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Healthy, Wealthy and Wise 2024
It’s easy to make New Year’s resolutions to eat better, exercise more, drink more water and the like, but much harder to sustain by the time February rolls around. Our annual health and wellness issue has tips on stretching to improve your health, maximizing your time in the gym, eating your veggies (and liking it),…
Push to create permanent Child Income Tax Credit
One of the bigger state budget expansion fights we could see play out in Springfield this spring is the creation of a permanent $300 Child Income Tax Credit. The new proposal has been scaled back from last year’s $700 per child tax credit bill, which went nowhere in the House after it was introduced in…
Haley: Remarks “taken out of context”
Teresa Haley says her controversial comments about immigrants brought from the Mexican border to Chicago were misinterpreted and taken out of context. The president of the Springfield branch of the NAACP also told Illinois Times she regrets using the term “savages” in reference to the thousands of immigrants who have been flown and bused to…
City pursues legal action against Olde Towne Apartments
The city of Springfield is seeking court orders to take possession of eight vacant, dilapidated apartment buildings so that they can be demolished. The structures are part of the 23-building Olde Towne apartment complex, located at the corner of Jefferson Street and Bruns Lane. City officials are also seeking to have the owner rehabilitate four…
Springfield remembers the legacy of MLK
Greg Harris remembers the day Martin Luther King, Jr.’s dream seemed to falter. On April 4, 1968, Harris, who is now the U.S. Attorney for Central Illinois, was a Howard University student in Washington, D.C., when he learned that King had been murdered. “I remember the city going up in flames and the National Guard…
Editor’s note 01-18-24
It was a coalition of the challenged, this group of 750 or so Springfielders who came together Monday for the Martin Luther King Day breakfast, the 49th annual event hosted by Frontiers International. Here, wearing the gold coat of the Frontiers and taking tickets at the door, was a prominent leader of Illinois Republicans, surely…
Letters to the editor 01-18-24
REMEMBERING CAROLYN OXTOBY It is with heavy hearts and deep sadness that we bid farewell to a remarkable individual who played an integral role in shaping the downtown community. Carolyn Oxtoby was not just a leader, she was a passionate advocate for downtown Springfield, recognizing its significance and the rich history it holds. Carolyn understood…
Double Dealing
Double Dealing Gophers, however cute, are a financial nuisance on pasture land. Farmers try to get rid of them. During the Great Depression our Wisconsin county paid 5 cents for a gopher tail. The county next to ours, though, gave 5 cents for a gopher head. We kids collected twice on the…
Give your brain a workout
Neuroplasticity is a big word that simply means when the brain is challenged in a new way, such as making music or learning a second language, it has the ability to change and adapt. This helps protect against cognitive decline as we age. Challenge the brain by learning new information, taking in new experiences and…
Try stretching to improve your health
It’s no secret that exercise is an important component of a healthy lifestyle. But what about stretching? It can help improve mobility, flexibility, strength and ultimately a person’s independence, whether you’re a dancer, athlete or just looking to live life to its fullest. Dr. Marc DeJong is a board-certified orthopedic specialist with Springfield Clinic and…
Eat your veggies and like it
There is no way to sugarcoat this: January 2024 has thus far been cold, dark, wet and icy. Perhaps you started this January with lofty goals of eating healthier, moving your body more, attaining a promotion, limiting your screen usage, reading more books, whatever. Perhaps you also looked outside at the gray nothing sky and…
Spark a little joy
Who’s familiar with Marie Kondo? I learned of her after watching the Netflix show Tidying Up With Marie Kondo. She’s a Japanese woman who developed a revolutionary method of decluttering at the young age of 19. What sets her philosophy apart from others is that the emphasis is on what to keep. The KonMari Method™…
Maximize your workout
We all know investing time in our fitness journey can feel like a marathon, right? Making a salad seems to take longer than ordering takeout, and hitting the gym can sometimes feel like a part-time job. But here are some tips to help you make the most out of your gym time and get back…
Springfield school district revives “Real Men Read” program to foster reading among boys
Springfield School District 186 is on a mission to reignite a program aimed at fostering a passion for reading among young boys. The initiative, aptly named “Real Men Read,” has gathered male volunteers within the community to partake in this noble cause. Initially, the program encountered a hiatus because of he disruptive impact of the…
A powerful exploration of history and theatrical storytelling
In an ambitious move to illuminate the pages of history, the Springfield and Central Illinois African American History Museum is not merely a passive observer but a proactive catalyst for change. By bringing the play 1619: The Journey of a People to Springfield, the museum is forging a cultural bridge that spans centuries, connecting the…
STC rolls merrily along with Sondheim revival
Originally produced on Broadway in 1981 – flopping spectacularly and experiencing many rewrites and revisions since – Merrily We Roll Along, with music and lyrics by the late-great Stephen Sondheim and book by George Furth, is based on the 1934 play by the same name by the brilliant writing team of George S. Kaufman and…
Delicious dish, with a backstory
I’ve become fascinated with the backstories behind the recipes I’ve made and the ingredients I’ve worked with. I love to collect and browse old cookbooks, especially those from the 1800s. The great cooks of yesteryear were the ones who knew how to coax optimal flavors from simple ingredients, and in many cases, they had better…
Warm up to the music
Hello there, my fellow frigid friends. As we find ourselves in a thaw after the recent cold snap, I see plenty of good music in the forecast. With somewhat warmer weather ahead, but still plenty of cold out there, please check with venues or look for social media posts on the status of a music…
Non-alcoholic drinks gaining in popularity
For nearly 40 years the percentage of American adults who consume alcohol has consistently remained in the low 60s. However, over the past two decades, Gallup reports that alcohol consumption has been steadily declining among younger adults aged 18 to 34. Indeed, specialty non-alcoholic drink offerings have become commonplace in both fine dining restaurants and…
I.S.S. a suspenseful look at international politics, Mean Girls remake fall flat
I.S.S. a taut examination of international politics A callback to the Cold War thrillers of the 1950s and ’60s, Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s I.S.S. taps into the contemporary tension between the United States and Russia. It’s Dr. Kira Foster’s (Ariana DeBose) first trip to the International Space Station and she must take a crash course regarding the…
