Cover Story
2025 Home and Garden
This year’s Spring Home & Garden issue looks at remodeling trends, DIY household cleaners, upcoming plant sales and seed swaps, and more. Make your list now for the projects you plan to tackle this spring. Related Stories
Sen. Dick Durbin to retire after more than four decades in Congress
Longtime Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, the No. 2 Democrat in the U.S. Senate, announced he will retire after his term ends in January 2027. “I truly love the job of being United State Senator, but in my heart, I know it’s time to pass the torch,” Durbin said in a social media video. Durbin’s retirement…
Trump immigration actions are only latest in white supremacy tradition
The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled recently that Maryland resident Kilmar Abrego Garcia must be released and returned to his family. He was wrongfully deported to the high-security prison in El Salvador based on what the Trump administration calls an “administrative error.” However, during a recent visit to the Oval Office with President Donald Trump,…
Pritzker balances messaging as some Dems encourage party to avoid LGBTQ issues
When Gov. JB Pritzker tells audiences how he became interested in politics, it often starts with stories about his mother. As a child growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, Pritzker often shares, he’d attend marches, rallies and protests with his mother in support of abortion, women’s rights and LGBTQ issues. Those experiences, Pritzker…
Illinois scrambles to boost locally produced farm products after Trump’s funding freeze
When Illinois named small farmer Nathan Ryder a finalist for a federal $100,000 Local Food Infrastructure Grant, he made big plans for his farm in the southeastern tip of the state. Then the U.S. Department of Agriculture cut his funding. The Ryder family farm, a 10-acre operation in Pope County that produces chicken eggs, sheep…
Social Security rescinding its plan to end phone-based filing called a win for Illinois seniors
The Illinois chapter of AARP played a role in the Trump administration reversing itself and allowing Social Security beneficiaries to have the option of filing for benefits over the phone. The continuation of phone-based filing is an about-face of a plan set forth in mid-March by the Social Security Administration (SSA) to restrict telephone services for…
Preview the 2025 Turner Classic Movies Film Festival
Grand Illusions: Fantastic Worlds on Film is the theme of the 2025 Turner Classic Movies Film Festival. To be held from April 24-27, 2025, at various venues along Hollywood Boulevard, this annual gathering of film buffs and aficionados features an eclectic roster of 80 films, from anime to westerns. As always, guests will abound at…
Ballad of Wallis Island focuses on healing, Ugly Stepsister a Cinderella-style horror film
Subtle Wallis a song of healing I’m sure we’ve all indulged ourselves in the fantasy of what we’d do if we won the lottery. It’s a relatively harmless bit of daydreaming, something to get us through the day. Dream homes are imagined, and satisfaction is felt due to the thought of benevolent acts we’d commit,…
A visit from Charlie Kirk
Charlie Kirk’s “Prove Me Wrong American Comeback Tour” came to Illinois State University in Bloomington on April 8. Kirk cofounded Turning Point USA in 2012 and the organization advocates for conservative politics on high school, college and university campuses. ISU is one of 850 campus chapters nationwide. My 19-year-old daughter attends ISU and was eager…
How Republicans became a Statehouse superminority
As President Donald Trump champions conservative values across America, the ideological rift between Illinois’ northern liberal districts and the southern conservative farming communities continues to grow, fueled by decades of partisan policymaking. Kent Redfield, emeritus professor of political science at the University of Illinois Springfield, said two major changes in policy have had the greatest…
Bringing office workers back to downtown
A Springfield company is asking the city for $2.6 million in TIF revenue to help renovate the long-vacant former AT&T building downtown so the 128,000-square-foot structure can be rented as office space to house more than 300 government employees. Christopher Stone, part-owner and managing member of Springfield Partners IV LLC, the company making the TIF…
Changing your world
In 2011, Chad Pregracke received a standing ovation from four former U.S. presidents at the Kennedy Center while accepting the Points of Light Award. The short introductory film shown at this ceremony documented Pregracke, founder of Living Lands and Waters, fighting to improve the health of the Mississippi River by removing trash and inspiring others…
DIY products for spring cleaning
