Cover Story
Blood money
Plasma is already widely used for a variety of life-saving medical procedures, and it’s now being tried as a possible means of treating COVID-19 patients. However, plasma cannot be reproduced in a lab – only the human body can produce it. That means identifying willing donors, and in the U.S., paying for plasma as a…
COVID closes State Board of Elections
A case of COVID-19 has shuttered the Illinois State Board of Elections. Matt Dietrich, board spokesperson, said that “several” employees have shown symptoms. Dietrich said that he did not know a more precise number. Board offices on MacArthur Boulevard were closed on Tuesday and will remain closed until Aug. 7. About 60 people work in…
BLM and AAHM host census and vote drive
Black Lives Matter Springfield is inviting the public to register to vote, learn about the census and drop off school supplies this weekend. The event is Saturday from 12 to 4 p.m. at the Springfield and Central Illinois African American History Museum: 1440 Monument Ave. BLM Springfield leaders say this year has brought renewed energy to…
Summertime is for fresh herbs
Parsley is one of my favorite ingredients. The salt of the herb world, parsley’s fresh, herbaceous qualities serve to highlight, accent and brighten almost all savory dishes. Beyond just garnish, herbs like parsley, dill, cilantro and mint form the foundation of many dishes around the globe, especially in regions surrounding the Fertile Crescent. High summer…
When is the n-word not so bad?
Springfield police officer Evan Delude didn’t react well last fall when an 18-year-old youth called him “nigga.” “You going to sit around here and call me a nigger and all of that shit,” Delude shouts as he pulls out cuffs. He erupts again when the youth asks why Delude had grabbed his pants. “You’re going…
Gripping Wanted a tale of unexpected redemption
I think it’s safe to say that none of us know how strong we truly are until we’re faced with a dire situation. That was certainly the case with Alain Olivier, a Canadian with a troubled past who found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time to tragic results. Ensnared in a fraudulent…
Alderman Joe McMenamin responds
Last week Larry Golden wrote a GUESTWORK column concerning discrimination in the composition of Springfield boards and commissions and concluded that not much has changed with “power and decision making” since the 1986 Voting Rights lawsuit of which he was a significant participant. See “Boards and commissions matter,” July 16, at illinoistimes.com. But consider: -In…
Music marks
Things just keep getting weirder as they also seem to be simultaneously sliding back to what once was normal. In the meantime, music-making helps to keep the strange times in check somewhat by hitting the mark for helpful healing and familiar fun as we do the best we can do. First, let’s remember those frontline…
Editor’s note 7/23/20
It is wise of District 186, and other area school districts, to offer parents the option of sending their children back to real classrooms with in-person teachers. If a few families try it and it works, that will help convince others to try it later. Families lacking home child care options may be the first…
NCR
This lineup has been together for some two years and counting, putting out a mighty musical mix of contemporary and classic country, plus familiar rock and pop songs to keep surprises going, along with the songs you don’t mind hearing again and again. Once known as New City Road, it’s been NCR for quite some…
Pressure mounts against Madigan
One of the most politically powerful entities in this state, ComEd, has basically admitted bribing the most politically powerful person in this state, House Speaker Michael Madigan, and agreed to pay $200 million and continue cooperating with federal investigators for at least the next three years. And, yet, Madigan himself was not charged, although he…
A contemplative dialogue process
Given the events of recent months, many people of good will are ready to earnestly engage others in a balanced and diverse dialogue where no one feels a sense of othering or feels expected to represent their racial group. According to Dan Frachey, program director at the Chiara Center, dialogue is an opportunity for people…
Vermont poem #2, 2020
(I’m not in Vermont but here’s word from the Lake Iroquois Association!) “Dear Friends, We hope you have been enjoying our loon family swimming around the lake. Yes, they are back! Have you heard their laughter? Caleb Nye, a student at Champlain Valley Union High School, as part of his Eagle Scout project, has been…
Letters to the editor 7/23/20
LETTERS We welcome letters. Please include your full name, address and telephone number. We edit all letters. Send them to letters@illinoistimes.com. —— REMEMBERING REP. JOHN LEWIS Some years ago, after a long wait, I met and spoke with Congressman John Lewis, who was the guest speaker at a public function here in Springfield. It meant…
Traveling Route 66 while Black
The Route History museum and souvenir shop in Springfield is currently closed due to coronavirus, but owners made a recent exception. On July 16, Stacy Grundy gave a tour to Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton. The museum and souvenir shop tells the story of Black Route 66 travelers, as well as history surrounding Black entrepreneurship and…
CLASS OF 1970 DONATES $10,000
Class reunions are one more thing impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Litchfield High School Class of 1970 was planning to have its 50th reunion this July, but instead postponed the reunion to July 2021. That didn’t stop the class from coming together in spirit. They decided to support their local community by having a…
BLINDSIDED
Everything sounded cool at last week’s meeting of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum board, where members jawed about stuff that is the purview of museum boards, with barely a hint of discord. Within an hour or so of adjournment, though, word hit that Samuel Wheeler, state historian and big cheese when it comes…
ALPLM cancels exhibit
An exhibit from a Washington, D.C., museum has been canceled by the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum due to concerns about Ku Klux Klan robes and other displays. “Spies, Traitors, Saboteurs: Fear and Freedom in America,” created by the International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C., has been on tour since at least 2012 and…
Food for all
Teresa Haley of Springfield heads not only the NAACP’s Springfield branch but also the state chapter. This past Saturday, July 18, she joined more than a dozen others to hand out boxes of produce, hand sanitizer and masks. “We are blessing our community,” Haley said under the hot sun from behind a mask adorned with…
State unveils six-year road, bridge plan
Gov. JB Pritzker joined Illinois Department of Transportation officials Tuesday, July 21, to unveil a six-year, $21.3 billion statewide road and bridge improvement plan that is an extension of the Rebuild Illinois infrastructure package passed last year by the General Assembly. IDOT is tasked with unveiling a multiyear plan each year to detail how it…
Springfield’s first African American high school graduate
Last year North Point Boulevard in Cambridge, Massachusetts, was renamed Morgan Avenue. Readers might not think that noteworthy until they learn that the person honored with a street name was a Springfield native. She was Gertrude Wright Morgan, an African American whose life, and the lives of others in her family, were remarkable evidence that…
