Shocked and suing
A man with epilepsy has sued three Sangamon County jail guards, saying that he was tasered in the jail last year while helpless after suffering a seizure. “This man did nothing wrong except have epilepsy,” says Carl Draper, attorney for Richard E. Haley, who is demanding $250,000. Sheriff Neil Williamson said he wasn’t aware of…
Tonight: Joss Whedon gets Shakespearean
Amy Acker’s Beatrice is hearing something she probably oughtn’t in Much Ado About Nothing Joss Whedon is a geeky pop culture megaforce, with credits ranging from Buffy the Vampire Slayer to Marvel’s The Avengers. The last thing you might expect from him would be a sleek, black and white Shakespeare adaptation. Whedon’s Much Ado About Nothing,…
Getting to know Raymond Poe
State Rep. Raymond Poe A person who spends years working in the Capitol can predict how politics will unfold, according to Rep. Raymond Poe, R-Springfield. “Being around here 20 years, you know how to read the tea leaves,” Poe said. Poe, who was first elected state representative in 1995, is one of the Springfield area’s…
Calling teens and teachers
Deadline for this year’s edition of the international teen poetry anthology, Navigating the Maze, is Friday, Feb. 28, 2014. Teens are invited to submit their work. Teachers are invited to submit their students’ work. Poet and Vachel Lindsay Association President Lisa Higgs is the guest editor this year. Higgs’ poetry book, Lodestar, was published in 2011 by Fishing…
Congress critters can be lovable for a price
A counselor recently advised, “an informal setting,” adding that it is “an effective way to build a better relationship.” That sounds like advice that a love counselor might offer to couples, but not so. This relationship is not about romance – but money. This particular counselor is a lobbyist for the health care industry, and…
Exclusively Elvis
Elvis tribute artists from across the country will vie for $15,000 in cash and prizes at the Midwest Tribute to the King contest, Feb. 7-9, at the Hilton Springfield, downtown. All contestants are accompanied by the EAS Showband, the official band of Elvis Presley Enterprises, Graceland. Shawn Klush, grand champion of the $25,000 World Elvis…
Cower rangers
I read your recent columns about guys who are too shy to ask women out. You seem to think it’s okay for women to make quick judgments about a shy man’s worth because his shyness is their first impression. Well, a man shouldn’t have to be loud, obnoxious and “in your face.” These women, with…
Orchids, the remedy for too much winter
The Climatron at the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis offers a warm respite from winter’s chill. The geodesic dome houses more than 2,800 plants in a lowland tropical rain forest covering a half acre. PHOTO COURTESY OF MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN Surrounding yourself with the sight and scent of orchids can be a sure cure…
Changing the rules
Proposals to change the Illinois Constitution, I’ve noticed, are like UFO sightings: They tend to come in bunches. At the moment, the skies above Springfield are filled with strange apparitions. Several groups, some with good intentions, are busy preparing to put on the November ballot measures to change the way income is taxed by the…
Quinn in deep hole
Without a doubt, the most overlooked aspect of Bruce Rauner’s multimillion-dollar TV ad buy has been his advertising campaign’s repeated attacks on Gov. Pat Quinn. “Career politicians are running our state into the ground, and Pat Quinn, he’s at the top of the heap,” Rauner says in one of his ads that have permeated the…
violinist poem #1
violinist poem #1 my sister was nine when mom tookher young violinist to a fritz kreislerconcert in milwaukee at its closethey went backstage the famous artistwas surrounded he was perhaps sixtyjoan wormed her way through adultlegs till she was directly before himgazing up in adoration he noticed herlaid a hand on her head said a…
The open mics are open
This is a great time of year to get yourself out and off to one of the many open mics playing at various venues in the area. If you’re not familiar with the notion, it’s easy and goes like this: you get to perform on stage on the “mic” because it is “open” to all…
