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Fall Home & Garden 2024
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Attorney approval is not enough
As I’ve been telling Statehouse types for a long while, lobbyists and legislators need to be paying very close attention to what’s happening in the corruption trials relating to and involving former House Speaker Michael Madigan. For example, lots of folks rely on lawyers to help guide them through the Springfield swamp. Then-AT&T Illinois President…
Substance examines self-image, Penguin an origin story for Batman bad guy, Three Daughters looks at family conflict
Substance’s pointed message trumps flawed ending With The Substance, director Coralie Fargeat manages to do something genre classicists John Carpenter and David Cronenberg would never allow – letting the special effects she uses overwhelm the story and lessen its impact. Which is a shame, as The Substance has a great deal to say about sexism…
Six east-side businesses receive grants
Six businesses were awarded $280,000 in grants by the Springfield City Council on Sept. 17 from the city’s share of sales taxes on adult-use cannabis sales. The unanimous vote on the allocations, which were part of the council’s “consent agenda,” came more than two years after the first round of allocations and after a September…
Sweet Basil owner addresses sudden closure
Billie Dent was waitressing at Sweet Basil Café last month when she and about 20 coworkers learned they were out of work the hard way – Sangamon County sheriff’s deputies arrived and evicted the restaurant from the building. “We had one table of customers in there at the time; we asked if they could finish…
Dying with their rights on
In an age of intense rhetoric by those who do it poorly, it is easy to forget how beautiful politics can be. At base, politics is the art of freedom. Where freedom exists, politics thrive, and where freedom is absent, politics is squelched. This correlation between politics and freedom is a true one, and the…
Former SPD officer indicted on drug charges
Former Springfield police officer Clayton Hadley was indicted Sept. 18 on drug charges after sheriff’s deputies allegedly found illicit drugs and more than $5,000 in cash in his home. Hadley’s three-year law enforcement career began to unravel July 23 when the Springfield Police Department’s brass received an anonymous tip that Hadley was allegedly using marijuana.…
Praying for godly leadership in our nation
No doubt in the next few weeks appeals for prayer will increase across this nation and throughout this world for the local, state and national elections in November. And rightly so! The extent of insults, dehumanizing, disrespectful, erroneous and vitriolic expressions and accusations being made by various candidates against their opponents are indicative of ungodly…
Poem once used: now partially repeated
Found my oldest sister’s well documented baby book the rest of us had semi-docs or no baby book at all in jo’s mom wrote an anecdote: “Little Joan, 3, had heard us speak of playing cards but had never seen a game. One day she called me that she had something to show me. I…
Letters to the editor 9/19/24
We welcome letters. Please include your full name, address and telephone number. We edit all letters. Send them to editor@illinoistimes.com. — GREAT CONVENTION COVERAGE Many thanks to IT and David Blanchette for coverage of last month’s DNC in Chicago (“A message of freedom and joy,” Aug. 29). Though we watched and were thrilled by the…
Antiracism work and community building ground us in love
In August, we wrote a column here about how the killing of Sonya Massey is one of countless instances of violence that Black communities have experienced for centuries. We referenced the brutal history of policing which has included enforcing slave codes, lynchings, and assaulting peaceful civil rights protesters with water cannons and dogs. The murder…
Become a beekeeper
Bees know how to bee, so just let them be is the philosophy of urban beekeepers Jason and Lauren Baker. Lauren Baker said that she and her husband raise bees a little differently than some. They take a hands-off approach, trusting that bees know how to do the tasks that are inherent to their nature,…
Fall for these seasonal beverages and treats
Like so many of us, I am a fall person through and through. The leaves, the books, the sweaters, the colors, the coffee: What can I say? Fall has it all. One of my first childhood literary friends, Anne Shirley, proclaimed, “I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” Ditto, Anne.…
Editor’s note 9/19/24
A bipartisan House task force plans to meet soon with Secret Service officials to discuss ways to increase security for presidential candidates. While Congress is deliberating, we have some short-term safety suggestions for the candidates: Stay off golf courses for the next couple months. Don’t brag about being an assassination target because you’re “consequential.” Don’t…
Take fantastic fall family photos
Many families choose autumn and early winter to take family photographs. The light seems just right, the pace of life has slowed down and there are upcoming holiday cards to consider. But taking family pictures can also be fraught with indecision – how do you know who to hire? What location should you choose? What…
Pick the perfect apple
The first flashes of scarlet have emerged on the leaves of the maple tree in my yard, a sure sign that the fall baking season is about to begin. Baskets of brightly colored apples have replaced summer melons at farm stands and markets, beckoning home bakers to stock up on flour and preheat their ovens.…
A bounty of peppers
It was a good year to be a vegetable gardener in central Illinois. An early start in the spring rolled right on into a hot but not too dry summer, perfect for growing whopper tomatoes, peppers and zucchini. In my garden, branches on the bell pepper plants are so overloaded I’ve twice had to replace…
Echoes of Yesteryear at Oak Ridge Cemetery
On Sept. 29, come to Oak Ridge Cemetery for the Sangamon County Historical Society’s annual cemetery walk. Hear about seven Springfield citizens who now rest in Oak Ridge’s beautiful grounds. Meet a blind woman, Springfield’s first rabbi, a Black civil rights activist, our State Capitol’s architect, a woman business entrepreneur, a swindler and a singer.…
September music sizzles
Just when you thought we had escaped the ravages of that Midwest summer heat, here we are in mid-September paying the price for a moderate August. Actually, it’s an easy way to say something silly like, “The weather is hot, man, but, oh, the music is so cool, dude.” Let’s go see how that works…
Celebrate 200 years of the Broadwell Inn and Tavern
For 200 years, the Broadwell Inn and Tavern have stood west of Springfield. Moses Broadwell, a Revolutionary War veteran, built the inn in 1824 and was its first proprietor. This year’s Fall Festival – a local favorite – will recognize this key anniversary with some special events. According to organizers, Batterton and Edwards will provide…
Invest in yourself
Got any good stock tips? Should we buy or sell? Where should we invest? And not just our money, what about our precious time and energy? Important questions to consider as we look towards the future and want to ensure stability in unstable times. I remember my freshman-year business professor advising us to begin saving…
Making Illinois safer for LGBTQ+ seniors
A new state-funded grant program aims to help LGBTQ+ seniors feel safe being “out” in new surroundings. The program funds sensitivity training for service professionals, such as police, health care providers, social services workers or staff in long-term care facilities. AgeLinc – the Area Agency on Aging for Lincolnland, which serves central Illinois – received…
