GAY PRIDE FESTIVAL A FIRST
Springfield’s LGBTQ community is pleased that, as of June 1, same-sex civil unions will be available to Illinoisans, but Springfield’s first Gay Pride Festival planned to take place downtown just 10 days earlier is merely a coincidence, says Jonna Cooley. Cooley is executive director of the Phoenix Center, Springfield’s 10-year-old LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered,…
dandelion poem #1
my young daughters pickeddandelion heads on a sunny slopedappled with yellow we stirredthe blooms into a crock of wateradded sugar floated on topa slice of toast smeared withyeast and let it all bubbleodiferously in our dining roomfor a couple weeks I bottledthe dandelion wine gave itfor gifts nobody liked it butthe kids gradually drank thedregs…
Bud brings beer wars to Springfield
Anheuser-Busch has reportedly hired more than a dozen Statehouse lobbyists this spring to protect its interests in a long-running battle to control how it distributes its brews in Illinois. The St. Louis company has, in the past, owned a beer distributorship in Illinois. It sought to buy another one in Chicago, but was blocked by…
Local lore
Who walked in our footsteps before us? What were our ancestors’ lives like from 1817 through the 1850s? Find out about the people of the Sugar Creek area, now known as Ball Township in Sangamon County, from John Faragher, Yale University professor of American history and executive director of the Howard R. Lamar Center for…
Hundreds rally for Illinois DREAM Act to help undocumented college students
An undocumented University of Illinois student was among nearly 900 from across the state who convened on the Capitol April 13 to support legislation that would give college students who are undocumented access to identification, a driver’s certificate, better educational counseling in high schools and financial aid. The DREAM Act failed to pass at the…
Save the planet, and hassle, with native prairie plants
Native plants and grasses can be welcome additions in the landscape, adding beauty, movement and sound. By planting an expanded area of native grasses, or by mixing grasses with shrubs and flowers, gardeners can reap environmental benefits, including less watering, less need for fertilizer and herbicides, resistance to invasive species and attraction to birds. First…
State Police can’t keep track of their stuff
An audit of the Illinois State Police released April 7 shows problems with inventory control, information security and more, but ISP says it lacks the resources to address some problems. Meanwhile, a report on the University of Illinois released the same day shows recurring problems with oversight of credit cards issued to university employees, among…
The glory of Russian Easter
For much of the Western world, the biggest Christian celebration is Christmas – not least these days because it’s become so commercialized. But in other areas Christ’s Resurrection – a.k.a. Easter – is cause for the biggest celebration. Nowhere is that more true than in Russia, and in Russian Orthodox congregations worldwide. It’s not hard…
Non-union company wages labor war on three fronts
A non-union contractor suing Springfield School District 186 for rejecting the company’s construction bid last month has filed a second lawsuit over a related matter – this time in Effingham County courts, solely against the Illinois Department of Labor and its recently dismissed director, Catherine Shannon. It’s the newest approach – one of three so…
Green ideas for the garden
Going green isn’t just about hybrid cars, compact fluorescent light bulbs or low-flush toilets. It’s for the garden, too. Environmentally friendly ideas from recycling milk jugs into patio furniture to growing your own food are the hot topics in garden shows across the country, providing new ways for many Americans to make their gardens a…
Luzhin Defense
What started in the fall of 2006 while Eric Rogers “was busy neglecting his pre-med studies in favor of writing music on his four-track recorder” has now become a full scale original music project with live performances and an upcoming album. Eric covers the synthesizers, sequencers, bass guitar and vocals while brother Alexis Rogers (currently…
TLC FOR VETS’ TEETH
Military veterans in Sangamon County will soon have something to smile about. Qualified veterans are eligible for vouchers that would cover a teeth cleaning, examination and assessment by a dentist of their choice. To pay for the program, the Sangamon County Veteran’s Assistance Commission received a $35,000 grant from the Illinois Department of Veteran’s Affairs…
Illinois Times talks to Thomas McCarthy
Chances are, though you probably don’t know his name, you recognize Thomas McCarthy when he pops up on the screen. Having key supporting roles in HBO’s The Wire and feature films such as Syriana, Good Night and Good Luck, Flags of our Fathers and Meet the Fockers, among others, the actor prompts mental recognition (“Oh,…
Entertaining Easter weekend