Letters to the Editor 2/6/14
Admission is free to tapings of Mike Pittman’s One Mic Stand Comedy Show, 6 p.m. Feb. 12 and Feb. 26, at Hoogland Center for the Arts. PHOTO BY GINNY LEE LAUGHTER BEST MEDICINE Thank you for your recent article on Mike Pittman’s eclectic life in Springfield in which his ventures have now led him to…
Flawed farm law
Dowson Farms paid more than $5.3 million to the government to end a federal investigation, but admitted no liability or wrongdoing. Photo BY METRO CrEAtIVE CONNECtiON The U.S. attorney’s office in Springfield last week announced a deal reached more than a month earlier to settle allegations that one of the state’s biggest farming operations collected…
Preserve social programs that work
I started a chapter of the Progressive Democrats of America in Springfield a few years ago. Since then our chapter has grown to include the Greater Springfield Area. At an event last fall in front of U.S. Sen. Richard Durbin’s office we had 75 folks attend from various unions and organizations, many of them traveling…
Landmarks and famous effects
PHOTO BY ANNIE LEIBOVITZ Probably the most famous contemporary photographer in the U.S., Annie Leibovitz is known for her amazing images of celebrities. Recently, the New York-based Leibovitz has been shooting famous places and objects. More than 70 of those shots are assembled in an exhibition “Pilgrimage,” from the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s collection and…
Sunshine Daydream
If you are a Deadhead, that is a fan of all things Grateful Dead related, this is a show for you. With more than 50 Dead songs in the repertoire, along with a few additions from the Jerry Garcia Band, Sunshine Daydream does the music justice with passion and respect. Area musicians Casey Cantrall (bass,…
African-American awareness
Many Black History Month events are scheduled to take place during the month of February around the area. Most of the colleges have a slew of commemorative events. At the University of Illinois Springfield Brookens Auditorium, Wednesday, Feb. 9, hear a talk by Chigozie “Gozie” Umeadi, former UIS men’s basketball player and now basketball operations…
Brain freeze
Curses, foiled again• Police investigating a burglary in Iowa City, Iowa, identified Carloss D. Sanders, 20, as their suspect after they found a debit card issued to him at the scene and then followed a set of distinctive footprints from the back door through the snow to Sanders’ residence. (Cedar Rapids’ KCRG-TV) • Surveillance video…
Quinn pledges investment in ‘Illinois’ littlest’
Gov. Pat Quinn PHOTO BY OLIVIER DOULIERY If Gov. Pat Quinn includes money in his budget to fund early childhood education, Springfield’s District 186 may be able to narrow down its pre-kindergarten wait list to fewer than its present 150 waiting children. Quinn announced during his Jan. 29 State of the State address his new…
What do the birds tell us?
H. David Bohlen continues to monitor the bird populations he has statistically and photographically documented in the two-volume report, A Study of the Birds of Sangamon County, Illinois 1970–2010. PHOTO BY TOM HANDY Birds are at once well-known companions and elusive visitors. Many embark on enormous journeys, bringing with them the songs of spring and…
Editor’s Note 2/6/14
Gov. Pat Quinn gave an upbeat State of the State address, but nobody is convinced. There have been too many cuts and bill-paying delays for anyone to believe the state is on the mend. It is good to see Sen. Andy Manar taking a leadership role in the search for new state revenue. Poor state…
Luxury for little money
Truffles grow underground around certain trees. Dogs and pigs are used to sniff out their presence. PHOTO BY BETTINA HANSEN/MCT Sure, you can go out on Valentine’s Day – millions do. And if you have kids at home and can send them to their grandparents or to a movie with a babysitter, it’s probably the…
Lego joy
A scene from The Lego Movie. PHOTO COURTESY WARNER BROS. PICTURES With Hasbro having turned G.I. Joe and Transformers into successful franchises, I suppose it was only a matter of time before they built a feature around those little plastic blocks from Denmark that I cuss at every time I step on one with bare…
