Federal court rules Springfield panhandling ordinance unconstitutional
Panhandlers Karen Otterson, left, and Don Norton, right, filed a lawsuit against the City of Springfield in 2013, claiming a violation of their First Amendment rights. A federal appellate court ruled Friday that Springfield’s ordinance banning a certain form of panhandling downtown is unconstitutional.The case has been pending for almost two years, after panhandlers Don…
“Ricki” Missing a Few Key Notes
Add playing an aging rock star and being able to deliver a mean guitar lick to Meryl Steep’s impressive resume as she’s required to do both in her latest, Ricki and the Flash, a fun movie as far as it goes, which unfortunately isn’t far enough. Sporting a script by Diablo Cody (Juno), the film…
Allen’s “Irrational Man” Familiar but Fine
One thing you have to say about Woody Allen is that he’s consistent in the themes that he deals with in his films. Existential angst, infidelity, the curse of the intellectual and guilt are covered once more in his latest, Irrational Man, a movie with echoes to the director’s Crimes and Misdemeanors, Match Point and…
A place for business to live
PHOTO BY DAVID HINE On July 28, Mayor Langfelder 2.0 made good a campaign promise and appointed the members of a new Economic Development Commission that will advise the city’s – which is to say the mayor’s – Office of Planning and Economic Development. Major development projects, such as the bungled Bluffstone proposal to build…
Rauner’s world
If there was any doubt before last week, there’s zero uncertainty now. Gov. Bruce Rauner won’t allow anyone else to interfere with his dominance of the Illinois Republican Party. When the party was out of power for 12 years, several independent actors were always trying to influence elections from behind the scenes, elbowing people out,…
Letter from Dominican sisters displaced in Iraq
A year ago Illinois Times published two letters from Dominican Sisters in Iraq who had then recently been displaced from their convents in ISIS-controlled areas to live as internally displaced persons in Erbil. Many Springfield residents will be familiar with the Dominican Sisters of St. Catherine of Siena in Iraq because of their association with…
Editor’s note 8/6/15
“As the butter chills to form the State Fair butter cow, service providers and organizations across the state are melting from the heat of the state budget gridlock.” That’s the way a group of the state’s human services providers described their situation in a press conference this week. Even without a budget, Gov. Bruce Rauner…
Progressive dining downtown
Having difficulty choosing where to enjoy a delicious, locally-sourced dinner? Why not kill (metaphorically, of course) four locally-sourced birds with one stone during the Farm to Table Dinner Crawl, a progressive dining experience hosted by the Illinois Stewardship Alliance in support of National Farmers Market Week. Progressive dinners have been gaining popularity across Europe as…
Architecture inspired by insects
Learn about the monarch butterfly, the insect that inspired many of the lighting designs throughout Frank Lloyd Wright’s Dana-Thomas House, during a free educational event on Sunday, Aug 9. University of Illinois Extension volunteer master naturalist Brenda Larison will discuss the plants that attract monarch butterflies as well as the life cycle of the monarch,…
10 stages of family-friendly fun
PHOTO COURTESY decaturcelebration.com For the past 30 years, live music and family fun have been at the forefront of Decatur Celebration. This year is no exception, with a four-day schedule that is bigger and better than ever. The musical lineup is massive and features a long list of headliners – such as Blackberry Smoke, Lonestar,…
Keeping it Downhome
NIL8 on stage at Downhome 2014. This year they perform on Saturday at 11pm at the 7th Street Stage. Photo by Seth Adams Photography The Downhome Music, Beer and Art Festival is in its fifth year and things are going like gangbusters. “It’s just grown exponentially for us,” says Downhome founder Josh Catalano. “We had…
The case of the missing clients
