Plenty of parking
Downtown parking was in the news for about five minutes the other day, as it usually is this time of year when the annual Central Area Parking Survey is released by the Springfield-Sangamon County Regional Planning Commission. As has been the case for the past several years, the survey found that greater downtown boasts 27,489…
Mirror, mirror . . .
I have occasionally used my space in this paper to remark on the dearth of the scenic in most of central Illinois. In “Living in three dimensions” I observed in a helpful tone that whatever good the glaciers did for the central Illinois farmer, “they did no favors at all for the central Illinois sightseer.…
Behind closed doors
Springfield’s oldest-surviving house opens its doors and drawers to the public during a series of behind-the-scenes tours of Edwards Place this Saturday. Curator of Collections Erika Holst will guide visitors on a rarely seen tour of the attic and cellars, plus the facility’s collections and storage areas. The house, built in 1833, was occupied by…
Sheriff’s deputy loses in court
U.S. District Court Judge Sue Myerscough has ruled that Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy Travis Koester used excessive force against a Springfield woman and falsely arrested her during a 2011 traffic stop. In her federal lawsuit against Koester and the county, Tamara Skube claimed that the deputy had no reason to twice deploy his Taser, then…
Taking the dopes out of doping
In “The needle and the records won“ I tried to make a case that doping in sports in inevitable and unavoidable, and that only cure is, in effect, to make it legal. We don’t have rules in politics or business or war in this country, why be squeamish about playing our games that way?…
Reforming what matters
PHOTO COURTESY OF AFSCME Tell me, brother, don’t you understandWe’re all working for the Pharaoh “Pharaoh” Richard Thompson© BMG Rights Management US, LLC Reform. Our problem is not that everybody talks about it but no one ever does anything about it. Our problem is that everybody talks about it but only a few people get…
Marijuana: demonization to legalization
Earlier this year, music legends Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard teamed up to make a pro-marijuana video titled “It’s All Going to Pot.” And, apparently they were right, for I’ve now learned that even the state fair is going to pot – literally. A press release from the organizers of the DC State Fair exclaims:…
Winning isn’t everything
There are those who believe strongly that one side or the other is “winning” our latest and perhaps greatest Statehouse impasse in Illinois history. I think it’s too early to judge, and, frankly, I think everyone is going to end up losing here anyway. As you know, the governor has refused to negotiate a budget…
Letters to the Editor 8/13/15
Downtown Springfield looking south down Sixth Street, from the intersection of Sixth and Adams. PHOTO BY DAVID HINE GHOSTLY QUIETUDEBeing unable to know the time of day the picture was taken, I could not help but notice the shot of downtown that accompanied James Krohe Jr.’s column (“A place for business to live,” Aug…
Editor’s note 8/13/15
Illinoisans have been lulled into thinking that once the current budget stalemate is resolved, social services will be funded. But, as detailed in this week’s cover story by Patrick Yeagle, the social services cuts proposed in Gov. Bruce Rauner’s budget threaten to do more long-term damage than the current impasse. Defunding social services will affect…
A vision for Ferguson, and everywhere
This month the nation acknowledges two political milestones. On Aug. 9 we marked the one-year anniversary of the unrest in Ferguson, Missouri. Two days later we marked the 50th anniversary of the uprising in Watts. A third civil disturbance, located in time between these two, offers lessons learned from the failures of 1965. It provides…
Contemporary collaboration
“Here and Not Here” is a Springfield Art Association-hosted exhibition that appropriately spans two of the SAA’s exhibition spaces – the M.G. Nelson Gallery and The DEMO Project. This contemporary art exhibit features large-scale, mixed-media installations by Kentucky-based artist Cody Arnall, sculptural work by Iowa’s Edward Kelley, plus digital and 3-D collages by Chicagoan Meagan…
A bird-banding bash
PHOTO BY METRO CREACTIVE CONNECTION Enjoy an up-close-and-personal examination of one of the world’s tiniest breeds of birds this weekend at the Sangamon River Audubon Society’s Hummingbird Festival. Hummingbirds, which typically measure no more than 3 to 5 inches in length, derive their name from the humming sound generated by the flapping of their wings,…
Be business-savvy
PHOTO BY METRO CREACTIVE CONNECTION Learn how to bring your business-owning dreams to reality at the Starting Your Business in Illinois seminar on Wednesday, Aug. 19. The complimentary program, hosted by the Illinois Small Business Development Center, is offered monthly at Lincoln Land Community College’s Capital City Training Center. Prospective business owners will learn how…
