Cover Story
Pandemic pastimes
If you wonder what many of us are doing during the pandemic and plan to continue for the upcoming holidays, look no further than the alphabet’s second letter. Bonding, booking, baking, birding and biking are popular ways to cope with the stress of the virus and stay-at-home directives. Bonding Ryan Leake, owner of Little Lincoln’s…
State buys former Sears space at White Oaks
White Oaks Mall has a new anchor tenant: the state of Illinois. After purchasing space formerly occupied by Sears for $3.5 million last August, the state now plans to move Illinois Environmental Protection Agency headquarters from North Grand Avenue to the mall. The complex now occupied by IEPA is slated for demolition to make room…
Public access reduced at city hall
Mayor Jim Langfelder announced today that appointments will be required to meet with any department at city hall starting Monday. “With the potential increasing spread of COVID-19 because of Thanksgiving Day travel and gatherings, we are taking additional precautions while continuing our services to the public,” Langfelder said in a written statement. “The decisions we…
Be thankful Trump lost
There is a certain calm that has descended since the election, and for that we should be thankful. We still have Trump to kick around for awhile, but fewer and fewer people are listening to what he says about coronavirus or the man on the moon. It’s good that Thanksgiving, especially this year, comes not…
CELEBRATE EXONEREES
The Illinois Innocence Project, based at University of Illinois Springfield, is celebrating that four of its clients who began 2020 in prison will be home for Thanksgiving. Collectively, they spent 111 years wrongfully incarcerated. The four clients include a woman who was released in response to a plea for an expedited clemency petition ruling from…
What will become of Trumpism?
A few years after serving as Bill Clinton’s vice president, Al Gore was a guest on “The Daily Show” back when Jon Stewart sat behind the desk. As Gore reviewed his environmental work, the host was sincerely impressed. Stewart said perhaps he was able to get more done now than if he had won the…
Mast takes helm at museum foundation
Making peace is job one – or close to it – for the new head of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation, the private foundation that is a fundraising arm for the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. Erin Carlson Mast, set to begin duties as the foundation’s president and chief executive officer on Jan.…
Editors note 11/26/20
We are used to being put on the spot by being asked to name one thing for which we are thankful. Now David Brooks suggests other questions to ask around the Thanksgiving Zoom screen. “What would you do if you weren’t afraid?” If that goes well, try, “What crossroads are you at, and which direction…
Illinois preps for first 400,000 vaccine doses
After Pfizer submitted its application for a COVID-19 vaccine to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration last week, Illinois public health officials have continued preparing locations to store and distribute the vaccine that could be released to frontline hospital workers in a matter of weeks. Pfizer announced Nov. 20 that it planned to submit its…
Not looking good for Madigan
On page nine of last week’s federal indictment of four people accused of conspiring to bribe House Speaker Michael Madigan with favors from ComEd is this heading: “Defendants and Relevant Individuals.” But the first person listed is not one of the defendants. “Public Official A was the Speaker of the House of Representatives,” the list begins.…
Heart operation, redux
in 2007 I had a pacemaker put in I wrote this poem which is okay to repeat for I couldn’t get to our lake season 2019, due to covid: “what this summer I am denied is what I love best about being here naked in the still dawn the water welcoming my gliding breaststroke through…
Looking for unique holiday gifts?
