Corn Kings on Kindle; The Urbanologist interview
Readers who prefer to do their reading of history on e-devices should know that my book from SIU Press, Corn Kings and One-Horse Thieves, is now available in a Kindle edition. Also, a nice thing happened the other day. Max Grinnell, a writer-teacher-consultant on city issues who writes The Urbanologist blog, ran across the book…
Macdonald & Jasper Find Their Voices in “Patti Cake$”
Director Geremy Jasper may have been concerned about many things while making his debut feature Patti Cake$ but actress Danielle Macdonald wasn’t one of them. For the title role he needed a confident young woman who could spit rhymes with ferocity and speed, while getting the audience to identify with this rough-around-the-edges young woman who…
Sidney Watkins stays put
Jennifer Watkins, in red, leaves courthouse with relatives after Tuesday’s hearing Sidney Watkins, the 10-year-old girl whose father was murdered by a maternal relative, says that she doesn’t want to live with her mother anymore. The little girl at the center of one of the most bitter and public custody battles in central Illinois history…
Bomb threat at SHS
“It was probably some kid who saw what a beautiful day it was gonna be and wanted to be outside,” smiled Jenny Loftus, standing toward the end of a line stretching about a quarter of the way around the grounds of Springfield High School. Loftus’ daughter attends Springfield High School, where a bomb threat –…
Woodn’t it be nice
It might seem perverse to be concerned about how to construct new buildings when the Republic is falling down around our ears, but the world moves on, even if millions of Americans refuse to move with it. Back in 2014 I looked at the possibilities in building buildings of wood—cheaper, greener, and quicker rather than…
“Hitman’s Bodyguard” Misses the Mark
Timing is everything in life, as well as the movies, and it certainly works against Patrick Hughes’ The Hitman’s Bodyguard, a standard actioner that contains a few too many scenes that hit close to home where the recent terrorist acts in Europe are concerned. Seeing explosions rip apart a building in a major metropolitan area…
Rauner COS has gov’s support
After a staff shakeup that sent four members of the governor’s press office out the door, the acting spokeswoman for Gov. Bruce Rauner says that the governor’s chief of staff still has the governor’s confidence. “Kristina Rasmussen is the governor’s chief of staff and, yes, he has confidence in her,” acting spokeswoman Elizabeth Tomev wrote…
Monumental folly
Not since Chancellorsville have so many rebel soldiers fallen in battle. Across the U.S., statues and other memorials to Confederate heroes from the Civil War are being driven from their pedestals, decried as symbols of a white supremacist creed that has come to be regarded as odious. The problem of whether and how to honor…
A hailstorm of special-interest legislation
Just days after last November’s election, jubilant members and top staffers of the notorious corporate front group called the American Legislative Exchange Council gathered for a celebratory lunch and planning session at the group’s D.C. headquarters. But rather than looking toward Congress and the newly Republicanized White House, these schemers were drooling over so many…
Can the governor bring himself to cut a deal?
Gov. Bruce Rauner has said for the past several days that he’s open to just about any sort of compromise in order to get school funding reform signed into law. For example, he recently told Amanda Vinicky on Public Television’s “Chicago Tonight” program that there was nothing on his list that he had to have.…
Letters to the Editor 8/24/17
DARKNESS IN THE DAYTIME I enjoyed the article “Darkness in the daytime,” by Scott Faingold, on Aug. 17, but wondered why some facts closer to home weren’t there: history. No one alive today has ever seen a total eclipse in the state of Illinois before, as one hasn’t occurred since 1869. That eclipse was the…
Editor’s Note 8/24/17
During his nationwide address Monday night, President Trump seemed proud of himself for changing his mind on Afghanistan, America’s longest war. For years he has criticized the nation’s involvement there, and he acknowledged that his “original instinct was to pull out,” but now his generals have persuaded him to commit more American troops and make…
Narcissism and gullibility
Before the election of Donald Trump I warned voters of the perils of narcissism among political leaders. I concluded with the following sentence: “Sadly, gullible individuals are especially vulnerable to the extraordinary claims and charm of a charismatic narcissist. Be careful out there.” The events surrounding the Charlottesville tragedy suggest the need for follow-up warnings…
Doggie divers
See dogs run, jump and swim during the DockDogs Dog Jumping Competition, hosted as a main attraction at the Federal Ammunition Hunting Exposition, Aug. 25-27, at the Springfield Scheels location. Open to both first-time jumpers and experienced pros, canine participants can compete in events such as Big Air (long jump), Extreme Vertical (high jump), Speed…
Up, up and away
Don’t miss the annual Lincoln Balloon Festival, held Aug. 25-26, at the Logan County Airport in Lincoln. This fun festival features balloon glows at dusk, evening and morning hot air balloon flights, daily tethered hot air balloon rides, a kids’ zone featuring family friendly activities, concessions and drinks for purchase, plus live musical entertainment by…
Cool blues, hot summer nights
Enjoy a weekend of blues, barbecue and beer during the longtime Springfield tradition of the Old Capitol Blues & BBQ festival. Managed by The Alamo and the Central Illinois Blues Club, the festival takes place on the grounds of the Old State Capitol Plaza and offers a variety of blues music from national, regional and…
Sofa’s choiced
My husband has a great body, but since we got married two years ago, he has completely stopped working out. One reason I was initially so attracted to him was that he was in great shape. I go to Pilates four times a week. How do I motivate him to go back to the gym?…
