Fishing factions
Upset with the way lucrative government contracts for catching Asian carp on Chicago-area waterways were handed out, a group of commercial fishermen is speaking up. Tony Pate, of Missouri, says he’s speaking for a group of about 30 commercial fishermen, most of them from Illinois, who work on Illinois waterways on a full-time basis. “By…
The dirty business of CLEAN COAL
Take a drive this time of year down any state highway and you’ll likely see chipboard signs promoting this guy for sheriff and that guy for Senate. This much is true when traveling down Route 48. But along this road, which slices through the heart of Christian County, you’ll also see a slick metal sign,…
Footeprints
When Horton Foote died last year at the age of 92, America lost one of its most prolific and endearing dramatists. Foote, who was still writing until his last days, completed more than 60 plays and scripts during a career that spanned parts of seven decades. His many accolades include the Pulitzer Prize for Drama,…
Garlic edamame
To cook fresh edamame in the shell: Bring water to a boil over high heat. It should be enough to cover the pods and at least an inch or two over the top. When the water comes to a boil, add salt, about 1 T. per quart. Add the edamame. When the water returns to…
Greg Ginn & Gary Piazza
Look who’s coming to Norb Andy’s. It’s none other than Greg Ginn, founder of Black Flag, one of the most influential and important American punk bands. Ginn, chief songwriter and organizer of the group, worked along with Henry Rollins, the more visible frontman, from 1976 to 1986. After disbanding the band, Ginn continued playing guitar…
WINE TIME
It’s said that the first miracle Jesus Christ ever performed was turning water into wine, so it’s fitting that St. Joseph School and Parish in Springfield is hosting a fundraiser centered around the ancient grape beverage. The event is being hosted by It’s All About Wine, a specialty wine shop in Springfield that frequently hosts…
Asian edamame dip
2 c. cooked, shelled edamame 1/4 c. diced onion or shallot 1/2 c. tightly packed fresh cilantro leaves 1 tsp. minced garlic, or to taste 1/4 c. fresh lime juice 1 T. Thai green curry paste, or more or less to taste Freshly ground pepper to taste 5 T. peanut, canola, or other neutral vegetable…
Springfield health center expanding
Ask Racine Freeman how long she has been a patient at Capital Community Health Center in Springfield, and she chuckles. “A long time…a long time,” she says with fondness in her voice. Freeman says she also became a member of the CCHC board of directors about a year ago because she wanted to give back.…
The fair is a family affair
After more than 150 years, many Illinois State Fair traditions remain. Since its beginning in 1853, the Illinois State Fair has encouraged the production of high-quality agricultural livestock and commodities through the award of cash premiums. Contests include livestock, agriculture and vegetable products, flowers, Christmas trees, culinary products, textiles, hobbies, dairy products, bee culture, arts,…
Living in three dimensions
Dave Bakke, who usually observes the world from the upper slopes of the State Journal-Register, the other day looked at it from an even higher vantage point – the cenotaph that stands on the edge of the bluff above Chandlerville. The view down the Sangamon valley from that spot, he wrote, is the most beautiful…
Edamame and wild rice pilaf
1 bunch scallions 3/4 c. wild rice 1/3 c. minced shallots or onions 3 T. unsalted butter 1/2 c. dry white wine or vermouth 3 c. unsalted or low sodium chicken or vegetable stock 1 tsp. salt 1 T. fresh thyme leaves, or 1 tsp. dried thyme leaves freshly ground pepper 1 1/2 c. cooked…
Edamame, the soybean you can eat
There weren’t many of them. Maybe six or eight pods in the tiny saucer in front of me. The setting (my first-ever sushi restaurant) and the simple, elegant Japanese porcelain saucer seemed exotic, but when I opened the bright green pods and popped the even brighter beans into my mouth, the flavor was distinctive, yet…
The Expendables: Nothing succeeds like excess
You have to give Sylvester Stallone’s The Expendables one thing – it delivers exactly what it promises to. There are explosions (lots of explosions), male bonding, numerous examples of macho posturing and one-upmanship, vicious, bone-crushing violence and a hot damsel-in-distress who needs to be rescued by the film’s star, who continues to harbor a savior-complex.…
Young swimmer makes big splash for Haitian orphans
Raegan Koebler, a soon-to-be fourth-grade student at Vachel Lindsay Elementary School, is one of 12 Illinois $1,000 Regional Scholarship winners in Kohl’s Department Stores’ 2010 Kids Who Care program. The award recognizes her 50-lap swim at Eisenhower Pool last January and efforts since which have raised about $70,000 for a Haitian orphanage, once home of…
