Clash over bruises in second day of day care worker’s trial
Day 2, morning How long does it take for bruises to appear? That’s the main question in the second day of witness testimony at the trial of a day care worker accused of killing a child. Although that question has been asked repeatedly, the answer is up for debate. Cammie Kelly of Springfield is charged…
Saying thanks
At the risk of sounding like a killjoy, I pass along this suggestion for your next Thanksgiving dinner from the late Christopher Hitchens, which appeared in a 2005 piece in the Wall Street Journal in the new posthumous collection of his occasional pieces (And Yet . . . , Simon & Schuster). Hitchens recalled the…
Trial begins in 2011 child death case
The trial of Cammie Kelly, a home daycare worker in Springfield who is accused of killing 11-month-old child in 2011, began Tuesday. The case questions the validity of “shaken baby syndrome,” a contested theory in child deaths. Kelly is charged with aggravated battery and first degree murder for the 2011 death of 11-month-old Kaiden Gullidge…
Pot dispute lands in court
A legal marijuana grow operation in Grass Valley, Calif., on November 12, 2015. Photo by Randall Benton/Sacramento Bee/TNS A company that wants to grow medical marijuana in Carlinville has sued the state Department of Agriculture and a rival company that has been granted a license to grow pot, claiming that the license was issued in…
“Creed” Finds New Life in Old Formula
As with any movie in the Rocky series, you pretty much know what you’re getting with Ryan Coogler’s Creed, a clever offshoot to the seemingly unstoppable boxing franchise that Sylvester Stallone started on a wing and a prayer. However, the actor, who wrote each of the previous six entries and directed four of them, has…
Our gift from St. Nicholas
A happy buyer with his take from one of several going-out-of-business sales at the St. Nick in the mid-1970s. PHOTO BY JESSIE EWING I often reflect on the past while washing the dishes – usually, trying to remember where I’d laid the scrub pad that I’d had in my hand a minute ago. But yesterday…
Building monopolies, merger by merger
Jim Hightower PHOTO BY LARRY D. MOORE Corporate world is experiencing a surge in the urge to merge. Control of market after market – from cable TV to chickens, banking to washing machines – has been seized by less than a handful of enormous corporations. Rather than compete, they collude to set prices, cut quality,…
The state must step up
PHOTO BY ALAN SOLOMON/TNS Here’s what the Chicago Police Department told the media after Laquan McDonald was killed by a police officer 13 months ago: A drug-addled black kid lunged at a cop with a knife and was then shot in the chest. Six months later and a week after Chicago’s mayoral election, the city…
Letters to the Editor 12/3/15
PHOTO BY PATRICK YEAGLE HELP FOR HOMELESS Thanks to Patrick Yeagle for putting human faces on the problem of homelessness in Springfield in “Homeless for the holidays,” Nov. 19. While statistics are important, even more important is to know that the homeless in our city are not just a glob of those most unfortunate among…
Editor’s note 12/3/15
At its public “town hall” meeting Monday evening, HSHS St. John’s Hospital impressed the crowd with its openness about plans for a new medical office building and its interest in the public’s ideas for ways to commemorate the 1908 race riot which happened nearby. The building, to house outpatient services for women and children, will…
Two paths converge at the Paris climate conference
Two paths converge at the giant Paris climate conference: the political path and the scientific path. Based on the following discussion you can decide what you think will happen in Paris. The political path had its origins in 1992 at the Rio Conference where the UN delegates decided that greenhouse (fossil fuel) emissions must be…
Festive historic homes
Taylorville Christmas Tour Feel the holiday spirit during the 24th Annual Taylorville Christmas Home Tour, where six private homes will open their doors to the public. See Taylorville’s historic “Painted Lady” house, a landmark property that two Taylorville mayors have called home, a funky makeover, a “Mad Men”-style home, an Irish cottage and a dwelling…
A sparkling musical revue
Christmas Wishes Christmas Wishes, The Legacy Theatre’s most frequently requested performance, returns this holiday season for four shows that will captivate and inspire individuals of all ages. Created in 2008 by director Scott Richardson, vocal director Judy Denton and choreographer Susan Collier, the original musical revue brings together a live, 10-piece swing orchestra and more…
An updated holiday favorite
It’s a Wonderful Life: Live from WVL Radio Theatre Enjoy a fresh adaptation of a classic holiday favorite on Tuesday, Dec. 8, by The Immediate Theatre Project of Asheville, North Carolina. In this innovative film-to-radio-to-stage adaptation of It’s a Wonderful Life, several key employees of WVL Radio brave a blizzard to perform their station’s annual…
Dust in the lust
