Spring pottage tonic
This gorgeously vibrant green soup is as delicious as it is nutritious. I’ve never used a precise recipe; just simmered a bunch of whatever greens I grew or could find in water or stock. What follows below is meant more as a guide than something to be strictly followed with specific instructions and amounts. I…
State grant helps vets find quality dental care
When it comes down to paying rent or caring for a tooth infection, which would you choose? Many people might say they would choose to pay the rent but Kirby Carlson, 39, of Springfield, didn’t have a choice. He had to find dental care, even if he couldn’t afford it. The Persian Gulf War veteran…
My night on patrol with the Springfield police
It’s dark while I’m seated in the front passenger side of a Springfield Police Department squad car. I feel my voice box drop into my stomach to stay for a while as a handcuffed male suspect arrested for alleged criminal trespassing at Mac’s Lounge climbs into the back seat. The driver’s seat is empty while…
Bill to protect sales tax havens backfires
Some big Chicago-area retailers have found a way to avoid paying high local sales taxes on their wholesale purchases. They’ve essentially set up their own “tax havens” in downstate counties which have no local sales taxes. The havens are mostly just one-person offices with a fax machine. The retailers contract to purchase mass quantities of…
GOT DRUGS
Start your spring cleaning this weekend by clearing out that medicine cabinet. Bring all expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs to Prevention First at 2800 Montvale Drive Saturday, April 30, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Let the Springfield Police Department and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Association take unneeded medications off your hands. The prescriptions…
Refreshingly romantic Water for Elephants
The success of Sara Gruen’s novel, Water for Elephants, speaks to a need people have to believe in something basic and necessary in these dire times. It was no coincidence that during the Great Depression people flocked to the movies to escape their woes and tales of star-crossed lovers defying the odds to ultimately be…
Word play
Famous film and TV actor Anthony Zerbe, of The Omega Man, Papillon, The Matrix series and Star Trek Insurrection, juxtaposes and mixes the extraordinary poetry of E.E. Cummings with his own theatrical expertise into an enthralling dramatic imagery-fest. The one-man performance is part of Zerbe’s Three Days of Theatre residency, where he also talks to…
Sun studio
Lincoln Memorial Garden in spring is a canvas of stunning visual wonder in itself, but on April 30, numerous artists will set up shop along its paths and paint masterpieces. Families can watch the work in progress and also build fairy houses using natural materials from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nature must stay in…
Earth Day party
In its 19th year of celebrating and educating citizens of every age, this free fair put on by CWLP and the city of Springfield is a must visit on May 7, as is the new Southwind Park and Erin’s Pavilion, Springfield’s only Platinum LEED-certified building. Approximately 30 organizations with an environmental message to share will…
Celebrating success
Hosni Mubarak, Egypt’s modern pharaoh, and his two sons were “detained” in mid-April for questioning about corruption and abuse of power by Egyptian prosecutors. No one knows how much the longtime Egyptian strongman and his family have skimmed from the Egyptian economy during his rule. Estimates of $40-$70 billion appear absurdly high, but even $5…
Letters to the Editor 4/28/11
GOING GREEN Your article, “Renewing your home with solar and wind” [by Karen Fitzgerald, April 21] seemed interesting, but I wanted to tell you the real story about trying to go green. I’ve wanted to go green for many years now, either wind energy or geothermal, but due to the cost of a system I…
While U.S. fiddles, China gains
Our political impasse remains unchanged. When Republicans hold offices, Democrats grab their popcorn, withhold their talent, time and treasure, and watch the failures as entertainment. When Democrats hold offices, Republicans do the same. The recent congressional budget squabble demonstrated our dysfunction, and the squabbling flared up again once the Congressional Budget Office reported that instead…
AN OUNCE OF PREVENTION
There are few issues of such immediate importance as teaching young women about sexual assault prevention. The Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network estimates that a sexual assault occurs every 12 minutes – usually against women. It can be a devastating experience, and that’s why the Springfield-based Prairie Center Against Sexual Assault and Illinois College…
Group aims to bring CeaseFire to Springfield
When a young man from a high-risk neighborhood gets shot and survives, he has the potential to become a hero. But what kind of hero he chooses to become can mean either peaceful progress or continuing violence for his community, says James Hodges, pastor at King’s House Church of the Living God, located at 430…
Hoodwinked Too, a flimsy fairy tale
Upon release in early 2006, Hoodwinked proved to be an unexpected delight. With its unique irreverent tone and its three-pronged approach to its story – a la Rashomon – it kept the audience hooked as we were given multiple versions of its version of the classic tale of Red Riding Hood. It also had a…
Besieged owner claims big foreclosure ‘political’
A Springfield business owner says he’ll fight in court the foreclosure of 153 properties worth more than $6.7 million total. Meanwhile, he alleges the bank is putting profit before Springfield’s best interests. Jeff Polen of Taylorville, owner of JSP Investments and a handful of similarly-named companies in Springfield, faces foreclosure on 153 mortgages held by…
Springfield urged to watch for human trafficking
State officials and local social service providers can’t say how big of a problem human trafficking is for Springfield but they’re still encouraging local residents to keep their eyes open. Interstate 55 is known as a “beltway” for trafficking of any kind and sex trafficking has been found in much smaller cities, like Harrisburg, Pa.,…
A morally untenable corporate system
It’s good to know that some corporate chieftains do feel the pain of their underlings – those hard-hit workers who keep being forced to do more for less reward. Take the example of Gannett, the media giant that owns 23 television stations and 82 newspapers, including USA Today. Early this year, Gannett employees were notified…
Hope comes full circle
“We expanded from a family,” says Georgia Winson, newly appointed executive director of the Hope Institute for Children and Families. “But it always goes back to a family.” In the late 1950s, when it was known as the Hope School for Blind Children, the future Institute operated out of a series of Springfield residences; today…
A Fan Gushes: New Pornographers Tonight In Urbana
The living rebuke to any Beatles-era baby boomers fond of lamenting the lack of melody and harmony in today’s pop music — namely The New Pornographers — will be playing at the Canopy Club in Urbana tonight, and I for one could not be more thrilled to have tickets. The Canada-based indie rock combo is…
Gorging on spring greens
With fresh produce available year round today, it’s almost impossible to realize how much the first edible spring greens were eagerly awaited, and how enthusiastically they were consumed. But it’s not surprising. Think of it: except for those very few wealthy enough to have had hothouses to grow lettuces and fruits, folks who lived in…
Clowning around
The circus comes to town. The same producers who put on the Ice Capades will set up in Lincoln Park’s Nelson Center in the ice arena. That’s right, this is one of the few times the ice is removed, and the rink will fill with clowns, motorcycles, acrobats, a boxing kangaroo, elephants and more. For…
A bomb, a brunch and a barbershop chorus
How’s that for a titillating title? Somehow the alliteration came as the bits fit together for this week’s suggestions. I could add bells and bring in the May 7 Bells in Motion concert, but let’s save that for next week. The bomb in question refers to the infamous pipe bomb tossed by an unknown agitator…
Joe Frew with Dave Littrell
Ask anyone who’s seen Joe Frew perform and no longer will you wonder why this innate entertainer plays several nights a week around town. With a stable of good musicians backing him in various configurations and in varied situations, Frew puts on a show that involves bringing the audience into the performance as few area…
