Cover Story
Bye Bye Bernie
After 30 years at the State Journal-Register, political columnist and reporter Bernard Schoenburg accepted a buyout and left the paper on Dec. 1. He began his journalism career at The Pantagraph in Bloomington and also worked at the Associated Press before coming to Springfield, where he became one of the state’s best-known political writers. Following…
Springfield Ballet Company
The Springfield Ballet Company has produced a documentary that provides an exciting behind-the-scenes journey through the history of the company’s annual production of The Nutcracker. The film spans more than 40 years and includes exclusive interviews, never-before-seen footage and a look at company alumni who played the role of Clara over the years. The Springfield…
217 Southern Comfort Food Week
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Of mice and cats
I suck at killing things. This is why I got a cat. After recently trapping a mouse in my kitchen and seeing its desperate eyes while being dispatched, squeaking all the way, to the trash bin outside, I thought it better to have its friends hunted down and eaten. And so I filled out an…
Pandemic lays bare disinformation damage
When the history of this era is written, special attention should be reserved for the prominent U.S. politicians who dismissed or misrepresented the COVID-19 pandemic for political purposes. The coronavirus has wreaked untold suffering and damage to this country through the deaths it’s caused, the illness it’s produced, the strain it has placed on the…
Editor’s note 12/10/20
Every December day’s mail and email arrives with more fundraising appeals from arts groups, church groups, public radio and TV, helping organizations and nonprofits of every kind. Here’s an idea for dealing with all those requests: Give to as many as you can. Even a small donation provides encouragement, a welcome gift at the close…
More Dems vow to vote against Madigan
Illinois House Democratic Caucus Chair Kathleen Willis (D-Addison) told me last week that her decision to oppose Speaker Michael Madigan’s reelection was a process that she’s been struggling with since the summer. Willis became the 19th House Democrat to declare opposition to Madigan, putting him six votes shy of the 60 he needs to win.…
anniversary poem #1
hard to believe it’s been fifty years since a drove of dreamers gathered to launch learning in a cornfield we began in town though bcz the site was silt no structures yet nor seats (we floorsat at first) – but what a grand time we had then and since class could be held anywhere though…
Letters to the editor 121020
We welcome letters. Please include your full name, address and telephone number. We edit all letters. Send them to letters@illinoistimes.com. —- MISSED OPPORTUNITY I think people would have preferred to see the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency move downtown, 700 jobs would be a big boost. Be that as it may, the state paid a lot…
Renewable energy faces a funding cliff
While advocates in Illinois were optimistic that a series of measures reforming the state’s energy landscape could pass in 2019, various factors caused the legislative package to stall while most of Gov. JB Pritzker’s first-year agenda eventually became law. At the time, advocates behind the Path to 100 Act warned of an impending “funding cliff”…
State Police reduce DNA backlog
Representatives of the Illinois State Police say the backlog of forensic evidence in Illinois has been reduced significantly, but the support of lawmakers is needed to further address delays and deficiencies in the process. Illinois State Police Director Brendan Kelly made those comments to the Illinois Senate Public Health Committee during a Dec. 10 hearing…
Christmas eve oyster stew
It would seem improbable that a soup made with highly perishable shellfish harvested from coastal waters would become a Christmas Eve tradition in the Midwest long before the advent of refrigerated transport. However, oyster stew, a simple preparation of oysters gently poached in milk and butter and seasoned with black pepper, has appeared on our…
Not much playing now
As we head into mid-December, the live music scene is officially kaput for now as we are in the throes of a global pandemic, putting some events in central Illinois (as well as many other places) on hold for public safety reasons. Please be as patient, vigilant and considerate as possible as we move through…
Barrymore takes control with The Stand In
A Prince and the Pauper tale with an acerbic edge, it would be easy to dismiss The Stand In as a run-of-the-mill dark comedy if it were not for the involvement of Drew Barrymore. Serving as executive producer as well as starring in it, the film is obviously a very personal statement for the actress…