A force to be reckoned whiff
My new boyfriend travels a lot for work. Before he left on this trip, he gave me his weird onesie lounging garment. It’s this disturbing “As Seen on TV” thing called a Forever Lazy. It’s like a fleece blanket, but with legs, a hood and a…umm… back flap for easy bathroom access. I was hesitant…
The high cost of budget cuts
A young man uses the Teen Lounge at the Boys and Girls Club in Springfield, which provides a safe, positive environment for children and teenagers after school. PHOTO BY PATRICK YEAGLE In August 2014, a young, African-American student in his junior year at Lanphier High School was caught carrying a gun at school. The student,…
West Side wows
Anita (Cami Kern), Rosalita (Zoey Zara) and the shark girls. PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE MUNI The events that have made headlines throughout this past year make me question how much progress we’ve actually made since that time. [West Side Story] While this story takes place on the streets of New York, its message is applicable…
Springfield panhandling ordinance ruled unconstitutional
Springfield’s panhandling ordinance is unconstitutional, according to a court decision released last week. The decision means panhandlers can once again ask for money downtown with their voices instead of just signs. It’s a victory for freedom of speech, but some people see it as a setback. The case started in September 2013, when Springfield panhandlers…
Nice work if you can get it
PHOTO BY DAVID HINE Three years ago, the Springfield Metro Sanitary District paid at least $100,000 in compensation for a dozen of the district’s 53 employees. Today, 30 of the district’s 57 employees are costing ratepayers at least six figures apiece for salary, sick time and health insurance. Raises have far outstripped the rate of…
Five years for $13 million rip-off
Michael Keebler sounded sorry Monday when he finally faced the music. He turned emotional, putting his forehead down on the defense table for several minutes after tearfully apologizing to U.S. District Court Judge Sue Myerscough, who sentenced him to five years for stealing more than $13 million from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. “I don’t…
MATTRESSES FOR MOMS
One Springfield mother in need got a welcome gift last week: a brand new mattress. But this mother wasn’t looking out for herself. The mattress, a donation from a Springfield retailer, was for her child. Mattress Firm, 2808 Southwest Plaza Dr., donated its third mattress last week in partnership with Unity for Christ Outreach Ministries,…
FLOATING WITH THE CORAL
For 10 years running, the Springfield-based LGBT group Coalition of Rainbow Alliances (CORAL) has won an award in the Illinois State Fair Twilight Parade for their impressive floats. They’ve become local icons for their dedication and imagination, and they’re changing things up in hopes of winning once again. Usually, the group’s flag corps leads the…
Four far from fantastic
Miles Teller as Reed Richards, Michael B. Jordan as Johnny Storm, Kate Mara as Sue Storm and Jamie Bell as Ben Grimm in Fantastic Four. PHOTO COURTESY 20TH CENTURY FOX If nothing else, director Josh Trank has succeeded in doing what I had thought was impossible – he’s made a boring superhero movie. For some…
Fair time
Looming hosts their album release party for Nailbiter at the Black Sheep Cafe with guests Park, Choir Vandals and Hidden Hospital on Friday, Aug. 14. It’s back. The Illinois State Fair comes to town for ten days of entertainment, excitement, exasperation, excrement (sorry, but the livestock, you know) and all around endeavors of intrepid Illinoisans…
The Shunpikers
Originally formed in late 2013 as a one-time get-together of friends to play a benefit show, The Shunpikers hit it off so well they just kept going. Current bandmates include area stalwarts of the scene Jim Cloney (bass guitar, vocals), Gary Davis (guitars, vocals), Ed Fliege (keyboards, synthesizers, vocals), Tim Lacy (lead vocals, percussion), Scott…
Freedom of information
CARTOON BY CHRIS BRITT
Chicken, local
PHOTO BY BRANT SANDERLIN/TNS “Hi, Mom! Hey, how much do chicken wings cost at the store? Some guys are coming over tonight to play cards, and I want to make hot wings. I’m going to have to get them at the grocery store, ’cause the farmers market isn’t until Saturday.” It was my son, Robb, calling from Vermont.…
frabjous day poem #1
the cowardly lion lies piercedby an arrow dorothy scarecrowtin woodman aghast dorothysays no not the wicked witch ofthe west some minnesota doctorreread just now jabberwocky “hetook his vorpal sword in hand”why did that singular beast meritslaughter the beamish boy galumphsto his daddy who no doubt mountsthe head on his trophy wall bidsthe son to now…
