Y block on the block
How much is the Y block worth? Nothing, apparently. The downtown Springfield property next to the governor’s mansion for which the city paid $1.5 million in 2014 appeared on the city’s list of surplus properties up for sale that was distributed last month by the purchasing department in the city’s Office of Budget and Management.…
“We live this every day”
Tina Williams talks to the media after addressing the city council. Photo by Bruce Rushton Ward 3 Ald. Doris Turner squawked when Nadine Wright, a write-in candidate for her city council seat, spoke for two minutes at Tuesday’s council meeting. Wright complained about litter, crime and a lack of homeless shelters. Turner called it a…
Pension payments pile up
Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s administration has confirmed that its new public pension plan will slash $800 million from the state’s scheduled pension payment next fiscal year, which begins July 1. That reduction is a direct result of Pritzker’s proposal unveiled last week by Deputy Gov. Dan Hynes, which would extend the state’s pension payment “ramp” by…
Letters to the Editor 02/21/19
LOOPHOLE FOR BACKGROUND CHECKSWith a few computer mouse clicks, Bruce Rushton would know if the Secretary of State’s office had requested a background check on Candace Wanzo, it would have been clean (“Transparency?” Feb.7). How so? Therein lies a tale also played out in the Office of the Executive Inspector General’s report released on April…
The great divide in American politics
One of the more striking political developments of the last few years has been the partisan sorting of American voters. It used to be that both the Republican and Democratic parties covered some ideological ground. Now, it’s so habitual for conservatives to make their home in the GOP and liberals in the Democratic Party that…
At the Legacy Theatre
The Amazing Max, Max Darwin, first appeared on stage before he could walk. He loves theater, magic, ninjas and the sound of children laughing. He has been a featured artist on National Geographic’s “Brain Games” and magic consultant for Fox’s “Gotham” and NBC’s “America’s Got Talent.” The Amazing Max is known for his extraordinary skills…
Friends of the Sangamon Valley
Friends of the Sangamon Valley is a charitable membership organization dedicated to the preservation of our natural heritage by acquiring, restoring and protecting ecologically significant lands in the Sangamon River watershed. Led by executive director Vernon LaGesse, the group owns or helps maintain properties such as Knuppel Wildlife Sanctuary near Petersburg, Adams Wildlife Sanctuary in…
Youth Hostile
I’m a 35-year-old woman who’s been married for a year to a 70-year-old man. My husband’s closest female friend is also one of his exes. He’s known her for 40 years. She’s a real sore point for me. She stayed at our apartment while we were away. She wouldn’t reply to any of my emails…
Women compete for more seats at the table
Lisa Badger, a first-time candidate for office who is running for the Springfield Park District Board, says she decided to run because she “feels strongly there should be diversity in government.” Badger and Park District Board president Leslie Sgro are the only two women in the race. If they win, the board will remain representative…
Rerun at records office
As elective offices go, the Springfield city clerk’s post isn’t the sexiest. It’s an administrative position, tasked with keeping minutes of city council sessions and otherwise collecting, maintaining and disseminating the city’s records, from birth and death certificates to tickets for code violations incurred by property owners. The office isn’t big – not counting the…
Ward 8 up for grabs
Stretching from MacArthur Boulevard to areas near Koke Mill Road, Ward 8 straddles a mix of Springfield neighborhoods. Two candidates for Ward 8 alderman, Erin Conley and Dean Graven, live west of Veterans Parkway, where issues aren’t necessarily the same as in neighborhoods to the east, where such challenges as the vacant Bally Vaughn apartment…
AND THE BAND PLAYS ON
Ward 7 Ald. Joe “Lone Ranger” McMenamin lost, again, at Tuesday’s city council meeting. The alderman was the lone dissenter on a 9-1 vote aimed at reeling in the city’s unfunded debt for police and firefighter pensions, which now stands at $350 million. McMenamin wants to lower the expected rate of investment return from 7…
NO PARK PRE-K
Parents with children enrolled in the Springfield Park District preschool programs received a disappointing notification on Feb. 19. The Park District will no longer be offering preschool programming after the current session ends May 24. Competition and low enrollment rates that have dipped beyond the “minimum participation levels” were cited as the reason for the…
Dragon III: A flawed but satisfying conclusion
Based on the series of books by Cressida Cowell, Dreamworks’ How to Train Your Dragon adaptations have been a success both at the box office and critically. Having taken in over $1.1 billion globally, the first two entries have a 95 percent average approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. This really is no surprise, as the…
Fun and fundraising
As we attend to the last weekend in February before we march into March, it’s good times ahead with the locals out in force, a few traveling bands and an important fundraiser for a beloved hometown musician. Let’s get right to the vital signs and go straight to Sunday afternoon and an event called…
Masked Intruder
Yes, Virginia, there really is a band that wears ski masks, where each musician dons one of a specific color and they designate themselves as color-coded by instrument and vocal job. Hence, per the Masked Intruder Facebook page in the “About” section: “Blue – sings and plays guitar, Green – plays guitar and sings backup,…
different sort of tweet #2
my friend took her african grey parrot to the urbana avian vet for her yearly checkup–pokes prods peers down her beak up her bung takes temp takes blood she doesn’t like it at all (would you?) spits snaps snarles grumbles complains “you must think this is the end of the world” the vet is sympathetic…
Beets me
Ten years ago I became interested in fermentation and bought a book entitled The Art of Fermentation by Sandor Katz. It was a fascinating read but I confess that I was hesitant to start making my own sauerkraut and kimchi. My professional training as a dentist had made me a germaphobe and the idea of…
