Mayor plans fundraiser
Springfield Mayor Mike Houston said he intended to be a one-term mayor when he ran for office two years ago. “My plan is to serve four years and actually deal with problems,” Houston told the State Journal-Register while on the campaign trail in 2011. Now, with more than $45,000 in his campaign chest, the mayor…
Storytelling program enraptures kids
Storyteller Linda Gorham and the kids of St. Patrick Catholic School (Photo courtesy Jessica Wilmarth, Development Director for St. Patrick Catholic School) This morning the entire student body of St. Patrick Catholic School (100 students, pre-K through 5th grade) got to transform en masse into an overbearing bear, a sassy chipmunk, and a menagerie of…
Link for live stream of Epsom at The Pharmacy
Click on this link to watch the Epsom concert live – it’s already running, the band will start at 7! Let us know what you think! http://www.ustream.tv/channel/springvinmoto
Crowe Fest tonight at Crows Mill Pub
As if there weren’t already enough choices for entertainment tonight, one of Springfield’s most venerable music venues is hosting a full and varied evening of rootsy music in the form of Crowe Fest 2013 at Crows Mill School (1220 Toronto Rd.) . The first part of the evening’s program will take full advantage of the…
Record Stores: A Remembrance
Sometime in 1988 or 1989, store manager Ron Davis hired me to work behind the counter at Appletree Records, after witnessing me help a fellow customer identify that the song Walking on the Moon by The Police was on the LP Regatta de Blanc and that it was in stock, something the clerk on duty had failed…
The lion sleeps tonight, fitfully
Forget arguments over pensions, guns, taxes and health care. Judging by a quick Google check, the biggest issue facing Illinois lawmakers this session is the scourge of lion meat purveyors, who are now free to ply their trade in the Land of Lincoln. A bill sponsored by Rep. Luis Arroyo, D-Chicago, would ban the trafficking…
Transparent watercolors
The Skip Watts Memorial Exhibit and opening reception, April 20, from 2-4 p.m. at Watts Copy Systems, stands out as a milestone event for Springfield and the Sangamon Watercolor Society. Some of the best watercolor artists from throughout Illinois vied to have work in this exhibit. Winners of $10,000 in prize money will be announced during…
Grow spinach, tasty, cool and easy
The arrival of yellow daffodils, green lawns and garden fresh salad are sure signs of spring. Leafy greens are among the easiest vegetables to grow, according to a University of Illinois Extension horticulture educator. “You are sure to enjoy the best-tasting salad with greens that you have grown,” promised Jennifer Fishburn. “Spring greens such as…
Six-string master
Springfield Classical Guitar Society concludes its 2012-2013 concert season with prize-winning and world-touring classical guitarist Zane Forshee. Forshee will perform music by Albeniz, Scarlatti, Bellinati, Asencio and Ronald Pearl. With a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Peabody Conservatory of Music of Johns Hopkins University, Forshee teaches at the North Carolina School of the Arts…
Enchanting ensemble
Celtic Woman comes to Sangamon Auditorium, UIS on Sunday, April 21, for an afternoon show at 3 p.m. A sensational musical treat, the popular all-female adult contemporary singing group from Dublin, Ireland, will perform traditional Irish tunes, inspirational songs and pop classics. You’ll hear fan favorites such as “You Raise Me Up” and “Orinoco Flow.”…
Home sweet ‘green’ home
When Harv Koplo and Annette Chinuge met at Sangamon State University during the 1970s they had no idea their interest in preserving the earth would lead them to become pioneers for sustainable living in Springfield. “Nobody had heard of green or sustainable, but that doesn’t mean the principles weren’t there,” said Chinuge. “I think it…
Beat the heat with less air conditioning
It doesn’t seem possible, but 60 years ago people survived without air conditioning. Not only did they survive, but they may have even enjoyed life more, since they actually went outside in summertime and talked to their neighbors. Today the only people without it are the poor and radical environmentalists doing their part to avert…
Rain barrels save dollars and make sense
The drought of 2012 took a great toll, not only on the plants in the garden, but also on the gardener’s wallet. “It was tough for some gardeners to decide which plants to water and which to let survive on their own,” said University of Illinois horticulture educator Candice Miller. “Unfortunately, if a gardener did…
Citizens’ Efficiency group questions state fire tax
If you bought fire insurance from an out-of-state company, you indirectly helped pay for health club dues, parking fees and shoes for the Springfield Fire Department. That’s because an obscure state tax routes millions of dollars directly to fire departments around the state each year. The Citizens’ Efficiency Commission for Sangamon County issued recommendations last…
Where’s the cop on the Wall Street beat?
Bankers gone wild! Let’s tally some of their crimes: JPMorgan Chase engaged in massive, systematic fraud to foreclose without cause or due process on innocent homeowners, tossing thousands of families into the streets. Goldman Sachs profited by marketing an investment package that was designed to fail, collecting fat fees on each sale to unsuspecting investors…
Bill Clinton picked for Lincoln prize? Really?