Volunteers at Grace Lutheran Food Pantry unload supplies through a window into the church’s basement, where the food pantry operates. PHOTO BY PATRICK YEAGLE It started in a closet more than 35 years ago, eventually growing to help as many as 1,250 people per month. Lately, however, significantly fewer people have sought help from the…
None of our business
Gov. Bruce Rauner. PHOTO BY ANTHONY SOUFFLE/CHICAGO TRIBUNE/TNS During the 2014 gubernatorial campaign, Gov. Bruce Rauner pledged that his would be the most open administration in the nation. “I want to make Illinois government the most efficient, transparent (state government) in America,” Rauner said in a 2013 stump speech, according to the Rockford Register Star.…
Lawyers doing God’s work
Bishop Thomas Paprocki During his early days as a parish priest in the 1980s, Bishop Thomas Paprocki, leader of the Diocese of Springfield, founded the Chicago Legal Clinic to help the poor with such matters as bankruptcy, child custody disputes and arguments with landlords. Fresh out of DePaul Law School, he saw a need. “I…
NO PICTURES, PLEASE
The National Labor Relations Board has found that management at the State Journal-Register may have illegally videotaped employees during an informational picket outside the paper last fall, according to the United Media Guild that represents newsroom employees. Shannon Duffy, UMG business representative, said that picketers noticed Clarissa Williams, president and publisher of the SJ-R, and…
FAIRLY PERFECT
Tell us something we don’t know: The Illinois State Fair was recently named among the top 20 state fairs by travel website BLT, reinforcing our longstanding belief that the ISF is quite a gem. The website touts the offerings of the Ethnic Village, the great Grandstand concerts, the antique farm equipment displays and more. (They…
Haunting Gift one of the year’s best
Jason Bateman in The Gift. Smart, uncompromising and timely, Joel Edgerton’s excellent new thriller The Gift is a sly little film that mirrors its main character in all the best ways. Unassuming and deceptive, the movie slowly sucks you in, leading the viewer down what seems a familiar path only to play against expectations, shunning…
Festival festivities
The Timmys go crazy at the Downhome Music, Beer & Art Festival on Saturday night, 9 p.m., on the Washington Street stage. PHOTO BY SETH ADAMS PHOTOGRAPHY This weekend brings us festivals galore, bands all over town and a happening ALS benefit. Just around the calendar corner comes the Illinois State Fair and all the…
Broseph E. Lee
On the move and in the groove, this six-piece, self-proclaimed “country-rock” band covers contemporary and country classics, but what really sets Broseph E. Lee apart is their catchy songwriting. With the recent completion of the CD EP Fill ‘Em On Up, Aaron Larsen (drums), Sean Halbrook (bass, vocals), Chace McNinch (keys, banjo, vocals), Brock Jones…
canoe poem #2
you may not believe that a toilet seatcan be the most beautiful sight in theworld but maybe you would if you’rean ol’ woman on a four-day canoe tripon the wisconsin river eating sleepingon sandbars where your facility is atrowel and you seek out a spot screened by thin willows in addition to theunaccustomed posture you…
Illinois lawmakers
CARTOON BY CHRIS BRITT
Letters to the Editor 8/6/15
Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan are still on opposing sides of the 2016 Illinois budget impasse. A TIP FROM ABEI have read several articles in various newspapers on how to resolve the Illinois budget impasse. At this point, a reasonable and prudent person would consider it irresolvable. This reminds me…
Contrast
Niche in St. Louis PHOTO COURTESY www.facebook.com/nichestl In June I ate a multi-course meal at Niche, one of St. Louis’ most highly acclaimed and innovative restaurants. Each course was beautifully presented, some components having been delicately placed with tweezers. Niche and its owner, Gerard Craft, and executive chef, Nate Hereford, are so committed to using…
Partners corporatize our parks
Our presidents are good at praising America’s magnificent national park system, but they’re lousy at maintaining it. Bill Clinton-the-candidate, for example, spoke of how lucky he was to have Hot Springs National Park as a childhood playground. Yet Clinton-the-president sat idle as that park’s natural wonders and facilities deteriorated – and as the National Park…