Fall calendar
Jacksonville Farmers MarketAug 24, 26, 29, 31, Sep 2, 5, 7, 9, 12, 14, 16, 19, 21, 23, 26, 28, 30, Oct 3, 5, 7, 10, 12, 14, 17, 19, 21, 24, 26, 28, 31, 7am-12pm. Every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday through Oct. jaxfresh.org. Lincoln Square, Jacksonville. Speaking in DecayAug 24-25, 9am-5pm. Exhibition curated by…
Effingham is for foodies and car lovers
Effingham, population 12,500, seems an unlikely locale for a renowned gourmet restaurant and perhaps the largest Corvette party in the world, but this town at the crossroads of I-57 and I-70 is full of surprises. While most interstate exits feature the usual dreary assortment of fast-food spots and chain motels, Effingham, 100 miles southeast of…
Morton, the pumpkin capital of the world
For a fun fall outing about an hour’s drive from Springfield, take a trip to Morton – the Pumpkin Capital of the World. Ackerman Family Farms, LLC, located at the eastern edge of Morton, is the perfect place to purchase pumpkins, fall décor and local products in a family-friendly setting. Fourth generation farmer John Ackerman…
Broom Orchard
Jeff and Lisa Broom are getting ready for another busy autumn in their Carlinville orchard and Farm Market. Customers will head into the orchard for you-pick apple days beginning Labor Day weekend, the orchard will celebrate its 35th anniversary Apple Fest Sept. 23 and 24, and family fun will fill the grounds two weekends later…
Fall on stage
The Midwest is rife with simmering discontent and sweet poppy distractions all at the same time. Connections are missed and women have had it with the patriarchy. I’m talking about fall theater offerings, of course. Here in Springfield, there are some shady characters at the Hoogland Center for the Arts. If your kids are fans…
Autumn sounds
Does anything go together better than crisp fall weather and live music? The days of sticky, sweaty outdoor festivals are in the past, replaced by cardigans, multicolored leaves and bands hitting the road one last time before the onset of harsh winter weather can make touring by van or bus hazardous, climate change notwithstanding. Leaders…
Drink up
Soon, but not just yet, it will be that time of year again. Summer lingers, at least for now, which is a good thing in more ways than one, especially for booze hounds. Margaritas, gin fizzes and other cocktails of summer are easy to contemplate, and, properly made, even easier to drink. If it’s light…
Stay in the fight
Patience and persistence add up to inspiration. That is what describes John Barber, who has been fighting cancer for several years and a series of chemotherapy treatments for over 18 months, some that just didn’t work. He can teach us all a lesson – to work hard, to not give up and to face each…
The art of fake news
For a few weeks earlier this summer, Chicago-based artist James Pepper Kelly became a temporary fixture at area coffee houses and bars, picking local denizens’ brains about their hopes, dreams, concerns and stories revolving around the city of Springfield. Kelly was one of the first artists to participate in the Springfield Art Association’s recently minted…
Going for broke?
Barely a year after acquiring the state Department of Human Services as a tenant, owners of Iles Park Place on Ash Street have been hit with a dozen mechanic’s liens and two lawsuits filed by contractors who say that they haven’t been paid. Chris Stone, a Springfield businessman who is the public face of the…
Black Sheep fears closure
This week, Black Sheep Café, the independent all-ages punk music venue that anchors a group of music-related businesses in Springfield’s Southtown neighborhood, was the subject of an extensive feature on noisey.vice.com, the “music channel” of prominent international media outlet Vice, which praised what it termed the Springfield scene’s “celebrated do-it-yourself climate.” Within a few days,…
IT’S HAMMER TIME! NOT
Grant Hammer, chief of staff at the Department of Agriculture as well as a member of the Springfield park board, says that talk of him running to replace State Rep. Sara Wojcicki Jimenez, R-Leland Grove, in the state legislature is exactly that. Talk. Jimenez, who could’ve had both hands tied behind her back and still…
Lapses in logic doom Good Time
Critics and fans alike have been heaping praise upon Josh and Benny Safdie’s Good Time since its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year. It’s easy to see why, as this is a “Hey, look at me!” production, one suffused with style and meant to signal there are brave new visionaries behind the…
Ending August blast
Well, we made it through the state fair, survived a solar eclipse, and now we’re preparing to wrap up a very exciting and busy August 2017. Don’t stop now, folks, this week and the weekend are chock-full of more stuff than you can shake a stick at. On Thursday the Nashville-based, Southern rock-influenced band The…
Harpeth Rising
A delightfully talented trio of young women, Harpeth Rising is an amazing string band with intensely good harmonies, intricate instrumental work and singer-songwriter songs. Jordana Greenberg (violin, lead vocals), Michelle Younger (banjo, vocals) and Maria Di Meglio (cello, vocals) bring classically trained musicianship to folk and new-grass styles of music, bridging a gap between the…
whatsup poem #11
whatsup poem #11 my college major classics(latin greek ancient history)has stood me in good steadright now viewing our landI see plenty of parallels suchas rome going from senatorsto dictators to derangedemperors appointing horsesto office finally disintegrationwhen visigoths or was it hunsanyway hordes descendon an empire in disarray ©2017 Jacqueline Jackson
Beyond Miracle Whip and snack packs
My mother, amazing cook though she was, did not pack a very good school lunch, at least from a kid perspective. She really didn’t do breakfast at all, and lunch was usually leftovers from dinner the night before. This was in the 80s, before the wonder of celebrity chefs and Food Network-obsessed gourmet kids. I…