It doesn’t take a bevy of bought cleaners to get your home sparkling clean. In fact, you probably already have the ingredients on hand in your pantry to make a myriad of effective cleaners. Whether you’re looking to save money or reduce your exposure to harsh chemicals, these easy-to-prepare solutions will have you wondering why…
Plan your home improvement projects
Whether it’s adding outdoor spaces for relaxation, adding another room for functionality, changing aesthetics to update the look of your home or making improvements for energy efficiency and savings on utility bills, this is the time of year to get it done. Griffitts Construction and Buraski Builders are both family-owned and operated businesses that have…
Illinois Native Plant Society enhances the environment and communit
A diversity of native trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants will be for sale along with multiple milkweed species and a selection of plants for pollinators and wildlife at the Illinois Native Plant Society’s popular annual native plant sale, planned for 9 a.m. on Saturday, May 10, at the Reisch Pavilion at the Illinois State Fairgrounds.…
Council dedicates funds to east side growth
The Springfield City Council meeting was packed with big decisions and some heated moments: – Emotional farewells for the police and fire chiefs after nearly three decades of service each. – A zoning request for a longer dock on Lake Springfield drew strong warnings about changing the rules — yet the council approved the extension…
Health care careers, summer program fees and awards
The board is piloting a new Hospital Heroes program at three schools, giving students a firsthand look at health care careers beyond doctors and nurses. Ridgely, Wilcox, and Southern View are the first to try out these hands-on kits, with hopes to expand soon. Recognition was given to this year’s top administrator and educator, as…
The Big Bad Wolf in real life
Fables may challenge the truth, but the truth will ultimately reveal all forms of false fable perceptions. Enter the Big Bad Wolf. The main character of certain fables – Little Red Riding Hood and the The Three Little Pigs. He is the epitome of self-affirmed Importance. No matter his outer appearance, his nature is a…
Miso soup for the soul
Miso has been on my mind a lot lately. I just taught a fermentation class at Lincoln Land Community College and demonstrated how to make miso. Then, this week, I read that astronauts aboard the International Space Station successfully made miso in space. So today’s column will be all about miso and its most well-known…
April’s at it again
There’s something enticing about April, how the world refreshes and starts anew. Of course, T.S. Eliot famously called it the “cruellest month,” basically because of this enticement that T.S. felt only led to deeper disappointment. But let the poets take us where they dare, we’re talking about live music and the Springfield scene where April…
The Cher Show at the UIS Performing Arts Center
Three women bring icon’s story, songs to the stage Some say superstars come and go but Cher is forever. So it certainly appears. In this Tony Award-winning musical, three women portray different phases of the iconic singer’s life: “the kid starting out, the glam pop star and the icon.” They’ll bring 35 hit songs from…
Judge dismisses lawsuit contesting city clerk appointment
A Sangamon County judge has dealt a blow to efforts to unseat City Clerk Chuck Redpath from his post, which opponents say he obtained through an illegitimate city council vote. The longtime Springfield City Council member was appointed clerk Jan. 7 by a divided council after a tumultuous, two-hour meeting amid allegations the process was…
Poem by Gillian
Everyone sleeps but I am risen with the sun, and the grass wets with cold and freshness above my knees, softly then under the trees through the fence. Down now, to be seen is to be caught. Scramble up a cliffside scraping, stinging, and brambles hold me down. The trees at the top are quiet…
Home and Garden Calendar
Ongoing Spring Migration Bird Hikes Thursdays, 8-9:30am. Through May 15. Matt Hayes of the Illinois Audubon Society will lead hikes looking for migratory species as well as resident species. Free. Adams Wildlife Sanctuary, 2315 Clear Lake Ave., 217-544-2473. April April Wildflower Walks Saturdays in April, 10am and 2pm. Guided walks on Elkhart Hill presented by…
Hope Springs eternal for Enos Park housing project
The Springfield City Council unanimously approved a zoning change April 15 that will allow for construction of a housing complex to serve residents with physical and/or mental disabilities. The new facility, slated to be built at 849 N. Ninth St. on the eastern edge of the Enos Park neighborhood, would be an expansion of ongoing…
Healing the World, Part III
In Part I of Healing the World, I wrote of the need for self-care and using the spiritual practices of prayer and meditation to stay grounded in turbulent times, and in Part II, the theme was collaborating with others and the efforts the Baha’is are making to reach out to the wider community. In this…
