Cover Story
Cockfight crusades
My first unforgettable cockfight was when I was 4-5 years old. My father has a black henny of Philippine Game strain which was decoupled early in the fight. Broke both two legs it seems. Down on the ground. But he is very feisty and game, pecking and trying to get up. Wings flopping to move…
Feds call William “Sam” McCann a thief
William “Sam” McCann, former state senator and failed candidate for governor, has been indicted by federal prosecutors who say that he used campaign funds as a personal piggybank, with thefts running into the six figures. Charged with fraud, tax evasion and money laundering, McCann for years dipped into campaign accounts to buy vehicles and pay…
Rosemarie Long, Sangamon County Republican Chair, has died
Sangamon County Republican Chair Rosemarie Long has died according to a press release sent out Wednesday night on behalf of the Republican Party of Sangamon County. Long was a member of the Sangamon County Board for 17 years, six of them as vice-chair, according to the county party’s website. She was also President of the…
Springfield cannabis workers seek to unionize
Workers at a cannabis dispensary in downtown Springfield are seeking to unionize. They say bullying, a lack of paid sick time, limited hours and a lack of transparency regarding COVID-19 are reasons why. Ascend Springfield employees at the downtown location (628 E. Adams St.) are organizing under the umbrella of the Local 881 chapter of…
Pot garden and dispensary proposed for west side
A marijuana dispensary, and pot-growing facility, might be coming to a shuttered movie theater on Springfield’s west side. Opening a dispensary is the first step, according to Chris Stone, a real-estate investor and lobbyist who is helping put the deal together. If all goes as planned, Maribis, which has dispensaries in Grandview and Chicago, would…
Teachers union president arrested after domestic incident
Aaron Graves, president of the union representing Springfield School District 186 educators, was arrested Sunday on suspicion of domestic battery. Details of the incident were not immediately available from Springfield police, who responded to Graves’ home on South Park Street shortly before 2 a.m. After being booked by police, Graves was released after posting $300…
TRYING TO TROMP TRUMP
The effort to impeach and convict Donald Trump continues. “We do have other responsibilities in the Senate. Providing President Biden with his team, particularly his national security team, is our highest priority,” U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois told reporters during a Jan. 22 news conference. “The idea of inciting an insurrection against the government…
B. Douglas Anderson
B. Douglas Anderson, 78, of Springfield, died Sat., Jan. 30, 2021, peacefully at his home, with his loving husband by his side, after a long struggle with Parkinson’s Disease. He was born on Feb. 20, 1942, in Boston, the son of Gustav and Gladys (Janes) Anderson. Dr. Anderson was graduated from Cambridge Latin School. He…
WE’RE NUMBER 42
Feeling cramped by COVID restrictions mandated by Gov. JB Pritzker? Move to Oklahoma, which is the least-restrictive state when it comes to measures – think mask mandates, temperature screenings before entering buildings, restrictions on public gatherings, whether bars and restaurants are open and between what hours – taken to keep people alive and healthy, according…
The KKK’s Statehouse rally 27 years ago
In the days before President Joe Biden’s inauguration, Springfield braced for potential violence. The insurrection attempt by a mostly white mob in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6 resulted in multiple deaths. The actions were publicized in plain sight by groups driven by extremist, nationalist ideologies. Afterward, the FBI warned that members of the same groups…
Education bill to revamp social studies
This story is part of an ongoing “Lame Duck Look Back” series in which Capitol News Illinois is following up on the major bills that passed both chambers of the General Assembly in the Jan. 8-13 lame duck session. Social studies classes in Illinois public schools are about to get a major overhaul, with more…
Easier than pie
I’ve always thought that the phrase “as easy as pie” was confusing. Pie-crust phobia is an affliction that affects many otherwise high-functioning individuals. It is probably the fear of failure and public shaming that fuels this phobia. My late wife, Julianne, was a wonderful pie-maker who mastered her craft at an early age under her…
Saving the Lincoln Colored Home
