Sheriff hires supporter’s relative
Sangamon County sheriff Wes Barr has hired the son of former state Sen. Larry Bomke, a Republican who contributed to the sheriff’s 2014 election campaign and called him a “once in a lifetime” candidate in a television commercial. Lawrence Bomke will be sworn in as a sheriff’s deputy on Monday after more than five years…
Guns, guns and more guns
I spent nearly two hours watching last weekend’s gun rally on the Capitol steps and walked away disturbed and buoyant. The good news is, they didn’t get nearly as many folks as hoped, predicted or feared. The daily rag put the number at 100, which seemed about right, and they came from all over the…
Learning from DeMarco
I apologize for turning inward for a personal commentary today, but Susan DeMarco is an admirable example of the virtue of citizen activism. She didn’t dwell in the media limelight, yet she’s one of our country’s everyday people who consistently works to make a positive difference in all they do, accomplishing so much more good…
Past is likely prologue with state budget
I’ve read, watched and heard a whole lot of commentary about the upcoming state budget negotiations during the past few weeks, and it pretty much all ignores recent history and focuses instead on one-sided claims of pending controversy. For instance, this is from an April 7 State Journal-Register editorial: “Some Republicans have voiced in recent…
Letters to the Editor 4/19/18
IMMIGRATION EDUCATIONI’ve known Rosanna Pulido (“The anti-welcome lady,” Fletcher Farrar, April 5) since her entry into the struggle to restore sanity to our immigration policy, and I think it is grossly unfair to say that she considers immigrants and refugees to be “illegal aliens.” I have never heard her even come close to making such…
Editor’s Note 04/19/18
Seldom is heard a discouraging word about Abraham Lincoln, around here at least, but Bloomington author and lawyer Guy Fraker, who has written two books on Lincoln’s circuit-riding days, told the Sangamon County Historical Society April 17 that the more he’s gotten to know the great man, the less he likes him. Lincoln’s ambition is…
Seeking justice for an innocent man, posthumously
On Saturday, April 28, the Illinois Innocence Project (IIP) will honor retired Lt. Paul Echols from the Carbondale Police Department for his persistent quest for a posthumous exoneration of Grover Thompson, now 22 years after the innocent man died in prison. The Thompson case exemplifies the problem of racism in southern Illinois and the horrifying…
Celebrate and protect Mother Earth
On Saturday, April 21, enjoy an afternoon of fun, learning and entertainment during the 26th Annual Earth Awareness Fair. This event, hosted by the City of Springfield’s Office of Public Works, will occur from 1-5 p.m., rain or shine, and features more than 40 exhibitors highlighting a variety of environmental topics, plus live musical performances,…
End sexual violenc
On Saturday, April 21, show your support of ending sexual violence and raising awareness of sexual assault in the Springfield community during “Walk A Mile in Her Shoes: The Men’s March to Stop Sexual Violence.” This annual event is open to participants of all genders, but to add a fun twist to the march, men…
Come, hear the word
Come together with your community and sing praise to God during the Ben Culli Hymn Festival on Sunday, April 22. The festival is organized by Springfield native and Milwaukee-based organist and composer Ben Culli, and will feature traditional hymns performed with accompaniment by Ben Culli on the organ, violinist Jean Tweet and the Sangamon Brass…
A brief history of tame
I’m a 45-year-old single guy seeking a long-term relationship. My problem is that when I’m interacting with a woman I’m attracted to, my ability to read whether she’s interested in me goes out the window. I suspect I’ve missed out on some great women because I couldn’t read their signals quickly enough. – Disappointed Where…
SEIZED
The case sounds simple. Acting on a tip, Springfield cops last July 26 served a search warrant at a Black Avenue home near Fairview Elementary School, finding a dozen marijuana plants in full bud and 33 others less far along. Possession of between 20 and 50 plants is a Class 3 felony, punishable by probation…
Theatrical exorcism
Nearly a century ago, Italian playwright Luigi Pirandello prefigured postmodernism with his then-controversial 1921 play, Six Characters in Search of an Author, which continues its two-week run at the UIS Theatre this weekend. As the title suggests, the play’s content is self-referential, concerning itself as much with philosophical notions about literary creation and performance as…
Chickening out
Cavan Sullivan and his family have a grain farm in Petersburg and recently decided to expand their business by opening Petersburg Processing, a poultry processor. As a processor, Sullivan also markets the chickens he processes, having developed relationships with various distributors who then deliver and sell to consumers in Chicago and St. Louis. “One challenge…
You’re in Abe’s Army now
Walkers, race walkers and runners of all fitness levels are cordially invited to participate in Abe’s Army, a 12-week program that trains participants to walk, run or race walk the Abe’s Amble 10K, Springfield’s premiere 6.2-mile road race held annually on the last day of the Illinois State Fair. Abe’s Army will begin with an…
ABE AND HIPAA
Shortly after being named executive director of Oak Ridge Cemetery in 2011, Michael Lelys got a peek at something most folks rarely see: handwritten internment records memorializing Abraham Lincoln’s burial. It’s contained in one of two books from way back that list the dearly departed who are buried in the historic cemetery. The books, being…
WRIGLEY FIELD IS A BUILDING?
The ongoing “Illinois Top 200” project allows Illinois residents a chance to vote every two weeks on the state’s most inspiring leaders, greatest books and top businesses, among other superlative categories. By the state’s 200th birthday on Dec. 3, voters will have chosen 10 favorites in 20 different categories. The most recent category was Illinois’…
I Feel Pretty’s execution fails its message
The intention behind Abby Kohn’s and Marc Silverstein’s I Feel Pretty can’t be faulted. The film couldn’t be timelier, as it is a broadside against media representations of unrealistic physical perfection and the effect that it has on women’s self-image. However, this comedy is a “one-step-forward, two-steps-back” exercise that can’t get out of its own…
Varying the venues
Readers of this column know we spend a good deal of our time listening to live music inside the bars, but rest assured, my friends, many other venues host live music on a regular basis. From churches to historical sites and theaters to parks, the music rolls on all around us. This marks the last…
Mr. Opporknockity
Back for one more reunion show that celebrates 21 years of togetherness, Mr. O still rules the roost in the local “original music with a few covers” category. After a strong showing in the late 90s and early to mid 00s, including winning Illinois Times’ “Best of Springfield” reader polls, producing CDs of all original…
earthday (doom) poem #95
for me the scariest latest news:the verification of the prediction fifteen years ago when warned the world had some ten years to get its ducks lined up to slow or stop climate change instead we’ve beenshooting ducks except a few places holland florida mayors atolls with seas rising to people’s knees what was the prediction?…
Aioli or eughhh?
Increasingly, we seem to live in a world divided. Folks seem to fall firmly on one side of the proverbial fence or the other: conservatives versus liberals, paleo diet versus plant-based diet, Cubs versus Cardinals and so on. We are a society of strong opinions. Apparently, this binary attitude even extends to condiments. Not long…
