“15:17” a Well-Intended Misfire
If good intentions were all that were needed to craft a successful motion picture, Clint Eastwood’s The 15:17 to Paris, would be one of the finest films in the director’s long and storied career. In bringing the real-life heroics of Alek Skarlatos, Anthony Sadler and Spencer Stone (the three young Americans who foiled a terrorist…
Rauner’s pension proposal meets backlash
Following Gov. Bruce Rauner’s call for pension reform and tax cuts in Wednesday’s budget address, state lawmakers and midterm election candidates voiced dissent over what some called another unbalanced budget. “We still don’t know if he’s going to get some of the reform initiatives through, whether it’s from the pension cost shift [or] the selling…
Rauner’s pension proposal meets backlash
Following Gov. Bruce Rauner’s call for pension reform and tax cuts in Wednesday’s budget address, state lawmakers and midterm election candidates voiced dissent over what some called another unbalanced budget. “We still don’t know if he’s going to get some of the reform initiatives through, whether it’s from the pension cost shift [or] the selling…
Dana-Thomas House: Documents add to rich history
Eyes downcast, with a guilty expression and in a quiet voice, a friend of mine admitted, “I have never been through the Dana-Thomas House.” She isn’t alone; too many have been missing out on a Springfield treasure – not only in seeing the stunning interior with its amazing art glass and furniture, but also in…
Homelessness is a lot of work
I first heard the rumors a few years ago, when beggars bearing cardboard signs began showing up on street corners throughout the city, about the time the cops started cracking down on downtown panhandlers. These people are organized. They work in shifts and live in a house near the center of town where they nurse…
Hold off on predictions
A little perspective may be in order. Lots of political junkies, media types, etc. went gaga after last Monday’s Chicago Tribune editorial board faceoff between Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and state Rep. Jeanne Ives. By last Tuesday morning, 28,000 Facebook users had viewed the first segment of the debate. Several more likely watched the forum…
Why the American majority despises Trump’s Washington
Donald Trump, never lacking in self-esteem, bragged in 2016: “I know words – I have the best words.”Well, sometimes he does put together a coherent sentence using some very fine words that convey great promise, such as this one: “I’m going to fight for every person in this country who believes government should serve the…
Letters to the Editor
Fire BrittYou need to fire your so-called cartoonist, Chris Britt. He’s what’s part of the problem with hate in this world. He needs to be taught respect. President Trump is doing an awesome job! And the Democrats are trying their hardest to look more like idiots. We have the right man in office, and he’s…
Editor’s Note 2/08/18
This is the moment for Daniel Biss, the unmonied egghead from Evanston who now has a good shot at the Democratic nomination for governor (see “A rise in polls could mean a rise in problems for Biss,” p. 9). Now that J. B. Pritzker has been taken down by his own telephone conversations, and Chris…
Send us more Norwegians
During a recent meeting on immigration reform, President Trump was criticized for referring to African countries as “s….hole” nations and questioning why we can’t get more immigrants from Norway. While many in response made the point that America has always tended to get immigrants from countries less well off seeking a better life, I have…
Prairie State Orchid Society
Orchids are beautiful house plants that produce lush, blooming flowers when bathed in enough sunlight. This weekend, view and shop from a selection of beautifully grown orchids and talk with Prairie State Orchid Society members, who will be able to recommend plants that will best fit your growing space and assist with the repotting of…
An innovative illusionist
On Sunday, Feb. 11, 3 p.m., take in an unforgettable performance by Vitaly Beckman, an innovative Russian illusionist who views magic as a form of art and strives to bring art to life using magic. Vitaly appeared on Penn and Teller’s British-American television show titled “Fool Us,” in 2016, where he successfully fooled the famous…
Mixed emojis
I’m dating again now and annoyed by how texting’s become the way you get to know somebody you might want to go out with. I type all day at work. I’ll talk on the phone, but the last thing I want to do when I’m off is type text messages. — Contrary Millennial Woman Back in,…
Making Lincoln come alive
He’s been doing Lincoln almost as long as Lincoln did Lincoln. “Lincoln died at 56, and how long has it been since I’ve been 56?” asked 69-year-old Fritz Klein of Jerome, one of the nation’s premier Abraham Lincoln interpreters, who’s been portraying the 16th president for nearly 42 years. It’s no surprise that Klein’s full-time…
Lincoln in love
“Up flew windows, out popped headsTo see this Lady gayIn silken cloak and feather whiteAriding on the dray. At length arrived at Edward’s gateHart backed the usual wayAnd taking out the iron pinHe rolled her off the dray.” So wrote Dr. Elias Merryman in 1840, and he was referring to none other than Mary Todd. The poem…
For President’s Day, visit Lincoln and Washington
Illinois claims four U.S. presidents so President’s Day should put us in the mood to commemorate. We can head a bit north and take in Lincoln and Washington, two central Illinois cities boasting the names of the most famous chief executives. History buffs will find lots of links to Lincoln in that city, but shoppers…
The Studio Show returns
“We missed doing the show,” said Dave Heinzel, producer, cameraperson, editor and co-creator of Springfield-based web series “The Studio Show,” in which he and hosts Arlin Peebles and Keil Isham take a humorous approach to covering highlights of area arts and culture. The final episode of the series’ second season ran in December of 2016.…
Local landmark
Even in his hometown of Springfield, Mark Janus is a relatively unknown figure. Janus is a state employee who works in a nondescript office investigating child support claims. He’s also a divorced father of two adult children and he volunteers to help Boy Scouts. Until recently there was little in the 65-year-old man’s life that…
A rise in polls could mean a rise in problems for Biss
Gubernatorial candidates Sen. Daniel Biss, D-Evanston, and J.B. Pritzker are in the midst of a campaign battle following Biss’s rise in the polls last week. Just prior to the State of the State address last Wednesday, news broke that Biss surpassed fellow candidate Chris Kennedy in primary polls for the first time. The surge offered…
Truth more intriguing than Winchester’s fiction
The story of Sarah Winchester and her family fortune is a fascinating one. Upon the death of her husband, William Wirt Winchester, she inherited $20 million (more than half a billion in 2018 dollars), controlled half of the stock in the famous firearms company, and was allotted a daily allowance of $1,000 per day. Having…
No music city limits
A quick look through the Pub Crawl shows an interesting trend of several burgs surrounding the capital city hosting live music at new and old venues. It seems that “get out of town” is taking on a new meaning. Our Thursday romps occur at venues that host various artists on a regular basis, such as…
The Chickadee Sermon
What’s a chickadee have to do with a sermon? Well, one way to find out is to check out the acoustic folk act named The Chickadee Sermon, appearing downtown at Tacology 101 on Friday. The restaurant doesn’t do much live music, but they have tasty tacos and cool craft beer, plus a nice space to…
drama poem # 3
drama poem # 3 on a computer word game I playa teacher her moniker trifioso (her daughter tertiare) told in the chat space that in a college lit class they’d had to write their own greek tragedy their queen: hepatitis; – king: diabetes; the princesses: chlamydia, rosacea;messenger: herpes – he could move really fast –…
Carp: If you can’t beat ’em, eat ’em
They say that when life gives you lemons, you should make lemonade. Likewise, when invasive fish take over the waterways in more than half of U.S. states, threatening the native ecologies and viability of fishing commerce from the Gulf Coast to the Great Lakes, chefs, fishermen and environmentalists say, “It’s time for a fish fry.”…