In 1898, Eva Carroll Monroe opened one of the first Black orphanages in the nation, which she ran for 35 years. It’s a facet of Springfield’s history that doesn’t get the attention it deserves. Mary Frances – a professor, artist and activist who lives in Springfield – set out to help rectify that last year…
Long fuse dampens Things’ impact
The template for John Lee Hancock’s The Little Things is obvious. Hoping to emulate David Fincher’s Seven, this would-be thriller can’t escape that classic’s shadow, try as it might to cut its own path. Effectively atmospheric, capably directed and sporting a cast featuring three Oscar-winners, all the pieces seem to be in place to deliver…
The end of cash bail in Illinois
This story is part of an ongoing “Lame Duck Look Back” series in which Capitol News Illinois is following up on the major bills that passed both chambers of the General Assembly in the Jan. 8-13 lame duck session. This is one of several stories examining the criminal justice reform package backed by the Illinois…
New fiction with true stories of true friends
Over several decades of living in the same legal community, fellow Springfield attorney George Heroux and I did not have very much professional contact. During my legal and judicial career, George was involved in legal education at the Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education. Before coming to Springfield, he had a varied career as an…
Music and comedy
Look out folks, here comes the end of January in the new year of 2021, on the move and in the groove, ready to slide on from the past, pop through to the present and delve out into the future. And wouldn’t you know it, there are actually live performances to speak of, talk about,…
Always laugh when you can
Always laugh when you can Springfield’s homegrown comedy club, Donnie B’s Comedy, has hosted countless performers over the years. Recently the club has taken its show on the road as Donnie B’s Traveling Comedy Show and is hitting local venues to present some great acts. This weekend it is celebrating its 22nd season with performances…
Home improvement
At the same Dec. 15 city council meeting where someone dressed as Santa gave holiday greetings to council members who attended via Zoom, the council bought four houses on South Grand Avenue East. It was a reversal from weeks leading up to Halloween, when council members balked at buying the same properties to make room…
Editor’s note 01-28-21
It’s brilliant of Sangamon County public health officials to let 65-plusers get vaccinated if they bring an 85-pluser with them, and after their vaccines wait together the required 15 minutes. They’ll become linked for life. It’s like the driver’s ed rules that require teenagers to spend so many hours of behind-the-wheel training with their parents…
Dear Instacart: I’ll use you again when you treat workers better
I started using your service when the pandemic arrived in my community last March. Since then, I’ve called on Instacart to deliver food staples to my door, bring me the ingredients for my Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, provide Halloween decorations and stocking stuffers, and, thanks to your policy of apparently not caring how many new…
Speaker Welch gets down to business
House Speaker Michael Madigan avoided calling the General Assembly back into session during the pandemic for several reasons, many of them having to do with himself. But Speaker Welch told me earlier this month that “The legislature is back in business. We’re going to work in 2021.” “We’re going to probably use the BOS Center…
dies irae terrae # 13: new year
dies irae terrae # 13: new year inauguration over new era begun much to repair much to get on with: vaccs must come first heal people then people heal planet at least stanch the hemorrhaging it’s not like we haven’t been warned – 18th century malthus my dad reported in a 1954 speech told us…
Letters to the Editor 01-28-21
WHAT ARE POLICE AFRAID OF? Springfield police union president Don Edwards is quoted as saying, “Our membership is disgusted and frankly frightened of what this will do to both their livelihoods and, equally important to them, what it will do to the criminal justice system,” regarding the legislative reforms reported by Bruce Rushton (“Reform or…
Vaccination challenges
In December the first high-risk priority groups, health care personnel, all hospital staff and anyone working or residing in long-term care facilities were encouraged to participate in vaccine clinics. They are designated group 1a. Sangamon County announced people aged 65 and older and frontline essential workers like firefighters, grocery workers and educators could begin scheduling…
