Uber ridesharing service headed to Springfield?
Image courtesy of Uber. The popular but controversial Uber ridesharing service may soon expand to Springfield. Uber ran advertisements online this week seeking drivers in Springfield. It’s a likely indication that the company is expanding outside of only large markets like Chicago. Uber spokeswoman Lauren Altmin told Illinois Times that the company is looking to expand…
Shocking truths
Governor-elect Bruce Rauner was in Springfield on Dec, 2, where he told the press that the State of Illinois budget deficit “is far worse than has been discussed.” No, it’s not. It’s exactly as bad as has been discussed for months, by the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability, by the Civic Federation, by Senate…
Thanksgiving: from the White House to Wal-Mart
Thanksgiving – a time of grace and family sharing – will start with an extra-graceful act from the White House this year. Just as every president since Lincoln has done, Barack Obama will grant clemency to two turkeys that otherwise could’ve become the main entree for the first family’s holiday dinner. This traditional, presidential pardon…
Cabaret Christmas
This Friday and Saturday, Dec. 5-6, join the Land of Lincoln Barbershop Chorus at the Little Flower School Activity Center for a fun-filled, cabaret-style holiday show. The vocal styling of this years show is a tribute to the work of 20th century composer Irving Berlin, one of the greatest songwriters in American history. Berlin’s repertoire…
Pancake party
Pancakes, Paws and Santa Claus is the perfect opportunity to enjoy a special breakfast with zoo animals and the big guy himself. Children and their parents are invited to join the Henson Robinson Zoo and Lincoln Greens Golf Course on Saturday, Dec. 6, from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. The event kicks off with a delicious…
How to throw a gingerbread house building party
What’s not to love about a gingerbread house building party? Festive and fun, it’s a party filled with candy and other sweet treats, plus guests get the chance to create their own unique, take-home holiday keepsake. A gingerbread party appeals to kids and adults, so you can invite parents to accompany their children or plan…
The legend of Ann and Abraham
One of the enduring myths in American legend is Abraham Lincoln’s first love, a New Salem girl named Ann Rutledge. The subject remains hotly debated among Lincoln scholars today. The relationship – and its impact on Lincoln’s life – has been depicted as one of the great love stories of all time and made Ann…
Inspirational rap concert in St. Louis
On Monday, Nov. 24, I was faced with a quandary. Several months back, a friend had gotten us tickets for a nightclub concert scheduled in St. Louis that night by high-profile rap duo Run The Jewels. For years, I had been a fan of both Killer Mike – who first came to attention in collaboration…
Trigger happy cops
CARTOON BY CHRIS BRITT
Letters to the Editor 12/4/14
Examining statistics surrounding the deaths of law enforcement officers in on-the-job incidents such as the killing of Mike Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, may help police officials better determine if officers are acting out of self-protection or haste. POLICE ANALYSIS NEEDEDA key element in the case surrounding the killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, is…
All aboard the Polar Express
Don your favorite Christmas jammies and climb aboard the Polar Express. The famed, fictitious train will stop in Springfield for a series of film showings and holiday pajama and hot cocoa parties at the Legacy Theatre Friday, Dec. 5, through Sunday, Dec. 7. Attendees are to arrive up to an hour and a half before…
Preserving history in Greenview
In the forties and fifties, driving into Greenview on my way to visit my grandparents at their farm on Salt Creek meant passing a sadly decaying remnant of the town’s better days. Just south of town was a unique farmstead, with a large collection of wooden barns and assorted outbuildings such as granaries, a wash…
PIZZA WITH A POP
Springfield is a pretty big deal, which is why Godfather’s Pizza decided to test a new product here and in Chatham, Decatur and Pekin. The nationwide pizza chain rolled out its new pretzel-crusted pizza on Dec. 1, exclusively at the franchises owned by entrepreneurs Mike Monseur and John Leskovisek of Springfield. Monseur says he and…
HERE, KITTY – BOOM!
