Up in smoke
On paper, a Springfield smoking ban was a sure thing. In May, the state Legislature passed House Bill 672, which amends the 1989 Illinois Clean Indoor Air Act by handing municipal governments the power to impose local smoking bans. Then, a poll commissioned this summer by Smoke Free Springfield, a coalition of 36 local organizations,…
Bearing the Celtic-music cross
The Lash, a self-proclaimed Celtic Americana band from the Lansing, Mich., area, began as a simple St. Patrick’s Day escapade. According to Rob Kladja, the only original member still with the group, two separate local Lansing bands decided to launch impromptu Irish groups on St. Patrick’s Day in 1997. The two groups found other, joined…
Taxing matters
Making a half-percent city sales-tax hike permanent isn’t going to make or break the city of Springfield, but Mayor Tim Davlin says that it’s critical to maintaining the status quo, let alone financing new projects. The council voted in 2003 to increase the sales-tax rate to 1.5 percent, from 1 percent, on the condition that…
People’s poetry
Autumner I am an Autumner by nature, a collector of perfect things and old landscapes, hue addicted. Impatient with the nouveau riche country-come-latelys in their concrete grays, who drive by drinking in my Sugar Maples, then drive away . . . unblessed…
At least Granny rocks
The Fiery Furnaces Rehearsing My Choir (Rough Trade) If you thought Blueberry Boat was a buttload of bull, steer clear of Rehearsing My Choir, a wildly pretentious tour de force that’s sure to alienate all but the most ardent Fiery Furnaces fans. Rehearsing, the duo’s fourth full-length, is a collaboration between the Friedberger siblings and…
Ho, ho, the mistletoe!
Kissing under the mistletoe, a popular American holiday tradition, is held by some to increase the possibility of marriage in the coming year. In North America this tradition became established in the 1880s. One of the most mystical and sacred plants of European folklore, mistletoe has long been a symbol of love, peace, and goodwill.…
Better film through chemistry
In an era in which special effects drive big-budget films and human interaction is regarded as an annoyance, memorable screen teams are few and far between. However, there’s always an exception that proves the rule. Case in point: John Cusack and Billy Bob Thornton in The Ice Harvest. Having teamed up once before in the…
Careful what you say
From: Tommy Vietor, press secretary To: Rich Miller Subject: Obama press release U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., today released the following statement about U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta’s pledge to provide $337 million in federal funds for expansion at O’Hare International Airport: “This funding is an important first step in the O’Hare modernization process which…
Jacqueline Jackson
technopoem #1 my computer sits and thinks about things pares its nails yawns finally does what I tell it to do or doesn’t like living with a cat © Jacqueline Jackson 2005
Country musicals
Harry Potter may be dominating the box office, but the real story is the strong opening of Walk the Line, the Johnny Cash biopic. Country music is a subject rarely explored by Hollywood, because the genre often fails to find a market. I am hardly an aficionado of this music form, but good films can…
Demolition man
Judy Gass was thrilled when she discovered asbestos dumped next door to her house. It was in the form of old floor tiles — not very dangerous, because they were mostly intact — jumbled in with a mountain of rubbish piled on the parking lot of the former Virden Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. The nursing…
Let’s find a better place for the Salvation Army
Let’s keep working on this Salvation Army issue. There has to be a better location for a homeless shelter than the site the Army has picked, out by the airport. The Salvation Army keeps saying that because homelessness is a community problem, the community needs to find the shelter a home. But even though the…
Another corporate captive
While liberal and conservative groups alike are poring over the record of Judge Sam Alito to decipher where he stands on Roe v. Wade, who are those guys over in the shadows, grinning from ear to ear? Ah, those are the executives and lobbyists of corporate America, and they don’t care whether Bush’s new Supreme…
Letters to the editor
Letters policy We welcome letters, but please include your full name, address and a daytime telephone number. We edit all letters for libel, length and clarity. Send letters to: Letters, Illinois Times. P.O. Box 5256. Springfield, Illinois 62705. Fax: (217) 753-3958. E-mail: editor@illinoistimes.com A GLIMPSE OF TRUE GENIUS Job well done, Dusty Rhodes! Your article…
