Quinn’s chief of staff choice means change is on the way
Gov. Pat Quinn’s choice of Jerry Stermer as his new chief of staff tells us a lot about what’s going to happen soon. As the head of the advocacy group Voices for Illinois Children for the past 22 years, Stermer has been a tireless advocate for progressive tax reform and expansion of human services and…
Downtown celebrates Mardi Gras
For those of you who were wondering, the French words Mardi Gras actually translate into “Fat Tuesday,” a reference to the day before Ash Wednesday which signifies the beginning of Lent, a period of fasting and preparation for those of the Christian faith in anticipation of the Easter holiday. If I was a betting man…
IT Picks
DANCE | Salsa dancers The salsa is rooted in Africa. Its home is in Puerto Rico, but it rose to popularity in New York City. This evening, three-time ESPN Salsa Champions Abel Pena and Zulmara Torres are bringing the passion and moves of the salsa to Springfield. Performing the routine that won them the 2005…
The rose that grew from metal
Reactions of Travis Taylor’s friends and relatives to his artwork have ranged from admiration to puzzlement to, in the case of one piece, anger. According to Cindy, his wife of 18 years, a family friend once remarked, “This isn’t about art, it’s about someone potentially wanting to buy a memento of a horrific attack to…
Advocates urge state
In February 2006, a resident of Howe Developmental Center died from having a pap smear. For most women, such a test is somewhat uncomfortable. For this woman — blind, profoundly retarded, non-verbal and suffering from heart disease — procedures like dental exams, mammograms and pap smears were so traumatic that the staff normally gave her…
Callahan in line for ag position
For agreeing to jump into the race last year against GOP million-dollar golden boy Aaron Schock for the state’s 18th district congressional seat, Colleen Callahan probably deserves the political equivalent of the medal of valor. Schock won the election in November, and subsequently, a contest for the hottest freshman Washington lawmaker. But Callahan may get…
More creativi-T
Last week, in our catalog of the new cottage industry known as Blagojevich T-shirts, we missed another local artist who began marketing tees proclaiming Illinois the “Republic of Blagovia” way back when impeachment was still just a twinkle in Patrick Fitzgerald’s eye. Steve Harvey— apparently the lesser-known comedian — is a graphic designer employed by…
Hear the whine of Wall Street’s latest tune
Listen intently, and you can hear the faint music of the band coming from over the hills. Their drums are pounding out a steady cadence, the bagpipes are wheezing mournfully and the fifes are trilling plaintively. Coming straight at you, it’s The Musicale Marching Pity Corps from Wall Street! This big banker band — including…
A bankrupt thriller and the same old killer
“The purpose of a bank is to make us slaves to debt.” A more timely sentiment could not be spoken and when this line was uttered in Tom Tykwer’s new thriller, The International, a collective groan of acknowledgment rippled through the audience. The bank at the center of the film, the International Bank of Business…
A meditation on the passage of time
The bitter cold subsided and we finally got a nice snow. I went walking under the streetlights with four-year-old Xavier. We caught snowflakes on our tongues, found sticks to scratch our names in the pristine whiteness and followed our own tracks home where I sat down with John Knoeple’s new book, Walking in Snow. The…
Is state police chief on the way out?
The installment of Pat Quinn as governor may give new meaning to the old phrase “changing of the guard.” For starters, Quinn prefers the minimalist approach to security — as opposed to impeached former governor Rod Blagojevich, whose frolicking 40-member Executive Protection Unit earned him some unwelcome media scrutiny. But there may be bigger changes…
Good food, good friends at Williamsville’s Blucat Cafe
Making your way in the world today takes everything you’ve got. Taking a break from all your worries, sure would help a lot. Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name, And they’re always glad you came.You want to be where everybody knows your name. —”Where Everybody Knows Your Name,” by Gary Portnoy…
‘Power and Glory’ from China
Beginning Feb. 22, people from across the nation will head to St. Louis for a chance to see a backgammon board. The gilded board, from Beijing’s Palace Museum, dates back to 1426 and will be displayed at the Saint Louis Art Museum. Power and Glory: Court Arts from China’s Ming Dynasty is the first exhibition…
Cleaning up Springfield’s garbage
Alexander Harris-Taylor deftly navigates his city-issued red sedan through the network of streets and snug alleyways in Enos Park, finally stopping in front of 315 E. Rafter. Bundled in a bulky North Face jacket, he braces against the 4-degree wind-chill and strides toward the rear of the two-family rental house. He whips out a small,…
Y’all ready for Rall?
One of the final Ted Rall cartoons to appear in Illinois Times before being discontinued last summer depicts a group of men in Afghan clothing, holding weapons and sitting on a tank near a sign that reads: Taliban Comeback Tour. “Obama will send 10,000 more troops here,” says one of the men, holding a cell…
The lies and demise of Roland Burris
It is a sad and sickening sound, that of another good reputation gurgling down the drain. Only a few weeks ago, Roland Burris was remembered as a trailblazer in Illinois politics, who had served ably in two statewide offices. Now he will forever be regarded as, at best, a fool, at worst a criminal liar.…
Letters to the editor
Baha’is persecuted in Iran The 300,000 members of the Baha’i Faith living in Iran under near-constant persecution are heroes to me and scores of other Baha’is who live in central Illinois. The lies, attacks and atrocities heaped upon Iranian Baha’is since the 1979 Islamic Revolution would be unimaginable, were they not so well documented. Iranian…
