Cover Story
Adams Street at a crossroads
In recent years the section of downtown known as the Adams Family has been a vibrant focal point of revitalization efforts. But following a devastating fire over the summer, there are now concerns about demolition plans, failed efforts to showcase spaces in need of renovations and a stalled project that could serve as a catalyst…
Lawmakers give small boost to renewable developments, delay broader reform
Lawmakers last week passed a bill aimed at boosting the development of renewable energy generation, but its proponents said the final measure was a “skinny” version of what they had hoped to pass. The bill comes as several state officials warn that Illinois is falling behind on its clean energy goals. The state’s main funding…
Tapestry of life
To love an enemy is simply impossible, for an enemy is by definition someone hated rather than loved. An enemy who is loved is no longer an enemy. Perhaps this is what Abraham Lincoln had in mind when he asked, “Do I not destroy my enemies when I make them my friends?” For the last…
A high-profile setback for the governor
Every now and then you get a story that helps explain the Statehouse power dynamic. The saga of the “intoxicating hemp” regulation bill is one of those stories. The governor’s office began last week by handing House Speaker Chris Welch a list of 62 House Democrats who said they would vote for the hemp regulation…
Lawmakers advance ‘Karina’s bill’ to remove guns from domestic violence situations
It’s been 18 months since Karina Gonzalez and her 15-year-old daughter Daniela were shot and killed on Fourth of July weekend at their Chicago home, allegedly by her husband. Gonzalez had filed for an order of protection from her husband just two weeks before her death. That order caused his Firearm Owner’s Identification card to…
Monkey a fitting metaphor for pop star biopic Better Man, The Damned an effective thriller
Cutting edge tech elevates Better Man In researching British pop star Robbie Williams for a potential biopic, director Michael Gracey noticed that in numerous interviews, the singer referred to himself as a monkey being dragged onto the stage, forced to perform. The seed of the idea of portraying the performer as a simian took root…
cam comments
My friend, Rodd Whelpley, has discovered various farm cams online but, he says the viewer can’t experience what you did growing up on the farm. “One can’t hear the whoosh of the milk as it leaves the udders, smell the cow patties that the animal drops, feel the hair on the backside of the cow,…
Letters to the editor 1/9/25
We welcome letters. Please include your full name, address and telephone number. We edit all letters. Send them to editor@illinoistimes.com. — NEED EMPATHY I am appalled by the dehumanizing language used by Helping Hands executive director Patti Crouch and employee Jilnita Johnson (“Out in the cold: Helping Hands clients question agency’s policies,” Jan. 2). People…
How to drink absinthe
It was the last night of a jam band music festival in Wisconsin, 250 miles northwest of Chicago. I had accepted an invitation to be a guest on my friend Bud’s hippie bus before remembering that my wedding anniversary was that Sunday. As a compromise, I suggested to my wife that she take Amtrak to…
January music doings
Here’s to all that holiday Happy New Year hodgepodge being gone and moving on to the regular music-making we do here in Now Playing land. We’re past the sizable snowfall earlier this week while anticipating a wee warmup just in time to make a break for live music doings this weekend. Let’s have a little…
World-famous traveling team to play in Springfield
The world’s most-famous basketball team, the Harlem Globetrotters, are on a new tour visiting 400 cities in more than 25 countries. And good news for basketball fans – the tour includes Springfield. Every Globetrotters game features some of the best athletes on the planet, fan interaction, trick shots, ball-handling wizardry, the famous Globetrotters four-point shot,…
Editors note 1/9/25
It’s easy to get distracted when huge, proud Canada is belittled, and Denmark and Panama are threatened with military action. On the same day, fact-checking goes out the window at Facebook, while in some quarters even proofreading has become a thing of the past. Proposed remedies for information gaps and news deserts can be distracting…
Olde Towne demolitions on hold
Demolition of several uninhabitable Springfield apartment buildings is on hold despite a local judge giving the green light to raze the structures. The five structures are part of the 23-building Olde Towne apartment complex, located at the corner of Jefferson Street and Bruns Lane. Shortly after a judge ruled in the city’s favor, the financial…
Stepping out in faith
A Springfield priest experiencing renal failure is receiving a new kidney from a donor living in North Carolina, who he has never met. Antoinette “Nettie” Pinell said it is her Christian faith that is motivating her to give a part of herself to Father Andy Hook, who has led the congregation of Cathedral Church of…