Easter is supposed to be a joyous celebration for those of the Christian faith, so why not make the most of it and get out to see some live music on this late date Resurrection weekend? Whether you’re passionate about the Passion or not, come on out and check up on all the good music…
Springfield spirits
Not for the faint of heart or faint of fun or those under 21, a night of zombie zingers is in store at Capital City Bar and Grill from the ghoul folks of the annual Springfield Zombie Walk. Watch the hilarious and entertaining films, Shaun of the Dead and Zombieland on a large screen. Wear…
Guides for the well-read (or under-read) gardener
Grow Organic, Cook Organic, by Ysanne Spevack (Lorenz Books, November 2006) $24.99 The Winter Garden: Create a Garden that Shines Through the Forgotten Season, by Val Bourne (Cassell Illustrated, October 2006) $19.95Fencing Paradise: The Uses and Abuses of Plants, by Richard Mabey (Eden Project Books October 2006) Food Not Lawns: How to Turn Your Yard…
‘Indifference’ beat me at the polls
I recently ran for the District 186 School Board and lost by 53 votes in a very close election when 28 percent voted in Springfield. Having read ‘Undercount’ by James Krohe Jr. [April 14], I can add some insights to the process. Running for school board was my full-time job for over three months and…
Green Business Network aims to make recycling pay
Small business owners in Springfield will soon be able to advertise their sustainable business practices as members of the Green Business Network of Springfield [See “Selling sustainability,” by Rachel Wells, Illinois Times, Aug. 5, 2010]. The Green Business Network has been meeting together for more than a year to promote recycling and other sustainable business…
The bridges of Sangamon County
Usually, making a Top 10 list is cause for congratulation, but not when it’s Landmarks Illinois’ annual list of most endangered historic sites. In March, the preservationist group named to this year’s list the 110-year-old bridge that carries Bolivia Road from near Lanesville in Sangamon County south across the Sangamon River to the hamlet of…
Unreasonable women take on the banksters
They’re back. Actually, they never left, they just laid low while the heat of political anger blew over. They are the schemers and scammers of Wall Street who devised the Phantasmagoric Money-From-Nothing Good Times Machine that was fueled by indecipherable derivatives and other financial fairy dust. If you’re presently stuck in hard economic times, you…
Renew your home with solar and wind
If you’re considering adding solar energy to your home, now may be a good time to do it. Solar panel prices are low because demand slumped after the financial crisis of 2008, when the renewables industry was booming in Japan, Germany, Spain and California. Surplus panels piled up in warehouses and prices dropped as a…
Worm your way to great soil with composting
Years ago friend of mine spent a fall day driving around Springfield collecting bags of leaves. Sounds crazy when most homeowners can’t wait to get rid of the leaves that pile up on their yards, but she turned these leaves into “black gold.” She put the leaves in a garden area that was mostly clay…
Confessions of a bad gardener
It looked so easy. After all, how hard could it be? You bury a few seeds, dump some water on them and wait, right? Apparently not. I must confess that I have failed at one of the most basic and essential tasks mankind has ever adopted: growing food. If the Titanic were a garden, I…
Former Phoenix Center head in new financial trouble
Mike Palmer says he and his wife, Bev, just wanted to help the community of Griggsville when he loaned a fellow church member $10,000 to help pay back taxes on a local restaurant. “We figured, you know, he’s Christian and everything, so we offered to loan him $10,000 on our credit card, as long as…
Pashka
I’ve been making Pashka for decades, ever since first reading about Russian Easters in an old, now collectible Time-Life book series, Foods of the World. Initially I made it out of curiosity, but it’s so delicious it’s become part of my family’s non-Russian Easter tradition; something my out-of-town children also make for their Easter feasts.…
Letters to the Editor 04/21/11
HARVARD PARK MEMORYMy dad is unable to use a computer but asked me to “look up on the computer” which I did and found this article [see “Harvard Park celebrates a century as a working-class neighborhood that still works,” by Tara McClellan McAndrew, Sept. 24, 2008], and here I would like to recount something that…
Win Win examines quiet human victories
Mike Flaherty has more than his share of problems. He has a growing mountain of debt, fewer and fewer clients are coming to his law firm, and the high school wrestling team he coaches couldn’t pin a tail on a donkey. That he takes on an ethically questionable stewardship comes as no surprise. He has…
For a good garden workout, pace yourself
As the gardening season gets into full swing, we can be assured of a few things: flowers will bloom, weeds will grow and our bodies will ache. However, preventing some aches and pains is within our control. Gardening could be viewed as a workout. Therefore, consult your doctor before starting an exercise program. Also discuss…
