“Next Cut” a Welcome Reunion
What with 12 years having passed since the release of Barbershop 2: Back in Business, one would think that the “sell by” date for yet another sequel to Ice Cube’s surprise 2002 hit would have passed. However, as even the most casual filmgoer knows, there is no statute of limitations where sequels are concerned. Thankfully…
Quiet “Midnight Special” a Unique Sci-Fi Tale
Jeff Nichols is a director who doesn’t have to raise his voice in order to make a dramatic point. One look at his excellent 2011 thriller Take Shelter, and you see a filmmaker out of step with the times. This tale about one man wrestling with visions about the end of the world would have…
Champaign newborn death highlights safe haven law
Since 2001, Illinois’ “safe haven” law has given parents the option to give up their children at birth anonymously at a hospital, fire department or police station. A 20-year-old college student in Illinois apparently wasn’t aware of the law and may pay the price for allegedly taking her newborn son’s life. On April 11, Lindsay…
Celebrating Shakespeare
Phoebe Pryce as Jessica and Jonathan Pryce as Shylock in the Shakespeare’s Globe production of The Merchant of Venice, directed by Jonathan Munby, featured at Chicago Shakespeare Theater as part of Shakespeare 400 Chicago, Aug. 4–14. Photo by Manuel Harlan. William Shakespeare comes alive this year in Chicago, as the city celebrates the poet and…
Selling off the family silver
Endangered. Photo BY DAVID HINE Bruce Rauner’s campaign to destroy the Illinois State Museum risks losing tourist income, the services of top scientists and administrators and priceless artifacts, not to mention any claim Illinois might make to being a civilized commonwealth. Might there be yet one more loss – the loss of the museum building…
The GOP attempt to look reasonable
PHOTO BY ALAN SOLOMON/TNS Gov. Bruce Rauner has hit a brick wall attempting to convince House Speaker Michael Madigan to come to the negotiating table to talk about ending the long governmental impasse, and then working out a budget deal. So, after holding numerous public appearances to demand a sit-down, Rauner shifted gears last week…
Hurricane Donnie hurls GOP debris
Jim Hightower PHOTO BY LARRY D. MOORE Elites tend to be … well, elite. As in, “clueless” about what your everyday working stiff is thinking. Cluelessness about the masses can become a major occupational hazard for political elites. And while this is a problem for the establishments of both major political parties, today’s Republican establishment…
Letters to the Editor 4/14/16
Downtown Springfield, Inc. continues to push for affordable housing downtown and public spaces that encourage fun, a healthy lifestyle and integrity. ILLUSTRATION BY SW PARRA/TNS GREEN SPACE DOWNTOWN Downtown Springfield, Inc. director Lisa Clemmons Stott continues to make an excellent point in citing housing downtown as key in revitalizing the downtown area. Drawing residents by creating spaces…
Editor’s note 4/14/16
The state budget crisis is about to come to a head, with Chicago State University about to close for lack of funding, other small universities hurting, piles of fiscal pain everywhere and the possibility that courts could put a stop to state employee paychecks. Gov. Bruce Rauner’s continual blaming of House Speaker Michael Madigan for…
It’s tax time, but corporations aren’t paying
Tax Day offers a stark reminder of the difference between those of us who pay all our taxes every year and the big corporations that don’t. While families and small businesses scramble to file their returns each April, multinational corporations are free to indefinitely ignore a $700 billion U.S. tax bill they owe on $2.4…
Porky painting party
Roasted: Hot Pots and Pork Join the Springfield Art Association for its annual “Roasted: Hot Pots and Pork” event and fundraiser. Glaze a pre-made ceramic pot, watch it being fired in an outdoor Raku kiln and enjoy a hog roast dinner provided by Hickory River Smokehouse. Other highlights include live music by the Pleasure Chest…
Comedic country concert
The Doyle and Debbie Show The Legacy Theatre’s executive director, Scott Richardson, describes The Doyle and Debbie Show as “a love letter to both country music and its great duo acts.” The Nashville-based fictitious twosome arrives in Springfield fresh off an eight-month performance stint in Chicago. According to Chicago Tribune reviewer Chris Jones, the quality…
Spring shopping
Woodland Wildflower and Tree Sale Gardeners will have the opportunity to shop from 14 types of shade-loving woodland wildflowers plus 15 different bare root trees and shrubs this weekend during Lincoln Memorial Garden’s annual Woodland Wildflower and Tree Sale. Plant experts will be on hand both days of the sale to answer questions and help…
The mummy’s cursor
PHOTO COURTESY AMY ALKON Amy Alkon I’m a woman in my 20s, and female friends and I find that, generally speaking, once a guy gets into a relationship, his texting dwindles into brief news bites, like “fell asleep!” or “phone died.” Why do men seem to lose interest in chatting by text like I do…
Home & garden events calendar
PHOTO FROM METROCREATIVECONNECTION.COM Springfield Jaycees Lawnmower ClinicApr 16, 9am-1pm Sat. Lawnmowers serviced at reasonable prices. $50-60. O’Reilly Auto Parts, 1501 W. Jefferson, 793-1872. Woodland Wildflower and Tree SaleApr 16-17, 8:30am-4pm Sat, 1-4pm Sun. Choose from 14 different shade-loving woodland wildflowers and 15 bare-root trees and shrubs. Free admission. lincolnmemorialgarden.org. Lincoln Memorial Garden, 2301 E.…
Springfield style, inside and out
Living room at the author’s gallery, stocked with repurposed furnishings and reused materals. Homes and landscapes are individual and personal. “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder” is a time-tested tradition in much of art and design. While art and beauty can depend upon individual preference, there are basic considerations to be made when…
