Focus on the future
The series of “solemn assemblies” put together by a coalition of religious leaders to commemorate the Springfield race riot of 1908 will conclude Saturday with a service unlike the previous gatherings. The final assembly will feature a guest speaker: Abraham Lincoln Washington, pastor of a West Side Chicago church noted for its mission of racial…
Throwing our troops to the sharks
At a time when American field commanders in Iraq and Afghanistan say they need every single soldier they can get hold of, thousands of our battle-ready troops are being held back in the United States. Why not deploy them? Because the Pentagon has hung this label on them: security risk. There’s nothing squirrelly in the…
Documenting a year of change
This isn’t the Kingsolver you’ve grown to love. It’s nonfiction, about herself and family; in fact, it’s partially written by her husband, Stephen Hopp, a biologist, and her daughter Camille, who has her mother’s talent. And it’s about food. It does tell a story — of the family’s exodus from Tucson, where almost all food…
Three-headed monster
Women and children are literally being thrown into the street while the three-headed monster that runs Illinois government continues to do battle with itself. More than 1,000 protesters gathered at Chicago’s Thompson Center last week to demand an end to the ugly political war that has engulfed Springfield. The protesters sought the restoration of millions…
In the wake of tragedy
Jason Stuebs grew up in a family so big, they would peel and mash an entire 5-pound bag of potatoes to serve at a meal. His big brother Dale Logerquist calls it “the Brady Bunch supersized — his, hers, and ours, and then our parents adopted on top of that.” Jason, 28, obviously enjoyed being…
So long, Senators?
Marissa DeWeese didn’t really mind the congestion at Springfield High School. A member of the marching band, DeWeese thought it was pretty cool once when the band and freshman football team practiced on the same field while a group of law-enforcement agency trainees ran laps around the track. Nevertheless, a committee made up of community…
IT Picks
Joy City After retiring the Springfield-based Lincoln Fest, festival promoter Fred Puglia searched for a new location for a community festival. Our neighbor to the east took up the offer, and the Decatur Celebration was born. Considered Illinois’ largest free family street festival, the event — with the theme “Dancing in the Streets — hosts…
People’s Poetry
poemonpoems #2 I am reading david lehman’sdaily mirror he writes a poema day or says he does the bookis kept in the outhouse I readhis daily output while I tend mydaily output it will take three-hundred-sixty-five days to finish the book unless I getthe trots but then there’salways the chance of consti-pation to balance the…
Things I’ve learned
Soon after they emigrated to the U.S., in 1954, my parents bought a fancy hi-fi radio-record player. A couple of decades later, when I was in high school, they got a new stereo and gave me the hi-fi. The belts on the Grundig Majestic’s turntable were worn, but the vacuum tubes still glowed, the shortwave…
Better left for dead
With nostalgia sequels all the rage (Die Hard, Rambo, etc.) it comes as no surprise that Universal Studios would want to revisit one of its more profitable franchises. Bearing little resemblance to the 1932 original, Stephen Sommers’ The Mummy, released in 1999, was an unexpected hit for the studio and unfortunately prompted a sequel two…
Salad days
Few dishes are better suited to the dog days of summer than rice salads. They’re light — most need little or no oil for the dressing — and are adaptable to a variety of ingredients. Rice is common in cuisines around the world. In some, cool rice salads are traditional, such as the Japanese chirashi-zushi…
Letters to the Editor
We welcome letters. Please include your full name, address, and telephone number. We edit all letters. Send them to Letters, Illinois Times, P.O. Box 5256, Springfield, IL 62705; fax 217-753-3958; e-mail editor@illinoistimes.com. NO ENTHUSIASM FOR BIOTECH After reading the “Bakers vs. wheat farmers” letter [Allen Skogen, July 10], I felt I had to comment. Biotechnology…
Tattoo parlors and Buddhist blues
In 2006 blues artist Jake La Botz wanted to get on the road and play some paying gigs, but he was tired of the hit-or-miss bar scene, so on a whim he booked himself a cross-country tour of tattoo parlors. The resulting shows were such fun and so successful, he made the event an annual…
Made for TV
Minutes before the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, addressed journalists of color this past weekend in Chicago, a few dozen latecomers were asked to relocate, which involved the laborious task of awkwardly scooching past others who were already seated. When nobody moved, a volunteer with the host organization, UNITY: Journalists of Color,…
Explore our garden wonders
It is hard to believe that children will be going back to school in less than three weeks. Every year it seems like summer goes faster, but I guess it’s just because we are busier. Summer baseball, camps, swim lessons . . . the list goes on and on. What’s missing? Some time for relaxation.…
A new sanctuary
Krishna Brahmamdam gives kudos to his fellow community members. Without them, he says, the Hindu Temple of Greater Springfield wouldn’t exist. After a year of planning, fundraising, and searching for the perfect location, the Hindu community has found its home in the former site of Judson Baptist Church, 1001 W. Walnut St., in Chatham. The…
Determined opposition
“I drove through farm ground getting here today — I fall in love with the soybeans, corn, and hay,” Richard Fuller told the small crowd that assembled last week at the Illinois Department of Natural Resources building for round two of the Banner Mine administrative hearing. Fuller, who described himself as a “75-plus-year-old” farmer, suggested…
Think pink
When my husband, Peter, and I were recently invited over by longtime friends Phil and Pat Wheat for a glass of wine at sunset, we accepted eagerly. The Wheats’ modern home is situated on Lake Springfield’s eastern shore, so gorgeous sunsets are practically guaranteed. Pat is a talented interior designer, and usually when we visit…
The forgotten Maxwell brothers
Everybody knows of the exploits of outlaws Frank and Jesse James, but who remembers Ed and Lon Maxwell, two Illinoisans who captured the nation’s attention in the early 1880s? The brothers graduated from petty theft to stealing horses to murder, and made national headlines as they eluded capture for months. The law finally caught up…
