can come at a steep price. And she knows not to criticize anyone else…
Editor’s note 11/12/20
Newcomer JB Pritzker made a good start toward replacing Illinois’ flat tax with a fair tax. Now that his effort to pass a constitutional amendment has failed, it’s good that he’s vowed not to give up. “You deserved a fairer tax system and you still do,” he told Illinoisans. After spending millions of his own…
Lack of blue wave leaves Democrats blue
Illinois Democrats were hoping for some big election night wins last week, but now everything has devolved into finger-pointing chaos. Gov. JB Pritzker’s graduated income tax proposal was in some doubt for a while. The governor’s campaign chose not to advertise early because of the delicacies of politics during a pandemic, so they passed up…
Poll poem #1
To our readers: here is IT’s yearly Anticipated popular poll “THE WORST OF SPRINGFIELD!” Rules: Add your own categories. 1. Worst accident-prone intersection 2. Worst consulting co. on city improvement 3. Worst politician (choose your party) 4. Worst speedway street screeching tires 5. Worst speedway street deafening music 6. Worst holiday yard decoration overkill 7.…
Letters to the editor 11/12/20
We welcome letters. Please include your full name, address and telephone number. We edit all letters. Send them to letters@illinoistimes.com. —- PRISONERS NEED BETTER HEALTH CARE Prison health care is a powder keg that will soon explode (“Prison health care still bad,” Nov. 5). As a volunteer in our state’s prisons, I can tell you…