Springfield attorney Jon Gray Noll sent the following letter to Wayne Whalen, board chair of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation. We are writing you in your capacity as chair of the board of directors concerning the recent selection by the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation of William Jefferson Clinton as the recipient of the…
Celebrity soiree
Springfield Art Association’s Personalities Paint, April 20 from 6-9 p.m., is a fun party for a good cause. Art exhibit openings are always a blast, but at this one you can rub elbows with some of the most well-known local personalities and perhaps take home their work. Their paintings, on 10-inch by 10-inch canvases in…
Heil, high and hi-fi
During a recent conversation with Illinois Times blogger Scott Faingold, I mentioned that National Record Store Day coincided with what has become national “weed” day (Huffington Post has a good reference article on how 420 became significant in pot culture). Scott, utilizing his acclaimed collection of facts and figures, added Hitler’s birthday to the April…
Randy Charles and the Western Angels
This five-piece group are darn good purveyors of country, folk and bluegrass tunes, combining choice covers by the likes of Dwight Yoakam, Johnny Cash and Garth Brooks with a handy bunch of well-suited original music to create a complete package of a heavenly, classic Americana band. Fronted by Randal Charles Hall (Randy Charles) on vocals,…
42 is a fitting tribute to Jackie Robinson
A solid film biography of Jackie Robinson is long overdue. Though it was made with the best of intentions and features the man himself, the 1950s The Jackie Robinson Story, isn’t a film that’s aged well. Noble in intent but awkwardly executed, it gets bogged down in sentiment and melodrama and is hard to watch…
New and recommended flowers and vegetables
There seems to be an award for everything, whether it is for the best picture, best actor, best country music video or best automobile for 2013, and gardening is no exception, said a University of Illinois Extension horticulture educator. “There are plenty of ‘new’ things out there to try. For many gardeners, the problem is…
ZenMomentPoem #2
The visiting choir directorWhen speaking with the childrenAsked their favorite song.As they shrugged their shouldersShe asked then their favorite animal.“Cows” said a boy,“The cows say ‘Moo Moo.’”Within minutes the directorHad the whole congregationSinging in a rousing round,“The Cows say Moo Moo”“The Cows say Moo Moo”“The Cows say Moo Moo.”
BANK WANTS GOLD FROM GOLD’S GYM
Illini Bank is foreclosing on Gold’s Gym, a popular Springfield workout facility on the city’s east side. The bank says that it is owed more than $4.3 million in three mortgages that have gone unpaid. In addition to the mortgages, the bank on April 11 won a judgment of more than $130,000 for a loan…
GOOD DEEDS INDEED
In light of all the destruction and uncertainty that bombards us every day, it can be easy to overlook the good in humanity. But on Friday, about 250 volunteers will spread across the city to do good deeds, reminding us that we can be a blessing to others in the midst of chaos. It’s the…
Full-court press off, Jaffe fumbles
I’ve always believed that just because somebody claims to be a reformer, it doesn’t mean the person has the right solutions. Many years ago, an activist named Pat Quinn came up with an idea to change the Illinois Constitution. He used the petition process to get rid of a third of Illinois House members in…
Not hog heaven
A former worker at the Cargill pork processing plant in Beardstown has sued the company, alleging that she was fired after she complained that the company was packaging spoiled meat for sale. Tamatha Hausman, who lives in Mason County, alleges that the company ordered workers to repackage at least one truckload of meat that had…
Ten years after
We fought, we were told, to avenge an act of terrorism against our nation that was made up, after a campaign whipped up by the U.S. media. In fact, the real powers in America wanted the war to protect their own economic interests in the region. An initial victory led to stalemate in a faraway…
Letters to the Editor 04/18/13
CRACKS A NOBLE HEARTThanks for Jim Krohe’s fine tribute to Rich Shereikis (“The right combination of sensibilities”) in the April 11 issue. Rich had, indeed, what Krohe calls “the right combination of sensibilities”: a fierce intolerance of injustice and pretense, a deep appreciation for immigrant cultures growing out of his Lithuanian heritage, a lifelong devotion…
Trying to legalize medical marijuana, again
UPDATE: The Illinois House passed HB1, the medical marijuana bill, by a vote of 61-57 on Wednesday afternoon. This article was written before the vote on April 17 in the House. Patients suffering from diseases such as multiple sclerosis, cancer and Crohn’s disease can be in extreme physical discomfort and pain. Vicodin, OxyContin and morphine…
Another dry gardening season?
Gardeners were really glad to see the cooler weather and some rainfall at the end of the 2012 gardening season. The question is whether 2013 will be any better, said a University of Illinois Extension horticulture educator. “For a lot of areas in Illinois, the usual fall rain did not materialize, and through mid-January snow…
Wonderful world of Illinois watercolors
Carol Watts and Mary Selinski enjoyed a watercolor class together years ago. Neither could have guessed that in 2012-13 they would collaborate on a sizable statewide watercolor exhibit and contest. Carol owns Watts Copy Systems, headquartered at 2860 Stanton Ave. She and her late husband, Bowen E. “Skip” Watts, have supported the arts in central…
Land Connection Play
A play? Really? I’ve known about and admired The Land Connection – a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting farmland, training sustainable and organic farmers, and promoting a vibrant local food system – for years, especially its executive director, Terra Brockman. I’ve attended Land Connection events, some at Henry’s Farm in Congerville, where Brockman’s brother Henry…
