Cover Story
Force to be reckoned with
It was the morning of Sept. 15, 2020. Jaala Smylie, 20 years old at the time, rented a room in her aunt’s home on the west side of town. Smylie’s aunt had woken up later than usual and didn’t want to be late to work. She asked Smylie to take her 10-year-old son, Smylie’s cousin,…
Open for business
A third marijuana dispensary opened last week in the Springfield area even as legislation aimed at fixing the state’s troubled pot laws percolates at the Capitol. Maribis, which has dispensaries in Grandview and the Chicago area, cut the ribbon at its fourth shop last week on Springfield’s west side, inside a Parkway Pointe movie theater…
Pritzker signs health care reform bill
Gov. JB Pritzker declared health care “a right, not a privilege” Tuesday, April 27, as he signed a massive reform bill backed by the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus, the last of four policy pillars introduced as part of an anti-racism agenda last year. The “Illinois Health Care and Human Services Reform Act,” contained in House…
Risotto for the rest of us
When I was a child my happiest moments were spent wandering in the expanse of woods behind our house. In the springtime the woodland floor would be thickly carpeted with native wildflowers like spring beauties, Dutchman’s Britches, trillium, Mayapple and sweet William. Now my own children look forward to springtime romps in “Mommy’s special woods.”…
May Day music and more
Welcome one and all to the end of April and the start of May in the year of 2021 as we take a look at the music happening in our fair city and the surrounding areas. From a year ago when venues were closed and live music was only heard online, we’ve come a long…
Free Capitol News Illinois
There is nothing like watching the Illinois General Assembly. Whether floor debate or witnesses testifying before the Agriculture, Environment and Energy Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee, it’s riveting stuff, which explains why former Gov. Bruce Rauner once dreamed of projecting Capitol proceedings onto a giant screen across the street from the governor’s mansion as…
Keeping it local
The Springfield Black Chamber of Commerce and the Springfield Park District are hosting a Black-owned business vendor fair and have invited local Black-owned hospitality, special occasion and events businesses to participate. The vendors include restaurants and caterers, fitness instructors, photographers, hair and makeup artists, deejays and bands, event planners and more. Each vendor booth will…
Editor’s Note 4/29/21
President Biden likes trillions. Everybody liked the $2 trillion American Rescue Plan, and the proposed $2.3 trillion infrastructure plan makes sense if we can afford it. Now we have the $1.8 trillion American Families Plan that includes free community college and lots of other good ideas – if we can afford them. Fiscal conservatives need…
The good, the bad and the mediocre
Octopus an astonishing tale of an unexpected friendship With all the movies that are released and sent to me during awards season, it’s easy for one or two of them to slip through the cracks. Such was the case with Netflix’s My Octopus Teacher, one that got by in the flurry of films that cluttered…
Build a better Earth Day with better buildings
Having recently celebrated Earth Day, the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the world’s largest design organization, is asking architects, design professionals, building industry partners, civic leaders and the public to join us in our effort to create a zero-carbon, resilient, healthy and equitable built environment. One way to make a big difference is joining us…
State revenue better than expected, but budget deficits remain
The state’s fiscal news of late has been a whole lot better than just about anyone expected. March’s base general funds revenue grew by $422 million versus a year ago, mainly because of stronger than expected receipts of personal and corporate income taxes and sales taxes. That follows a growth of $330 million in February’s…
mental illness poem #1
during this covid time we were warned that violence, depression, suicide, would increase; statistics have proved this to be the case story: my sister a year older than I suffered sudden clinical depression in college she was hospitalized given shock treatments the then therapy returned home with blotto memory I was living at the farm…
Letters to the editor 4/29/21
We welcome letters. Please include your full name, address and telephone number. We edit all letters. Send them to letters@illinoistimes.com. —- SYBC WAS OVERLOOKED Imagine my surprise when I read in Illinois Times that the Springfield Youth Ballet Company was given a passing mention in your article about local arts and COVID, yet no one…
The warming of Illinois
Illinois is seeing rapid changes in weather, which are already starting to impact the state. Long-term effects of climate change in Illinois include increased heat and precipitation. Both have disastrous implications for crops and other ways of life. That’s according to research by dozens of climate experts from various universities across the state who have…
ROLLING STONES COMING TO TOWN?
Probably not, but stranger things have happened. In any case, a sure sign of hope after more than a year of pandemic is word that the Levitt Amp concert series, a smash success in 2019, is scheduled to return to the Y Block – we’ll keep calling it that until someone comes up with something…
ROCK THE MUSEUM
Miles Davis, Howlin’ Wolf, John Prine, Cheap Trick and Earth, Wind and Fire are making a visit to Springfield. Well, artifacts from the music legends will be on display at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum (ALPLM) starting Friday, April 30, anyway. The “State of Sound: A World of Music from Illinois” exhibit explores…
Thanks but no tanks
A coalition of groups ranging from Black Lives Matter to Planned Parenthood is demanding that Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell cancel plans to acquire an armored vehicle. The sheriff’s department doesn’t need a surplus military vehicle that can withstand mine blasts and is impervious to bullets from high-powered rifles, representatives of 13 groups said at…
217 Taco, Nacho and Margarita Week
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