Cover Story
Meet Springfield’s lasagna lady
Beth Rees is trying to make Springfield a better place, one lasagna at a time. She rents a modest house on the north end with her husband and two daughters, works a full-time job and, like many people, has sometimes struggled to keep the bills paid and put food on the table. For the past…
Editor’s note
It’s Christmas and the country is falling apart. A week ago South Carolina seceded from the union; a month ago he was elected president. Reporters and job-seekers have flocked to Springfield to see the president-elect, who remains cool, practicing what was called then “a masterly inactivity” as he awaits the trouble and responsibility ahead of…
Capital Airport could be cutting edge
Mark Hanna knew the first question at the Citizens Club of Springfield’s Dec. 19 public policy forum regarding the Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport would be something along the lines of, “Any new commercial airline routes coming soon?” Not much to report, Hanna said, although there have been some preliminary talks about possible Allegiant Airlines routes…
Rail consolidation a long time coming
Construction for Springfield’s Rail Improvement Project began in 2014 with construction of an underpass at Carpenter and 10th streets and the final phase will begin next month. Over the last decade-plus, new railroad bridges have been constructed at Fifth, Sixth, Ash, Laurel and Cook streets and South Grand Avenue with underpasses constructed at Madison and…
Letters to the editor
NOT THAT EASY I’m a Springfield native who moved back a couple of years ago, but was a resident of Normal for many years. Leah Wilson’s column is an apples and pineapples comparison with Springfield (“From planning to implementation” Dec. 18). I lived there throughout that progression, for almost 30 years. Uptown Normal may look…
My mother wrote this lullabyfor my oldest sister onher first Christmas, 1925.
Sleep, little baby, the daylight is fading; Dim yellow stars the dark heavens adorn; Once, long ago, in a Bethlehem manger The little Lord Jesus was born. Lullaby, lullaby, sleep, little baby, sleep. Sleep, little baby, my arms are about thee, A circle of love which enfolds thee secure; So Mary cradled the wee baby…
Don’t slide backward on disability services
For years, Illinois was known as a state that chronically underfunded services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) – the essential workers who provide daily care, skill building, medication assistance and community access – were paid wages that made retention nearly impossible. People with disabilities faced years-long waiting lists,…
Yule Log cake
The Bûche de Noël, or Yule Log cake, is a stunning culinary showpiece that traces its roots far back to the ancient celebration of Yule. Derived from the Anglo-Saxon word geōl, Yule references the midwinter solstice celebrations that were widely practiced throughout the ancient world to welcome in longer days and the impending sunshine of…
Betwixt the holidays
Welcome to our in between edition, as we slip on through to the other side of Christmas, headed headlong toward the New Year’s celebration. With the double holidays landing on Thursdays this year, our IT issue is a day early both weeks, so take that under consideration when deciding where to look for what to…
IT Pick
HOLIDAY HAPPENINGS | Annual event rings in new year with style Head downtown on New Year’s Eve for this annual family-friendly event at three iconic locations. This year’s event features children’s activities at the ALPLM and Hoogland Center, a special around-the-world midnight countdown with confetti cannons at the ALPLM, ice skating at Union Square Park…
