Dressing for success
Life’s too short to look like a homeless person. That’s why I shop at Goodwill. Spend enough time combing racks in Springfield’s thrift stores and you will, eventually and inevitably, find barely worn Brioni sport coats and flawless Alden Norwegian split toe bluchers made from finest shell cordovan leather for south of $5. You have…
Getting trapped in The Donald’s cuckoo nest
Ours is, after all, a nation of laws, right? We value justice and we believe everyone has a right to have their day in court. Right? But what if the court is turned into a loony bin and the law itself becomes a mockery of justice? Welcome to the federal immigration courts struggling to deal…
Mitchell is ‘a foot in the door for the next generation’
Right up front, let’s just stipulate that the recent appointment of state Rep. Christian Mitchell (D-Chicago) as the Democratic Party of Illinois’ interim executive director will not usher in an immediate sea change. First, this is a temporary, part-time gig. Rep. Mitchell told me he has no interest in staying on after the election and…
Letters to the Editor 7/19/18
DOWNPOUR MAGIC Amaranth Apple Festival, sponsored by Downtown Springfield, Inc., began early Friday when Steven Duchrow performed a Vachel Lindsay interpretation at the Illinois State Library. Later Friday night the festival picked up downtown with music, food and merriment to stimulate the crowd. Mr. Duchrow hit the main stage to bellow more Vachel Lindsay-isms to inspire the moment. The…
Editor’s Note 07/19/18
While the current president was flummoxing over pushback from his lovefest with Vladimir Putin, former president Barack Obama was in South Africa lecturing about how truth is now up for debate and how politicians stand by baseless claims after they’re proved wrong. “We see the utter loss of shame among political leaders, where they’re caught…
Democrats, may we have your attention?
He was the “King-of-Queens” New York, a congressman both respected and feared. She was a Bernie Sanders 2016 volunteer. He ruled his fiefdom for years unchallenged as chairman of the Queens Democratic Party’s organization. She worked as a bartender. He parlayed his Wall Street fund-raising prowess into contributions for other House members – then in…
Memorabilia, appraisals, exhibitions
The biggest show and sale of political campaign memorabilia in the nation, hosted by the American Political Items Collectors, will take place at the Crowne Plaza Springfield on Saturday, July 21, and Sunday, July 22. The Political Memorabilia Show and Sale offers attendees the opportunity to shop from 200-plus dealer tables featuring more than 500,000…
The wait is over
On July 21, bring your brood downtown to celebrate the grand opening of the Kidzeum of Health and Science. The fun begins with a “Kids Day” celebration at the Old Capitol Farmers Market from 7:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. A grand opening event for Kidzeum members only will take place from 9 to 10 a.m.…
Vintage WWII aircraft
From July 23 through 25, aviation enthusiasts will have the opportunity to explore and/or fly aboard extremely-rare vintage WWII aircraft during the 110-city “Wings of Freedom Tour” hosted by The Collings Foundation, a 501c3 non-profit educational foundation devoted to direct audience participation in “living history” events. The tour, which will touch base in Springfield at…
Credible fret
I’m a 34-year-old woman in a two-year relationship with a guy. I’ve never been the jealous type. Yet, I do feel oddly possessive and jealous in this relationship, especially lately. My friends say this is a sign I need to “work on” myself. Really? If so, how? What do I need to do? — Worried…
Open for learning. Ready for play.
The Kidzeum of Health and Science opens in downtown Springfield on Saturday, July 21. After years of planning and fundraising, the long-awaited children’s museum will at last be a reality. Kids are certain to have fun tickling a giant nose and making it sneeze. Although the focus for kids is having fun, at the Kidzeum…
From dream to reality
Opening the Kidzeum has been a long journey with a winding path. In the end, it came full circle, with the Kidzeum opening in downtown Springfield just a few blocks from the original location of the Springfield Children’s Museum. In the intervening time, a lot has changed downtown. The idea of a children’s museum started…
Sacred spaces for sale
“There has to be community engagement on the sale of this campus,” said Ward Five alderman Andrew Proctor at a public meeting held Monday, July 16, regarding the sale of Springfield’s sprawling branch campus of Benedictine University, headquartered in Lisle. The property has been unused since the conclusion of the 2018 spring semester and the…
It’s a bird, it’s a plane…
As birds go, Mississippi kites are not classic beauties. They are gray, like pigeons or seagulls. One of the smaller members of the raptor family, Mississippi kites are, by definition, birds of prey, although they stick mainly to June bugs and other insects. Be careful: The birds are known for swooping down, dive-bomber style, on…
SIU EMERGENCY PRACTICE
SIU Medical School residents and students will participate in the seventh annual Emergency Medical Services Day. Weather permitting, a helicopter crew will land and simulate a flight, discussing the specifics and challenges of aeromedical transport. Learners will use the “Jaws of Life” and other hydraulic tools to break down a car and practice survivor extraction.…
JACKSON LEADS PRAYER IN KOREA
At the invitation of the National Council of Churches in Korea, Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr., will deliver the opening prayer at a national vigil for peace next week at the Korean demilitarized zone (DMZ) during a week-long peace mission and speaking tour of the Korean Peninsula. Jackson and the Rainbow PUSH Coalition will lead a delegation…
Unnerving Dark Web is a terrifying cautionary tale
Earlier this year critics were falling all over themselves in praising Ari Aster’s Hereditary as a horror classic, a game changer in the genre that defied expectations and left viewers a quivering mess. I was ambivalent about the whole thing, seeing that film as overwrought, directionless, and hardly worth the time invested once its’ premise…
July flying by
Here we go again with another week of local music news, happenings, and coming and goings, sometimes filled with sadness and other times bounding with joy. With a heavy heart we report the loss of another Springfield area musician as bassist Scott Leach of Rochester passed away at his home last week. Scott was in…
Rockford
First off, the band is not from Rockford, Illinois, or any Rockford anywhere. The indie-rock quartet consists of high school students from Springfield (class of 2019) who named the band in honor of a friend whose family moved to Rockford, Illinois. The band got together to play and have fun, with a couple members learning…
already old news: screwy poem
already old news: screwy poem whole world’s eyes have beenriveted on saving a dozen trappedboys international sighs of relief(though some may have lung fungus:they’re isolated on a special ward)how fickle is news it focuses oncurrent crises: here in US thousandstoddlers to teens still unrescued tornfrom parents our govt not knowingwhere many are – herded into…
Cold noodles for hot days
Despite our president’s suspicion that global warming is a hoax, all-time high temperatures are being recorded across the world, from Denver to Montreal to Scotland to Oman to Pakistan. Temperatures in Northern Siberia have been soaring 40 degrees above normal. As I write this, the temperature outside is 96 degrees. On days like these, I…