PHOTO COURTESY AMY ALKON Amy Alkon I’m a man who has been married three times. Upon reflection, it seems to me that most women are ultimately not that interested in sex as a recreational activity. I try to be a selfless and devoted lover, but I always see a steep drop in a woman’s sexual…
Festive in a flash
Decorating for the holidays is meant to help usher in the excitement and joy of the coming season. After years of the same routine, however, it can feel like you’re just going through the motions – put up the tree, string the lights, hang the stockings – over and over again. This year, commit to…
All about the watch
With the time of day listed everywhere from smartphone displays to laptops to our car dashboards, the need for a watch to tell time isn’t as pressing as it was even just a few years ago. Instead, watch brands are adding features to compel shoppers to want watches, from creating more functional gadgets that track…
Tree hacks
Part of the allure of holiday decorating is being able to bring the outdoors inside. But when transforming your house into a winter wonderland, you may notice that a real tree may not live up to the perfect-looking specimen in your imagination. Never fear though – these tricks can make your tree look like perfection.…
Recipe rehab for the holidays
Food is as much a part of holiday celebrations and festivities as being with family and friends. For many, the holiday season comes with the challenge of trying to make healthier choices when many foods on the table don’t fit in that category, said a University of Illinois Extension nutrition and wellness educator. “Small adjustments…
Sierra Club questions CWLP pollution
Springfield’s municipal utility appears to be violating environmental rules, according to the Sierra Club. The environmental group claims city leadership won’t discuss issues raised nearly four months ago. City Water, Light and Power responded last week to the Sierra Club’s concerns, but the group says it wants better communication with the city. The Sierra Club…
Unanswered questions
Jeff Parsons The Internal Revenue Service wants to talk to embattled entrepreneur Jeffrey Parsons, who does not appear to be in a talking mood. The U.S. attorney’s office in Houston last month asked a federal judge to enforce a summons issued to Parsons by the IRS last summer in Texas, where Parsons moved in 2013,…
CHAIRS, CHAPTER TWO
Remember Adam Stock and Stephen Castleman? They’re the Central Management Services employees who helped themselves to a truckload of state-owned chairs from the state fairgrounds shortly before Christmas last year and got busted (“Take a seat,” April 2, 2015). Castleman said that he was having a party at his house and needed to borrow some…
AT THE LOCAL MALL
Nearly 40 years ago, the cover story on the Feb. 19, 1976, issue of Illinois Times pondered how White Oaks Mall would affect Springfield’s downtown and the much less developed (at the time) west side. “The sudden, immense increase in retailing facilities cannot help but make a dramatic impact on Springfield,” wrote Mark Heyman, then…
Victor Frankenstein a misguided monster mash
James McAvoy as Frankenstein and Daniel Radcliffe as Igor in Victor Frankenstein. Taking a cue from the literary reimagining that led to the big box office with Robert Downey Jr. as Sherlock Holmes in 2009 and its sequel in 2011, director Paul McGuigan and screenwriter Max Landis attempt to breathe new life into another well-known…
Music for the holidays
Ten Coins plays a benefit concert for JAMS, 7 p.m. on Sunday at the Capital City Bar & Grill Theater. Before anyone begins to moan and groan about using the word “holiday” instead of “Christmas,” please consider Christmas is only one of the several holidays celebrated this time of year. I include Thanksgiving as the…
Kilborn Alley Blues Band
Kilborn Alley Blues Band PHOTO COURTESY WILLOW RIDGE WINERY Continuing the terrific run of early Thursday shows at The Alamo, sponsored by the Illinois Central Blues Club and presented by James Armstrong, Kilborn Alley drops in from our neighboring city of Urbana. These guys make the rounds, celebrating 15 years of being a traveling blues…
Festive fondue
For my money, there’s no better way to entertain during the holidays than fondue – even if you’re just entertaining your spouse and/or children. Fondue is not only delicious; it’s also a group activity, one that is low-key and relaxing. It’s even relaxing for the host: everything can be prepared ahead except for combining the…
Money to burn
PHOTO BY PATRICK YEAGLE Seven years ago, the city of Springfield faced a fiscal crisis so serious that then Mayor Tim Davlin formed a blue-ribbon committee to define the problem and recommend solutions. The housing bubble had burst and the stock market had crashed. Springfield and other governments were laying off employees and instituting furloughs…
remembering poem # 23
remembering poem # 23 my daughter demiknew how to takesmall pleasures small treatswhen we drove to wisconsin she alwaysstopped midway fora bag of popcornwhen we swam at lola and kevin’s pool we stopped on the way homefor ice cream conesand licked themwhile we sat on aledge swinging ourfeet like little kids ©2015 Jacqueline Jackson
America reacts to the Planned Parenthood attacks
CARTOON BY JEN SORENSON
