Town and Country hits foreclosure
Town and Country shopping center, one of the largest tracts of retail space on the MacArthur Boulevard corridor, will be turned over to a lender that has filed foreclosure, according to an attorney for an ownership group that includes developer Corky Joyner and Jim Zerkle, Springfield corporation counsel. Joyner declined comment, referring questions to Greg…
Done deal?
Last week’s “town hall” meeting on a proposed 11th Street homeless shelter reeked of check-a-box. No one disagrees: There are too many homeless folks in Springfield and too little is being done to prevent them from splattering streets with vomit or peeing in public or going off meds. A shelter where they can get services…
Incumbents fight off potential challengers
Most state legislators don’t have to worry about next year’s general election. The combination of gerrymandering and the simple fact that many of the state’s regions are dominated by one party or the other pretty much guarantees that all but a handful of incumbents will sail through on the November ballot. But first they have…
Letters to the Editor 8/1/19
AMP UP THE DOWNTOWN CONCERTS I’ve been a resident of downtown Springfield for the last six years, and I appreciate and support all of the initiatives. I want to see the arts and the economy of downtown Springfield flourish as much as anyone. I’ve enjoyed the Levitt AMP series to some extent, but if Downtown…
Don’t just focus on elections, but on how we elect
A few years ago, I was at a polling place here in Indiana where a long line of people stood waiting to vote. A woman recognized me and called me over. “Why is it,” she asked, “that you politicians make it so hard and inconvenient to vote?” I thought of this the other day when…
Designs with histories
Illinois Realtors is sponsoring walking tours of buildings of architectural interest in the historic district of downtown Springfield. This week, join Anthony Rubano from the Historic Preservation Division of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources as he guides a tour through the area of the Old Capitol Plaza and Sixth Street. See and hear about…
It worked in theory, at least
What do a sarcophagus, Secret Service agents and sand dunes have in common? Come listen and learn about a little known and surprisingly humorous American tale of desperation carried out by bumbling criminals. Eleven years after the death of President Lincoln a plot was hatched by the leaders of one of the nation’s largest counterfeiting…
The Ambassador of Salsa
The Salsa Ambassador has reached the 10-year anniversary of his ongoing mission of inclusion through Latin dance, and the dancing diplomat shows no signs of slowing down. The Salsa Ambassador is 38-year-old Julio Barrenzuela, who for more than a decade has been teaching salsa dancing every place he can, including nursing homes, facilities for persons…
Women’s Art Alliance, now 40, looks back
Some cities sponsor “art hops” where area residents “hop” between various venues on the same night to see a variety of art exhibits. In Springfield the Springfield Art Association (SAA) Collective is offering a multi-week “hop” between two venues to enjoy works by women artists. The two-gallery exhibit – one at the Springfield Art Association…
Smoke ’em if you can afford ’em
Back in high school, Killer Green Bud – KGB – cost $200 an ounce, maybe $175 if you knew someone. The price soon shot to $400. It seemed an astronomical sum in a day when Mexican or Colombian cost half as much, or less, but connoisseurs realized the benefits of no-stems-no-seeds, not to mention high…
The right (wing) stuff
The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum again has gotten cozy with conservative talk show personality Glenn Beck. Mercury One, a Texas nonprofit founded by Beck, boasts on its website that the ALPLM was a partner in a recent weeklong exhibit on slavery at the institution in Irving. Other partners included the African American Museum…
ALPLM GOES BACK TO SCHOOL
School, everyone knows, has a reputation for not being fun, and after a summer of leisure, it’s easy to understand why kids might not be eager to go back indoors to learn about stuff like math and science and history. Enter the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library, which is holding a free back-to-school event this Saturday…
POLICE BLUES
Readers might recall recent news that the Illinois State Police Heritage Foundation, the folks who built the downtown memorial park for fallen officers, had gotten ripped off from someone on the inside. Details were scant. The foundation acknowledged that the group’s treasurer has left that position and that the FBI is investigating. It’s still not…
August-ing music
Heeeere’s August and the last blast of summer time fun before the world moves on toward the autumn season and, dare I say, wintertime. The good news for this week comes in the form of fine weather for this time of year, welcomed by musicians who play in the outdoor conditions and audiences who endure…
Johnny Burgin
Our blues friend, Johnny Burgin (he recently dropped the Rockin’), stops by for a one-night only local show on Friday, and we point that out because in the past, the artist formerly known as Rockin’ Johnny would hang around central Illinois for nearly two weeks at a time, playing gigs all over the place. Burgin…
catholic heart work camp #4
catholic heart work camp #4 here’s another grateful tribute to the Catholic Heart Work Camp –90 kids from all over our land poured into town last week were divided into small groups did chores big and small built a handsome fence around Enos Park’s apple orchard (its odd location made it a magnet for fly-dumping;…
Bake a fruity dessert for any season
Buckle, grunt, cobbler, Betty, crumble and crisp. What sounds like a ragtag cast of characters from a comic book are actually the shining stars of the summer’s dessert scene. Quick, adaptable and simple to make, these are recipes that every home cook should have in his back pocket. All are baked desserts, often in a…
