Everything you wanted to know but were afraid to ask
Stumbled upon this site, Crime Reports, and wanted to share it. Plug in Springfield, Illinois and whammy – all the statistics for crime in our fair city – the third most dangerous city in the U.S., according to some.
Out of the belly of a whale
Trapped in a body? Here’s an easy and effective diet you might try – the Flat Belly Diet from the folks at Prevention Magazine. Basically this plan guides you through five days of cleansing (cleansing, meaning eliminating soda and fast food burgers and all the processed, empty calorie, bad-for-us-anyway foods). A specially-prepared water accompanies regular…
So long, Charlie
If you aren’t interested in gastronomy, you probably haven’t heard of Charlie Trotter. If you are, you know that Trotter exploded onto the dining scene 25 years ago. His Chicago restaurant, Charlie Trotter’s, soon became one of the top – many said the top – dining destinations in America, known for groundbreaking cuisine as well…
Early morning ruminations
Oh boy, call it a late one, or early as the case may be. The clock says 4:32 a.m. and I’m wide awake. The problem stems from the schedule switch I attempt to accomplish each week as the nighttime weekend gigs finish and the daily chores arrive in the regular morning hours. Anyone who’s worked…
Letter to the Editor 01/19/12
QUINN, GAMBLING KINGGov. Pat Quinn recently rattled his sword in support of a casino in Chicago and four other sites in Illinois. He also touted the feds giving the OK for Illinois to begin selling lottery tickets online. Then he said with enthusiasm that video poker would be ready to start later in 2012. Quinn…
Honor system for air pollution?
As state regulators prepare to issue a permit for a state-of-the-art “clean coal” plant planned for Taylorville, one environmental group criticizes the proposed permit for not specifically requiring carbon capture technology. The Taylorville Energy Center project, planned by Omaha, Neb.-based Tenaska, Inc., would be the first power plant of its kind to capture a significant…
Despite malpractice payouts, sheriffs still use jail doctor
More than $1 million has been paid out in Illinois since 2010 to settle lawsuits filed against Dr. Stephen A. Cullinan, a Peoria physician who has been sued dozens of times for substandard care in jails throughout the Midwest. Despite a history of lawsuits and payouts, Cullinan’s company, called Health Professionals Limited, is still used…
Is debtors’ prison making a comeback in Illinois?
Illinois citizens worrying about paying off their debts might now have to also worry about being thrown in jail if they do not pay. Despite it being illegal in Illinois to put someone in jail because of their debt, collection agencies may have found a way to do just that. The problem is twofold. First,…
Science of words
Families are invited to Lincoln Library for a literacy fair that looks to the skies to propel children into the incredible world of reading and writing. Sponsored by the Junior League of Springfield, “Time to NepTUNE into a Good Book” includes crafts, face painting, games, and readings by local celebrity guest readers. Reading is Fundamental…
Extremely Loud and ridiculous
Some 10 years later, we’re still trying to come to terms with the attacks of 9/11. Perhaps the most important aspect of art is that it allows us to examine tragedies of this sort in an attempt to understand their impact and perhaps take some steps towards healing from them. This is the intent of…
A new old street
The National Park Service has released its final general management plan that sets the parameters for development and preservation at the Lincoln Home National Historical Site for at least the next 15 to 20 years. It matters, even to the many Springfieldians who visit the place only to show visiting new in-laws around, since the…
SJ-R to lay off copy editors
UPDATE: Nearly a dozen people were fired at the State Journal-Register on Thursday andtoday, according to employees who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear oflosing their jobs. The layoffs started two days after publisher Walt Lafferty told employees thatthe copy desk, where pages are designed, headlines written and copy checked forerrors, will be…
Illinois pushes back credit ratings gloom and doom
As you probably know already, Moody’s slapped Illinois with its worst credit rating of any state in the nation earlier this month. But while Moody’s report was damaging, S&P’s rating was far more negative about the state’s future. Moody’s cited Illinois’ “weak management practices” as one reason for its ratings downgrade. Its failure to implement…
Mike Zito
A St. Louis native who took to working at Tower Grove Music fresh out of high school intent on making music a lifelong endeavor, Mike Zito plays the blues like nobody’s business. After years of touring the country, releasing four independent records and making a good name on the circuit, he signed a good deal…
Power plays
The Sangamon Valley Group of the Sierra Club and Sustainable Springfield, Inc. host a Smart Energy Forum at Lincoln Library on Jan. 24 during the SVG’s monthly meeting. Featured is the City Water, Light and Power Energy Services Office. Manager Bill Mills leads the forum providing general updates on CWLP energy efficiency and conservation programs,…
Time to fix nuclear waste disposal system
The year 2011 was a scary year for nuclear reactor sites. The summer floods threatened to encroach on reactors in Nebraska and Iowa, an earthquake and a hurricane happened in quick succession to rattle and flood the East Coast, and the continuing events of the Fukushima-Daiichi reactor accident provided harrowing examples of the threats posed…
Sheila Simon school reform group moves on to classroom efficiency
Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon’s Classrooms First Commission is entering the second stage of its process to improve classroom efficiency, with the commission now being broken into four work groups. The Classrooms First Commission was formed as a result of HB 1216, which passed Aug.23. The 20-member commission is to recommend ways Illinois school districts can…
19th century soldiers
An impressive Civil War exhibit fills the first and second floors of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library during 2012. Weekdays, visit the display titled, “Illinois Answers the Call: Boys in Blue.” The vast collection features artifacts such as letters, diaries, sketches, songs and the faces of Illinois soldiers including African-American regiments. Highlights are an original…
griefpoem #8
when anyone says “how are you?” – a common greeting – I reply cheerfully “holding up” – that seems an acceptable answer and it’s true.I needn’t elaborate that there are often somepleasures, even once in a while a moment ofjoy though I am never a blink away from tears
Afghanistan forever. And ever. And ever.
Oh, to be in Afghanistan again, when the poppies are in bloom! If you need a symbol of how America’s decade-long war is going in this faraway land, look no farther than the beautiful fields of red poppies flowering so bountifully there. Unfortunately, that bounty symbolizes a failure of an ambitious Western initiative against the…
Moving pictures
The Molly Schlich 2012 Film Series begins Sunday, Jan. 22, at the AMC Parkway 8 movie theater with the viewing of the inspiring American film The Hammer. The story follows a young deaf wrestler who works his way to the National Collegiate Championship. The Springfield Art Association’s foreign and independent film series runs through April…
Witchful Witchful thinking
I’m a retired pastor in my 50s. A nearby church wanted my help with their Christmas musical, and I asked my wife of five years, who played bass at my church, to join me. She became angry at this suggestion and said I should do my own thing on Christmas and she’d do hers. She…
A winter full of fine Springfield theater
The new year begins with exciting theater in Springfield, with the now-playing Chess, a musical by Benny Anderssen and Bjorn Ulvaes (of ABBA fame) with lyrics by Tim Rice (Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita), in a production directed by Laurie O’Brien at the Hoogland Center for the Arts, continuing this weekend (Fri. and Sat. at 8…
