Cover Story
Holiday blessings
A home, sobriety, a future, a new career, and the chance to live. These aren’t your typical holiday gifts but they are greatly appreciated by the recipients, whose lives have been changed, and saved, during 2021. In these pandemic, politicized and polarized times it’s humbling and encouraging to learn that good things still happen to…
Editor’s note 12-23-21
There’s trouble all around, but everybody knows somebody who’s had a good year, or someone who is grateful that their life is better than it was. This week’s cover story by David Blanchette, “Holiday blessings,” details five who were blessed and are grateful. In one case, first responders saved a life; in others, nonprofit groups…
Heavy traffic
In response to a consistently high number of car accidents in a residential area of the city, Springfield has begun the preliminary work of adding left turn lanes near the intersections of MacArthur Boulevard and Lawrence Avenue, along with Walnut Street and Lawrence Avenue. “These are two of our higher-accident intersections that are local streets,”…
Rotary Clubs work with Salvation Army to help the homeless
‘Tis the season to count one’s blessings and help others who are less fortunate. Four local Rotary Clubs are collaborating to help the homeless by providing new coats, socks, sleeping bags, underwear and personal care items. They are partnering with the Salvation Army and hosting an event at the warming shelter at 211 N. First…
The wild sue yonder
The Springfield Airport Authority board voted Tuesday to sue the city of Springfield over taxes that the airport says have been wrongly kept in municipal coffers since 2004. Meanwhile, board chairman Frank Vala announced that he’s received word United Airlines will be cutting Chicago flights. After the 4-2 vote, Vala hung up on a reporter…
Nursing home reform takes shape
Legislators may have a bill on nursing home rate reform to debate in January, but it faces a rocky future, according to several sources. The largest nursing home lobbying group, representing for-profit nursing homes, opposes the current proposal. After 18 months of discussions with advocacy groups, Theresa Eagleson, the director of the Illinois Department of…
Parents say police stifled investigation
Weeks after a detective’s son was arrested on charges of sexually abusing their 14-year-old daughter, her parents say the Springfield Police Department made it difficult to learn details of what happened or to file complaints against officers perceived to have acted wrongly. On Oct. 26, Illinois State Police arrested Zane Merreighn, the 22-year-old son of…
Letters to the editor 12-23-21
NOT SKEPTICAL A college fraternity brother recently wrote to me about his skepticisms regarding vaccines and the integrities of government and pharmaceutical entities. I am an internal medicine physician, and I endorse mainstream medical practices and science. I do not share any of his doubts. I do not believe there are any conspiracies to overstate…
Yes, there is a Santa Claus
Ok, I’ll admit it. I have Santa Claus issues. It’s not that I suffered some Santa trauma as a child. I believed until I was 4, and then I cross-examined my mother. She was sitting on the toilet and I demanded to know if Santa was real. She tried to deflect my questions. But I…
Ricardos loses momentum, Don’t Look Up enrages, Underdog inspires
Uneven structure hobbles Ricardos It’s been a heck of a week on the I Love Lucy show. The writers are struggling to come up with fresh ideas, while the crew is disgruntled and on the verge of burn out. There have been arguments with the producers at CBS who are balking at the idea of…
A party to impress
It’s been many years since I threw my first cocktail party but I still remember the whole affair in vivid detail. I was studying winemaking at an agricultural college in New Zealand. I hadn’t gone home for summer break that year because I had an gotten an internship working at the university research vineyard. I…
Open mic for Christmas
Seasons greetings to everyone as we prepare for a Christmas weekend of not-so-much live music. With the big day on Saturday, we’ve got slim pickin’s for what is usually our most popular time for making music. Never fear, you can enjoy your Yuletide holiday without concern for there’s plenty of live music bookending Christmas on…
Music Poem #27: Bach Plus
Music Poem #27: Bach Plus To the Winter Solstice: For those of us who still go out And yearn for signs of sun return On winter solstice, mystical, The balance-pause at end of breath; It seems that we should brush a nest In snow for pinecone eggs to rest, Or catch the hands of trees…
Monoclonal antibody treatment available in Springfield
COVID-19 cases are on the rise in Sangamon County. Late last week the Omicron variant had not yet been identified here. As of Tuesday, that has changed. The number of positive cases is increasing dramatically, undoubtedly due to the Omicron variant. Only 59.47% of the population in Sangamon County is fully vaccinated, and vaccination rates…
