GET IN LINE
A legal spat between THR & Associates and the public-television station that produces Antiques Roadshow is starting to get, well, old. WGBH, the television station based in Boston, was back in federal court on Tuesday, saying that THR, which buys gold and silver at buying events nationwide, has reneged on an agreement to pay the…
Rockin’ lineup
Step right up and witness five incredible rock bands permeating the Prairie Capital Convention Center stage on a Carnival of Madness tour. The lineup will blow your mind – nu metal greats Evanescence with the haunting, siren-like vocals of lead singer Amy Lee; Chevelle, the alternative hard rock Chicago trio that continues to capture the…
Super characters
The Less Is More Independent Theatre Company (The LIMIT) presents seven performances of the play, Insane with Power, at Catch 22 in downtown Springfield. Looking to bring new and less-heard-of plays to the area, Insane with Power is written by Scott Hann of Indiana. It is about a big-city journalist, Lois Lancaster, who visits a…
5 Flavors’ spinach salad with candied walnuts and goat cheese dressing
For the 5 Flavors goat cheese dressing 4 ounces goat cheese 2 T. buttermilk 1 tsp. honey 1 T. fresh lemon juice 2 T. olive oil 1/4 tsp. white pepper Pinch of salt 1 T. chopped fresh tarragon leaves For the spiced walnuts 1egg white 1 tsp. sugar Pinch of cayenne pepper Pinch of salt…
The Roadshow is over
Not so long ago, Jeffrey Parsons was on top of the world. J. Parsons, the west side store that sells everything from socks to shoes to hats to watches to pants to historic documents to gourmet cheese, opened the day after Thanksgiving. Parsons was fast becoming a household name in Springfield, thanks to television commercials…
Rises a satisfying conclusion to Dark Knight
Having redefined the superhero movie with Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, director Christopher Nolan faces the arduous task of following up the greatest entry in the genre and bringing a close to his own innovative take on one of our most beloved pop culture myths. For the most part he succeeds with The Dark…
BROWN OUT
In the Solving-Problems-We-Didn’t-Know-We-Had Department, federal regulators are pondering the fate of apples that won’t turn brown. You can bruise it, you can slice it, you can dice it, you can put it on a tanning bed and still the Arctic Apple will not turn brown, according Okanagan Specialty Fruits, the apple’s creator that is based…
Springfield father cleared of shaking infant daughter
Richard Britts of Springfield told the police again and again that he never harmed his then three-month-old daughter, Saniya. “Right now, I know all fingers are pointing at me, man, but I love my baby,” Britts told police in a January 2010 interview. “I would never hurt her like this, man.” A jury last week…
When the feds can’t nail their suspect
The federal criminal complaint against the seven people arrested in Chicago last week for federal bribery conspiracy is 42 pages long. Former state Sen. Rickey Hendon is mentioned 21 times in those 42 pages, although never by name. It’s pretty clear from the complaint that the U.S. Attorney has been looking at Hendon, D-Chicago, for…
Interesting insights
Don’t miss the next installment of Springfield’s Pecha Kucha on Aug. 2 at Capital City Bar and Grill’s theater. Nine locals will each make a six-minute and 40-second presentation on topics including the Lincolns, Richard Hugo’s theory of creative obsession, a bareboat vacation in the British Virgin Islands, alpacas and more. Visit the international website…
Better luck nest time
For nine months, I’ve been having fun seeing a nice woman a few times a week. We’re both 50ish. I told her I didn’t want a serious relationship. She went along with this but now clearly wants more. She has a picture of me at her desk. (I wouldn’t think of displaying her picture on…
global warming poem #4
global warming poem #4 after a non- winter I wrote if it’s 88 in Springfield on the ides of march what’s it going to be in mid-july now we know we’ve sown the wind and are reapingthe whirlwind glaciers in antarctica are sliding forward a foot an hourcalvinginto thesea 2012 Jacqueline Jackson
Olympian and world record holder visits Springfield