Edamame purée
2 c. cooked, shelled edamame 3/4 – 1 c. finely grated aged Asiago cheese, plus extra for garnish 1/3 c. loosely packed mint or basil leaves, or a combination 1 tsp. minced garlic, or more or less to taste 1 tsp. – 1 T. white wine vinegar, OR white wine Worcestershire, OR lemon juice 1/3…
Letters to the Editor 08/19/10
WHO’S THE BACKUP?Today’s IT mentions The Who was at the State Fair in 1968 [see “The Grandstand: 50 years of entertainment at the Illinois State Fair,” Aug. 12]. They were actually the backup band for The Association. I remember being there. We paid $1 for a ticket, stood next to the fence for hours till…
GOLF FOR BASEBALL
The baseball season ended with a loss for the Springfield Sliders but not before they claimed the regular season championship title for the Prospect League’s Western Division. To celebrate, and to thank sponsors and raise money for next year, the team will host a golf outing on Monday, Aug. 30, at Lincoln Greens. The four-person…
To the fair and beyond
One might think all the goings-on at the Illinois State Fair would be enough excitement for one town, but quite a few entertainment extravaganzas occur beyond the barbed-wire fencing that surrounds the people’s fairgrounds in this week’s roundup of Springfield’s finer distractions bent on avoiding a terminal case of ennui. An interesting triumvirate of festivals…
This looks like the Republican year of 1994
There is no doubt whatsoever that Republicans in this state have every reason to cheer and Democrats have all the reasons in the world to grumble. Republicans have a fired up, angry base that can’t wait to vote. The Democratic base is morose, embarrassed at its party’s failures and is in no mood to even…
New outrages keep gushing from BP
With BP’s well capped and CEO Tony Hayward exiled to Russia, perhaps you thought that surely there will be no additional revelations about BP to enrage you. But now comes this: prison labor. åIn its national PR blitz to buff up its image, the oil giant has loudly been boasting that it has hired devastated,…
Eating Animals goes viral at Illinois College
Jonathan Safran Foer’s book Eating Animals went viral on the Illinois College campus early in 2010. At least eight faculty members read it, and many others read about it. A Spanish professor paused to cry midway through the book. My wife, a professor of American literature then teaching on a Fulbright in Japan, dramatically reduced…
Night visions
Do you recall your dreams in the morning? In this POV documentary, Scottish science filmmaker Amy Hardie researches the world of subconsciousness and dreaming. The film follows her the year after she dreams her horse dies and in the morning the horse is dead, and later, dreams that she dies and then falls sick with…
featherspoem #8
you can’t sleepon the porchat the lake ifyou don’t likeowlsthey chorusso closeyou can feelthe sizeand the breathof their lungs
New work
Twelve new juried artists’ works are featured at the Prairie Art Alliance Gallery II through August. Artists include: Steven Burkhart, Jennifer Davis, Toni Freeson, Marsha Gebhardt, Duane Judd, Ted Keylon, Mike Manning, Carolyn Owen-Sommer, Ken Pease, Michelle Smith, Karl Warma and Catherine Williams. Pictured is Ted Keylon (in his Francis B. Carpenter costume that he…
Power play
Theatre in the Park presents five indoor performances of the Horton Foote Broadway comedy, Dividing the Estate. The two-act play involves three generations of a Texas family as they struggle over the family estate. The cast includes Nancy Cole, Felicia Coulter, Michael Coulter, Robert Davis, Toshianna Gorens, Patricia James-Davis, Marian Levin, Harvey Mack, Ed MacMurdo, Cassie…
Sangamon County sells off 109 tax-delinquent properties
An annual countywide property auction last week brought in $40,000 more this year than last, but county officials say the total could have been even more. On Aug. 11, Sangamon County held its yearly public auction of properties with delinquent taxes, selling off 109 properties and raising $95,275 in revenue for the county. Last year’s…
Scott Pilgrim plays its own tune
There’s a sense of charm about Scott Pilgrim vs. the World that separates it from all other comic book adaptations and most every other film this summer. Sporting memorable, sympathetic characters, a fresh irreverent tone and fun, fresh performances, the film is a breath of fresh air that tears through its narrative at a breakneck…
Horn heralds
St. John’s ends its Lemonade in the Lobby series for the summer on Aug. 25 with The Sangamon Brass Quintet. The group features Aaron Duncan, Byrd Davis, Stuart Farris, Gina Coonrod and Jeff Koester. Doors open at 6 p.m. Refreshments will be served. Hear an eclectic repertoire of classical, religious, marching and patriotic music from…
