Funds approved for economic development
The Springfield City Council on Tuesday approved $250,000 for an economic development corporation, half the amount that Sangamon County, which is promoting the new group, has pushed for. “Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars is better than nothing,” said Brian McFadden, Sangamon County administrator. “It doesn’t come close to what the business community’s and county’s…
YMCA,Memorial plan new gym
This story has been updated to include comments from YMCA. The Springfield YMCA is in discussions with Memorial Medical Center to build a new downtown facility that would be closer to the hospital than the current location on the 700 block of South Fourth Street. Negotiations are preliminary. Under the plan, Memorial would supply land…
Adlai’s still talking sense
When the wheels come off in Washington, and Illinois enters another cycle of bad government, I turn to the Adlai Stevensons for hope about politics. The Adlai I have had the privilege to cover is number three, not the more famous Illinois governor and two-time presidential candidate, or his namesake who was Grover Cleveland’s vice…
Exposing our ‘populist’ president
Just in the past year, Trump’s documented whoppers rank him as the lyingest president in U.S. history. And that included Nixon. It’s not the volume of his fabrications that is so gross, but their enormity. Most damnable of all has been his masquerading as a golden-haired billionaire “populist” who’s standing up for America’s hard-hit middle…
Public Policy Polling results
A recent statewide poll taken for Sen. Daniel Biss’ gubernatorial campaign showed Gov. Bruce Rauner is much less liked by Illinois voters than his fellow Republican President Donald Trump. The poll also found that the underfunded Democrat Biss actually does slightly better in a head-to-head match with Gov. Rauner than does presumed frontrunner billionaire J.B. Pritzker.…
Letters to the Editor 2/15/18
BEING HOMELESS IS A LOT OF WORK I want to thank you for your article on the homeless (“Homelessness is a lot of work,” Bruce Rushton, Feb. 8). You almost got it right. I feel I can speak with authority on the issue because in a span of four years I went from making $50,000…
City needs to shape county’s economic growth plan
As a more progressive member of the Sangamon County board – known for sometimes ruffling feathers because I don’t just go along to get along but question actions taken when it is warranted – I voted in November to fund the county’s $500,000 line of credit for the creation of a new Economic Development Corporation…
Featured author Scott Faingold
On Thursday, Feb. 15, from 6-8 p.m., join Twelve Winters Press for an open mic session and reading by local novelist and journalist Scott Faingold. Faingold, who received his bachelor’s in semiotics from Sangamon State University, worked as a clerk at Springfield’s Appletree Records and sang for local alternative band Backwards Day before relocating to…
Illinois at the Bicentennial by Dr. Samuel Wheeler
This Sunday, join the Academy of Lifelong Learning at Lincoln Land Community College and the Illinois State Museum for the first of nine Bicentennial Speaker Series programs in honor of the Illinois Bicentennial. The series kicks off with a presentation by Illinois State Historian Dr. Samuel Wheeler titled “Two Centuries to Celebrate: Illinois at the…
Facebook’s bad news for the news biz
As with any toxic relationship, the possibility of a breakup sparks feelings of terror – and maybe a little bit of a relief. That’s the spot that Facebook has put the news business in. Last month, the social media behemoth announced it would once again alter its News Feed algorithm to show users even more…
DEMO demolished, but UIS Gallery going strong
The DEMO Project art space on the grounds of the Springfield Art Association achieved its apotheosis this past Wednesday when the small house, still festooned with fanciful work by 17 artists installed last month for the “demo DEMO” farewell exhibit, was demolished by a single backhoe to make room for new SAA facilities. The demolition…
Oh, crappy day
Repairs to downtown Springfield sewers will cost between $31.7 million and $56 million, according to a recent survey of pipes, and that may only be a down payment. The $300,000 study financed by the Sangamon County Water Reclamation District and completed this month was based on cameras inserted in 25 percent of pipes measuring between…
Candidates for governor address seniors’ concerns
On Feb. 6, Democratic gubernatorial candidates and running mates fielded questions from area locals at an Illinois Seniors State of the State forum. The forum, held at Senior Services of Central Illinois and hosted by the Illinois Alliance for Retired Americans, Caring Across Generations and Service Employees International Union Healthcare, featured candidates Sen. Daniel Biss,…
CAGED BIRDS SINGING
We do not, in these days of fake news and text messaging, often enough gather together to actually see each other and talk amongst ourselves. And so Lincoln Library this Saturday is sponsoring an event worth considering, and not just because light refreshments will be served. It takes a bit to write just one book…
BLACK HISTORY MONTH AT SCHOOL
As Black History Month reaches its midpoint, District 186 schools continue to celebrate with a variety of programs and events. Franklin Middle School has an ongoing series called “The Top 25 in the last 25 years of African-American Firsts,” presented each day in February during morning announcements. Both Harvard Park Elementary and Springfield High School…
Panther successfully claws its way on screen
Much has already been written about what a game changer Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther is – not simply where superhero movies are concerned, but Hollywood films in general. A celebration of African culture, featuring a cast that consists of almost entirely African-American actors, this is the sort of production the film community has been inching…
Home house music
As February freezes and thaws, count on the tunes to hold steady and get us through until spring arrives. There are plenty of activities out there, but let’s spend some time on something special called “house concerts” for now. House concerts are simply a concert held in a house. Known generally as wonderful experiences that…
Ryman’s Way
Relatively new on the Springfield band scene, Ryman’s Way takes their name from the Ryman Auditorium, the renowned building in Nashville that housed the Grand Ole Opry for decades during the heyday of classic country music. The venue again hosts live music, still inspiring thousands of performers and fans, just like it inspires bandmates Larry…
Good for the gut
All my life I’ve struggled with bouts of insomnia. When I was in college I had a Social Psychology lecture right after lunch. I remember very little about the content of the course, but I do remember the professor: Harry C. Triandis. Professor Triandis was a renowned psychologist, author of our course’s textbook, and a…
family story #29
family story # 29 my sister pat told me of a bass player in their orchestra bound for a concert grabbed coffee at a drive-in spilled it scalded his hand in agony he rushed to a drug store gasped out “Preparation H!”– which he’d heard soothes burns as well — slapped money on the counter…