Though she wore long sleeves, Jean Driscoll’s muscular arms were evident as she confidently gripped the handrims of her wheelchair. She hasn’t competed professionally in years, but Driscoll clearly maintains her athletic physique, as well as her drive for success. The seven-time winner of the Boston Marathon in the women’s wheelchair division visited the Illinois…
Letters to the Editor 7/26/12
OPEN DOORS The article in your July 19 issue, “Show Me Your Papers,” by Bruce Rushton, rekindles discussions regarding immigration and immigration reform. Since prior to the inception of this country waves of immigrants have come to these shores looking to participate in “the American dream.” Why should we not welcome immigrants from all parts…
SUMMER SUSTENANCE
For kids, summer usually means lazy days filled with swimming, riding bikes, and staying up late. But for too many kids, summer can also mean hunger. When kids aren’t in school, they aren’t eating breakfast or lunch at school, so kids who qualify for free or reduced-price school lunches are even more likely to miss…
Illinois Times radio arrives
Yes, you read right. After 30 some years as a newspaper Illinois Times has it’s own radio program available directly from IT’s website. Never fear, the paper is still in print and online, but now you can listen to music artists performing in the area through the help of a new company based in Berkeley,…
Create a different model for housing
Recently, the story broke that foreclosures were at the lowest level since 2007. That sounds like great news – we’re finally cleaning up the mess from the real estate bubble. Except for one thing: RealtyTrac.com, a marketer of information on foreclosed real estate, noted in April that the number of short sales (where a bank…
When Vladimir Nabokov came to Springfield
When the great Russian novelist Vladimir Nabokov visited Springfield in 1942, he met a man who would become fodder for one of the most entertaining letters he wrote to his wife. It was excerpted last year in The New Yorker magazine and is among 300 letters to be published in a forthcoming volume titled Letters…
The wedding that almost wasn’t
As I write this, the sun mercilessly beats down. Our wonderful yard and woods that were lush with ferns, fragrant blooming trees and shrubs, and beautiful flowers for our daughter’s wedding three months ago are dolefully withered and drooping. Even fully shaded perennials, such as phlox and hostas, are giving up the ghost. We do…
Let’s consider the GOP’s health care plan
Here’s some useful advice from an old country saying: Never try to teach table manners to a pig – it doesn’t work, it’ll wear you out, and it just annoys the pig. The same advice goes for anyone who thinks they can teach even a bit of common sense to the preening political ideologues who’ve…
Hometown sounds
The Springfield Municipal Band, under the direction of Tom Philbrick, presents another concert Tuesday, July 31, as part of its summer series. This performance is preceded by Northside Children’s Community Library ice cream social. The social begins at 5:30 p.m. Read more about this new library at northsidechildrenslibrary.weebly.com. Municipal Band ConcertTuesday, July 31, 6:30-9pm Douglas…
Finger-licking good
Taylorville Main Street, Inc. presents another great day packed with activities, music, cars and food at its BBQ, Blues and Cruise Festival on Saturday, July 28. The day kicks off with a 5k Run/Walk, after which festival gates open at 11 a.m. “Bumble Bee” Bob Kamoske, Debbie Ross Band and the Screamin’ Vatos bring on…
Harmony Deep
With a combined musical experience of more than 75 years, Harmony Deep truly brings a deep and lasting sense of melody and harmony to all performances. Former Oohs Brian Curtis (vocals, keyboards) and Brian Cutright (vocals, bass), plus Sam Draper (vocals, guitar) of Royal Pain, each bring at least a quarter of a century of…
Fiscalizing land use policy
“People,” goes an old political adage, “vote their pocketbooks.” That goes for people in elected office too. A diligent reader attended a Springfield Park Board meeting at which the Griffin Woods decision was discussed. She noted that none of the officials involved seemed to want to stand in the way of the new Schnucks store…