How to get the roof you need
PHOTO FROM METROCREATIVECONNECTION.COM When it comes to home improvements, a good roof isn’t as obvious as a new garage, as entertaining as a new sound system or as cool as a new kitchen. In fact, it could be said that the best roof is one you never notice or think about. Because it’s doing its…
Keep to the code
PHOTO FROM ISTOCKPHOTO.COM It’s my yard, I’ll do what I want – right? Maybe, and maybe not. Before breaking ground for a new garage, planning your first pool party, going into the egg business or working on your cousin’s car, make sure you’re up to date on Springfield’s building and zoning rules. Zoning administrator Matthew…
Home appraisal survival guide
PHOTO FROM ISTOCKPHOTO.COM The useful life of an appraisal is just one year, so any sale, refinance or home equity loan will likely require a new appraisal ordered by the financial institution, conducted by a qualified appraiser familiar with your area, and filed in your permanent record. State-certified residential appraiser Henry Helton of Springfield offers…
Your beautiful garden
PHOTO FROM ISTOCKPHOTO.COM If landscaping goes in cycles, where every few years there’s a wildly popular new thing you suddenly see everywhere, followed by a few years of refinements until the next new splashy thing, this is one of the quiet years, according to Green View landscapers Pamela O’Neill and Becca Trace. This year, there…
Growing asparagus at home
PHOTO FROM METROCREATIVECONNECTION.COM Growing asparagus is best reserved for patient people, as the first crop cannot be harvested for at least a year after planting. This frustrates many home gardeners, and is one factor that can make asparagus relatively expensive in grocery stores. Commercial growers must spend time and money to weed and maintain plots…
Hellhole
Leftover campaign signs have replaced missing panels in the garage door. To the left is a missing window. Photo BY BRUCE RUSHTON The predictable has happened at a crumbling rental home on Peoria Road owned by Springfield city clerk Frank Lesko. The chimney recently toppled, leaving a hole in the roof now covered by a…
Clone wars
Design Ideas’ original “Sparrow Clips,” as they appear in the company’s advertising material. Photo courtesy of Design Ideas, Ltd. By now, Andy Van Meter is used to finding ideas his company owns in stores he didn’t sell those ideas to. “It happens more often than we’d like – probably three or four times a year,”…
Bill would ban credit-based insurance rates
This chart, based on data from Consumer Reports, illustrates the difference in auto insurance premiums based on credit scores in Illinois. Image courtesy of Consumer Union. Illinois could put a stop to the use of credit scores to calculate auto insurance rates. The bill is pending in a legislative committee and faces strong opposition from…
Biology or identity?
For 54 years, Illinois’ Vital Records Act has prevented transgender people from changing the sex listed on their birth certificate without undergoing surgery. A bill sponsored by Rep. Greg Harris, D-Chicago, would remove that longtime barrier in the gender transition process. On April 5, Democrats in the House Human Service Committee approved Harris’ bill on…
MANSION SECRETS
Edwards Place, home of the Springfield Art Association, is full of secrets and surprises. It’s the oldest house in Springfield still on its original foundation, and its walls hide an intricate story of the mansion’s evolution over time. Erika Holst, curator of collections at the Art Association, has spent hours crawling through the dark attic…
APPEAL IN SHAKEN BABY CASE
A Springfield daycare owner convicted in December of involuntary manslaughter for the death of a child in her care has been sentenced to four years in prison. Cammie Kelly was charged with first-degree murder in 2011 after 11-month-old Kaiden Gullidge of Rochester went unconscious at her home day care. At Kelly’s trial just before Christmas…
Gyllenhaal, Watts left to flounder in Demolition
Jake Gyllenhaal as Davis Mitchell in Demolition. PHOTO COURTESTY FOX SEARCHLIGHT PICTURES One thing you can always count on with Jake Gyllenhaal is that he will devote himself fully to any role he takes. However, I fear that his ambition and dedication are beginning to outdistance the material available to him. He proved to be…
Taxing music
The Blue G’s play the Brewhaus on Friday, April 15 at 8 p.m. As we get through the ides of April, U.S. income tax due day and likely a few other eventful events this weekend, the music keeps coming, as inevitable as death and taxes. I don’t even want to talk about musicians and taxes,…
King Neptune Blues
King Neptune Blues Mr. Neptune began studying classical music in Philadelphia before being bitten by the blues bug via Blind Blake. He applied his years of studies of the classics to arranging and learning the blues masters of the early twentieth century. From there, he spent hours and days and years and decades working his…
Nashville Hot Chicken comes to Illinois
Mark Hartstein, chef/owner of Watson’s Shack & Rail in Champaign. PHOTO BY PETER GLATZ I’ve been a lover of Buffalo Hot Wings for decades: chicken wings fried or broiled, tossed in butter and hot sauce, dipped in blue cheese or ranch dressing. I was expecting something similar the first time I tasted Nashville Hot Chicken.…
Spin the black circle
Matt Hill, the clerk minding the store recently at Dumb Records on South Grand Avenue, seems a nice enough guy. On a recent afternoon, Hill was playing selections by Scarves, a Seattle band whose interpretation of punk is described by The Stranger, the Emerald City’s leading alt-weekly, as “interestingly constructed, clean and sparkly guitars and…
Hell’s shells
CARTOON BY JEN SORENSON
weather watch, lake springfield
weather watch, lake springfield furious winds whipwhitecaps on the roiling wavesducks paddle serene ©2016 Jacqueline Jackson