“This is a really good time to go with the flow,” says Adena Rivas of launching Creative Reuse Marketplace during 2020. Rivas works for the City of Springfield as the waste and recycling programs coordinator, in addition to her volunteer work as the founder and project manager of the Creative Reuse Marketplace (CRM). Beginning in…
SAA Collective opens new gallery downtown
The Springfield Art Association (SAA) Collective has opened its new gallery in the historic Broadwell Pharmacy building downtown at 105 N. Fifth Street, relocating from the Hoogland Center for the Arts, which has been closed to the public since March. “The closure was a big piece” of moving the gallery, states Betsy Dollar, SAA executive…
Obesity and pets
According to the Association of Pet Obesity Prevention, in 2017, more than 56 percent of pet dogs were overweight or obese and 60 percent of cats fell in the same category. Owners must ensure their pets maintain healthy diets and remain active to avoid putting their animals at risk of developing serious diseases. Here are…
Money saving tips
Every responsible pet owner realizes their four-legged friends is a commitment. In addition to annual wellness checks, there are often emergencies. The American Veterinary Medical Association reports cost of pet care is increasing due to advances in medical technology. For this reason, they suggest acquiring pet health insurance. Of course, you should ask your local…
Caring for a senior pet
As your beloved pet ages, you may notice concerning behavior changes. While some differences may not seem significant, they must be reported to your veterinarian, especially as animals begin their senior years. Urgency is key as some symptoms can be caused by medical problems that demand immediate attention. Advances in medical technology are helping aging…
Pet-specific first-aid kit
You may already know the importance of keeping a first-aid kit around. Since animals are naturally curious and act on instincts, it can be lifesaving to have an emergency kit specifically for their needs, especially if you are far from home and medical care. Many of the recommended items to keep at hand for your…
Diabetic pets
According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, diabetes is most common in older pets but still occurs in younger and pregnant animals. Much like when the disease is found in people, early detection makes it more manageable. Learn the warning signs and how to care for your pet suffering from diabetes. A common form of…
Melvin D. Wing
Melvin D. Wing, 86, of Springfield, died at 9:35 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 16, 2020 at Memorial Medical Center with a best friend on the phone, Nurse Jake bedside, and another best friend just arriving. Melvin was born on March 9, 1934 in Springfield, the son of Melvin D. Wing, Jr. and Tillie A. Koehler…
Turkey tapas
That old Yiddish adage Mann Tracht, Un Gott Lacht (which translates to Man plans and God Laughs), keeps running through my head these days. It’s ironic that I decided to retire from dentistry to embark on a new career as a chef exactly one year before COVID-19 started shutting down the restaurants. Presumably the pandemic…
Letters to the editor 11/26/20
We welcome letters. Please include your full name, address and telephone number. We edit all letters. Send them to letters@illinoistimes.com. —- GOOD RIDDANCE What a garish, inelegant eyesore (“Good riddance: Is Nevada final stop for statue?” Nov. 19). Such a great world-class museum and we got this undignified thing front and center. Nevada – great…
Giving thanks for what we got
Can we be at that Thanksgiving milestone already in 2020? I hear folks say this year everything seems to be moving so fast, yet crawling by at the same time, and I can report feeling that same sense of strange times gone astray. Be that as it may, here we are and here we go,…
The park formerly known as Douglas
What was known as Douglas Park (943 W. Mason St.) in Springfield has a new name. On Nov. 18, the Springfield Park District board voted 6-1 to rename the park in honor of Otis B. Duncan. He was a Springfield resident who served in World War I and was the highest-ranking Black member of his…
Brown Bag Series
Classical pianist and piano instructor Matt Nall will open this year’s season of First Presbyterian Church’s annual Brown Bag Concert Series. The free lunchtime concerts are offered on Wednesdays during Advent. In addition to Nall, this year’s lineup includes singer Emily Wheeler, who has frequented the operatic and choral stages, violinist Chenoa Alamu, who first…
FUN WITH NUMBERS
With coronavirus crescendoing and epidemiologists warning that big Thanksgiving dinners will lead to small Christmas funerals, authorities say they have been doing everything possible to corral the pandemic. In Springfield, the city boasts about taking the toughest measures in the state, authorizing police to write $50 citations to maskless people found inside any building open…
Good tidings aplenty in Square
2020 has put a crimp in a great many things, among them, going to the theater. And while no one in the area has likely missed the Great White Way, if you’re a fan of community theater, there’s been a definite void in your life. But fear not, Dolly Parton has come to the rescue…
