George Washington foretells Trump
George Packer in The New Yorker reminds us that George Washington, in his farewell address upon leaving office in 1796, said this about the danger of partisan demagoguery. It agitates the community with ill-founded jealousies and false alarms, kindles the animosity of one part against another, foments occasionally riot and insurrection. It opens the door…
He’s baaack!
Jeffrey Parsons, who left town years ago but can’t seem to escape legal detritus from his business dealings in Springfield, is back in the news, this time in Texas, where he now lives. Customers who hired Windsong Estate Sales, a company Parsons has said is owned by his wife, to conduct estate sales in the…
Springfield businessman charged with raping UIS student
A Springfield businessman once employed by the University of Illinois Springfield in the school’s exchange student program has been charged with raping a freshman from China and has also been accused of sexually assaulting other students. Xuesong “Gary” Yang was arrested in August. He’s been charged with two counts of criminal sexual assault and is…
Red brick roads
Springfield has no yellow brick roads leading toward Oz – I know because I looked for one for 40 years. It used to have plenty of red brick ones, though, gorgeous streets the color of aged wine. Bloomington is thought to have been the first Illinois town to pave streets in brick, in 1877. As…
Searching for integrity in Trumplandia
It’s about time America has a president who will stand up to those greed-headed corporate executives who keep hauling our middle-class jobs out of country. Bring those jobs back home, Donald Trump bellowed, or I’ll slap you with a huuuge tariff when you try to sell your foreign-made products here. Great stuff, Donnie. And to…
A study in contrasts
If I had to choose a word to describe the Democrats’ nominating speeches for House Speaker Michael Madigan’s reelection last week, it would be either “defensive” or perhaps “joyless.” The speeches seemed directly aimed at Madigan’s toughest critics – and there are plenty of those out there. The nominators at times angrily justified their own…
Letters to the Editor 1/19/17
AMERICANS UNITEDWhat caused the election for president in 2016 to go to a complete outsider? There was no question that with the many candidates running for president of the United States in the 2015/2016 election cycle, one established insider was destined to win. That was what we were told on a daily basis, and…
Editor’s note 1/19/17
The inauguration of a new flamboyant, iconoclastic but unpredictable president this week has prompted from progressives a most American reaction – to protest and organize. Many from Springfield will join thousands from around the nation in Washington, D.C., for demonstrations on the day after the inauguration. Meanwhile, Springfield Call to Action is planning a rally…
Should support of Israel become conditional?
Recently Secretary of State John Kerry delivered a provocative and sobering speech touching on the viability of future Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, and again brought into question the nature of the U.S.-Israeli relationship under the Obama administration. The speech was preceded by a 14-0 vote by the U.N. Security Council (Resolution 2334) censuring ongoing Israeli settlement…
Inauguration questions answered
The 2016 election has shaken longstanding assumptions about American politics, leaving many people with more questions than answers. On Inauguration Day, the Springfield Art Association and University of Illinois Springfield will host a panel discussion on the second floor of Innovate Springfield to answer questions surrounding the history of presidential elections, politics and presidential inaugurations.…
Reflections on race
The Springfield Race Unity Committee presents eight local small conversation groups (including Springfield police officers) reporting on past, present and future efforts to promote unity, interracial understanding and empathy in Springfield. The two-hour program, which will take place on Jan. 21, from 12:30-2:30 p.m., at the First United Methodist Church, is open to all who…
Is it something I wed?
Two of my girlfriends just got divorced. Both recently admitted to me that they knew they shouldn’t have gotten married at the time but did anyway. Just this weekend, another friend – married for only a year and fighting bitterly with her husband – also said she knew she was making a mistake before her…
Downtown. Can we talk?
Downtown Springfield lacks many things. A hardware store. A movie theater. A college. A dry cleaning shop. Modern parking meters. What it does have are things that no city wants in its urban heart. Vacant buildings. Homeless people. Empty parking lots. Railroad tracks. Take a drive or stroll through downtown and the conclusion hammered home…
An orchestra in transition
With Saturday’s concert, “American Voices,” the Illinois Symphony Orchestra will complete phase one of this season’s vetting of candidates for the position of new music director for the ISO, with the fourth and final candidate, Boston native Aram Demirjian, taking his place in the conductor’s position. The search process began in July of 2015, when…
Madigan rallies, pro and con
As Michael Madigan was being reelected speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives for an unprecedented 17th time, the day the 100th General Assembly was inaugurated, protesters from the Illinois Policy Institute (IPI) staged a rally to criticize Madigan outside the ceremonies at University of Illinois Springfield. Austin Berg, senior writer for IPI, organized the…
Lawmakers propose tax on sugary beverages
One bill in a bipartisan package of tax measures proposed as a way to break the state’s budget impasse aims to impose increased taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages. Senate Bill 009, the Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Tax Act, was introduced by Sen. Toi Hutchinson on Jan. 11. The bill pledges to increase the sales tax on sugar-flavored beverages…
Criminal justice reform report lands on Rauner’s desk
The final report by the Commission on Criminal Justice and Sentencing Reform includes measures that could achieve Gov. Bruce Rauner’s goal of reducing the prison population by 25 percent over the next 10 years, according to commission chairman and public safety director Rodger Heaton. The report added 13 new recommendations to the ones presented to…
UNITY RALLY SATURDAY
A group identifying itself as “Springfield Call To Action” (SC2A) is organizing a rally for 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 21, at the Old State Capitol plaza. The event is timed to coincide with the Women’s March on Washington and similar demonstrations happening throughout the country in the wake of the presidential inauguration of Donald J.…
HOTELS PUSH TO STOP TAX PROPOSAL
Springfield hotels from are teaming up to oppose a tax increase. The Springfield Hotel Lodging Association (SHLA) announced it is imploring Mayor James Langfelder and the city council not to pass a proposal that would raise lodging and hotel taxes from six percent to seven percent. The money generated would be used to operate Oak…
Keaton riveting in The Founder
Of course I can’t be for certain, but I can’t imagine that even in his wildest dreams Ray Kroc could have conceived that McDonald’s restaurants would have the impact on the world that they do today. With 36,615 locations worldwide and having posted a $25 billion profit for 2015, it’s estimated that 68 million people…
Show me shows
We survived the great ice scare of last weekend with a few cancellations and a little rescheduling, which resulted in bonus attendance at the gigs that remained, attended by brave and reckless souls determined to experience live music at all costs. This weekend is bursting with in-town and out-of-town music all over town. The annual…
Ultraviolet
Back in 2003, Suzie Stephens decided to get a group together to expand and expose her love of music and performance, creating Ultraviolet in the process. Born a fourth cousin (really) to Bill Monroe, known historically as the “Father of Bluegrass,” Suzy found exposure to all kinds of music as a child – from piano…
mythology poem #1
I’ve been pondering zeusruler of the state supreme kinglypower he cast down thunderboltswhen angry or to punish any onehe disliked he was adept at changinghimself to get what he wanted hebecame a swan to rape leda heravished danae with a golden showerthis is in many depictions go googleto see a lulu of a greek urn…
It’s citrus season
After weeks of rich wintery fare, nature has a way of offering her own elixir. Citrus fruits are in peak season now through early spring, arriving just in time to pull us out of our butter-laden holiday haze. Bright, refreshing and packed with nutrients, these sunny fruits liven up savory and sweet dishes alike. The…
