The Price Is Right Live – Ticket Giveaway
Enter this sweepstakes for a chance to win in a pair of tickets to attend The Price Is Right Live, at UIS Sangamon Auditoriumon February 13th, 2019.
Firefighters endorse residency deal
Call it residency lite. Springfield firefighters have ratified a contract with the city that would require new hires to live within city limits for 15 years. After that, they could live wherever they choose. “No one should be disappointed, no one should be gleeful,” said Ward 7 Ald. Joe McMenamin. “Government is the art of…
RIP, Peanut
When Peanut was acquired from the Animal Protective League nearly 11 years ago, she had no name. We didn’t know her age. The vet thought three. She seemed to have a bit of puppy in her. She’d fetch balls and play and lick. Oh, how she loved to lick, as if the whole world wanted…
DIY democracy
What do the majority of Americans want their lawmakers working on? Check any legitimate poll and you’ll hear them saying clearly and consistently that they want such basics as middle-class jobs, health care for all, a fixed-up infrastructure, a government uncorrupted by corporate cash, a little less greed and, you know, the Common Good. And…
Editor’s Note 01/10/19
Read this week’s cover story and then tell us who to blame for Harvard Park Elementary being one of the state’s lowest performing schools. The children? The teachers? The parents? Educators, administrators and board members will tell you there are no easy answers, which too often masks having given up on finding answers. Is part…
Letters to the Editor
WE CAUSE CLIMATE CHANGEIn a recent letter to IT, Jack Heller argues that it would be a “waste of money” for CWLP to capture heat-trapping greenhouse gases from the Dallman power plant because the earth’s current warming trend is just a natural cycle, and that it would be “arrogant” to think humans can influence the…
Better than a border wall
When I get in discussions about whether we need a wall on the U.S.-Mexican border stretching from the Pacific to the Gulf of Mexico, my opposition to the Trump Wall is often misunderstood as being against enforcing immigration laws or having border security. Yet I think we need border security and enforcement of immigration laws.…
Molly Schlich Independent and International Film Series
The Chilean film, A Fantastic Woman, is the first film of the 2019 Molly Schlich Independent and International Film Series presented by the Springfield Art Association (SAA) beginning Sunday, Jan. 13. The 2017 film, directed by Sebastián Lelio and written by Lelio and Gonzalo Maza, won an academy award for Best Foreign Language Film. It…
Carillon Winter Concerts
On Sundays and Wednesdays, listen for the sound of the Thomas Rees Memorial Carillon as Springfield Park District’s carillonneur, Carlo van Ulft, plays a wide variety of music from original carillon compositions to arrangements of classical, folk and popular music for the winter season. The Carillon Winter Concerts will continue through April 28 on Sundays…
Keeping It Rio
This girl I’ve been dating for two months is soon going to Brazil for three months! We aren’t officially committed, so it seems unfair to ask her to be monogamous. We plan to stay in touch, but I don’t want to hear about her with other dudes, and selfishly, I don’t want to stay home,…
Inside a struggling school
“If you spend any time with these kids, your heart will melt. You look at these kids, some as poor as church mice, and they’re learning, they’re excited.” Those are the words of Harvard Park Elementary School building principal James Hayes, who is proud of what the teachers, volunteers and administration of the nearly 500-student…
Park District board to fill three seats
Five candidates are seeking three seats on the Springfield Park District Board, a position that entrusts those who are elected to care for the more than 40 parks and golf courses, a zoo and a budget exceeding $25 million. The seven-member board has three trustee positions – Don Evans, Tina Jannazzo and C.J. Metcalf seats…
Spreading the wealth
Springfield visitors who take the South Grand Avenue exit off Interstate 72 may think they’ve ended up in Detroit instead of Illinois’ capital. If those same visitors make a right on to 16th Street, they’ll find themselves in the heart of the east side, where a residential street resembles a mouth with few teeth. With…
Piece of the pot
With growing support among politicians and the public, Illinois could likely legalize recreational marijuana as soon as next year. But, passing legislation may hinge on where the revenue will go. There may be several reasons to make pot legal in Illinois, but the one that catches the most attention involves dollar signs, and rightfully so.…
Basis of Sex doesn’t ring true
During the ‘30s and ‘40s, biopics were a staple of the major studios, particularly Warner Brothers and MGM, where films were made recounting the greatness of the men – and occasional woman – that made the country, and sometimes the world, a wonderful place to live. These portraits espoused the virtues of their subject, presenting…
Mighty music making
Here we go full-force into a schedule of life in all lanes as the holidays are completely behind us and 2019 is in plain sight. There are plenty of our regular music makers lined up for this weekend as well as a few surprises in store for you. Come on, let’s go. The first of…
Thornhill
Fans of local music happenings should be quite familiar with the name Thornhill and the consistently fine music made by the band led by singer, songwriter, guitarist and performer, Tina Thornhill. Joined in song by friends and family, Joel Zulauf (guitar, vocals), Patty Kniss (drums), Lynna Thornhill (bass, vocals) and Terri Patterson (vocals), the combo…
Kitchen wisdom
My in-laws used to tell a story about how they always cut a small piece off the end of the ham before roasting it. When someone asked what purpose this served, Great-grandmother replied, “I don’t know why the rest of you do it, but I always cut a piece off the end of the ham…