The General Assembly is poised to do something about bobcats running rampant by allowing hunters to shoot or trap the varmints for the first time since the 1970s, when a dwindling population forced an end to hunting and placement of bobcats on the threatened species list in Illinois. Since then, bobcats have been doing what…
Bosses 2 a surprising improvement
Charlie Day, Jason Bateman and Jason Sudeikis in Horrible Bosses 2. PHOTO COURTESY WARNER BROS. PICTURES Though superhero films are doing their best to disprove this notion, it’s generally accepted that sequels are usually not as good as the movie that preceded them. I would argue that comedy sequels have an even harder time as…
Made with love, displayed with love
Decorating for the holidays is a special activity for many families, and excitement mounts as box after box appears from storage. But with an array of school-aged artists in the mix, things can get tricky. “I love to transform the house, but I usually feel a bit overwhelmed trying to find room for all of…
The river Lincoln loved
A handful of canoes and kayaks float down the Sangamon River near Petersburg. PHOTO BY DAN WILLIAMS, TREETOP PRODUCTIONS, INC. View the plan online in a pair of PDF files here: http://bit.ly/sangamon1 http://bit.ly/sangamon2 ______________________________________________________________________________________ In the spring of 1831, when Abraham Lincoln was just 21, he and two other young men navigated a canoe down…
Sticky-fingered deputy
A Sangamon County Circuit Court judge has rejected the decision of an arbitrator who decided that Sherry Waldron should keep her job as a sheriff’s deputy despite being accused of stealing plants and pleading guilty to shoplifting in a separate incident. In throwing out the March decision of arbitrator Dennis McGilligan, circuit court judge John…
family poem # 22
at ten I went with my grandparentsto visit my iowa cousins polly inninth grade took me to her latin classI deciphered the first few exercisesa farmer called agricola later I saidto an older cousin latin makes you thinkshe said “uncle wess asked me oncedid I know what was an educated manwhen I shook my head…
Real vs. fake
The most wonderful time of the year can be the most beautiful time of the year in your home. Yet transforming your rooms into magical holiday wonderlands can be stressful, as every year the hunt is on for the perfect real tree or wreath. Do you have to shop for a new tree every year,…
Christmas yeast breads
PHOTO BY PETER GLATZ Variations can be found worldwide, although they’re most common in Europe. And it’s a safe bet that the roots of those found in other parts of the planet are from there, too. Holiday yeast breads. America focuses on cookies, but elsewhere the most traditional holiday sweet treats are yeast-based. Perhaps best…
Really? He’s buying a hotel in Springfield?
Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor, center, liked what he saw in Springfield after visiting the area in October to hear former president Jimmy Carter, left, speak at Illinois College. PHOTO BYPATRICK YEAGLE What do Beirut, Budapest, Dubai and Springfield have in common? All three cities have – or will soon have – hotels owned by Khalaf…
ClusterPluck
ClusterPluck Utilizing acoustic instruments in a bluegrass-folk-pop-ish style, the five players in ClusterPluck (don’t you just love saying that name?!) bring it on and score high. Chris Rader (vocals, banjo, guitar), Justin Torres (vocals, bass, guitar), Derek Rutter (vocals, mandolin, guitar), Leah Osborne (vocals, washboard, ukulele) and Matt Gadeken (violin, vocals) go deep in the…
Belittle Richard
My girlfriend says she likes that I’m smart but says I can be “on” too much of the time. For example, if someone pronounces a word wrong or uses it incorrectly I’ll correct them. If they talk about their fad diet I’ll explain why it doesn’t make scientific sense. My girlfriend says I am “condescending”…
Global gigs and gracious giving
Chris Maxey and Friends play Norb Andy’s on Sat., Dec. 6 from 8 p.m. to midnight. As we coolly creep into December, rapidly approaching the year 2015, the Springfield music scene shows its depth, diversity and caring in a variety of ways. Jingle Jam, featuring local musicians performing in support of the St. Jude Children’s…
Editor’s Note 12/4/14
It seems downtown Springfield has been discovered by billionaires, and that’s a good thing. Bruce Rauner, who says he’ll fix up the governor’s mansion and move in, was spotted relaxing at the Brewhaus Tuesday afternoon. That’s about the time we broke the news that Dubai billionaire Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor is buying the President Abraham…
Chairman mayo
Curses, foiled again• After an employee confronted two burglars inside a business in Mulga, Ala., he chased them to a pontoon boat on a trailer hooked up to a pickup truck they had parked down the road. Then one of the suspects opened fire with a shotgun. The employee called sheriff’s deputies, who said suspects…
Why did the pedestrian not cross the road?
GRAPHIC BY TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE Most unexpected turns to the right put someone in jeopardy – the Republicans’ insistence on spending cuts for federal health research is but one example – and that is as true on the streets as in Congress. Merchants and property owners in downtown Springfield have been fretting out loud about…
The scents of the season
Holiday decorating isn’t just about making a home look beautiful – it’s about filling the space with holiday treats and trimmings that appeal to all five senses. If scent is the strongest sense tied to memory, then certainly a home overflowing with warm, festive aromas will help make the holiday season especially memorable. A traditional,…
