Into the woods
In “Underground movements” I discussed some novels new solutions to the very old problem of how to dispose of human remains. The same question has been vexing New York Times commentator Richard Conniff. In a piece titled “This is how I want to be dead,” Conniff brings us up to date on woodland cemeteries or . which use…
Skirt steak
About 10 years ago, I was camping at Summer Camp Music Festival at Three Sisters Park in Chillicothe near Peoria. Summer Camp is a four-day event over Memorial Day weekend featuring over 100 bands and attended by over 20,000 people. Back then my camping set-up consisted of my van, tent and E-Z Up canopy. That…
On not doing wrong
A new set of guidelines issued by Springfield’s Bishop Thomas Paprocki bans people in same-sex marriages from receiving funeral rites in local Roman Catholic churches, receiving communion or serving in parish ministries. Paprocki has even decreed that such parents may not sponsor their own children for baptism. These strictures owe to the bishop’s conviction, echoing…
Amazon buys out Whole Foods Market
As an Associated Press article joyously put it, “The U.S. job market has settled into a sweet spot of steadily solid growth.” At long last, the American dream is back for working families, right? Well … in a word: No. Further down in the article, AP’s sweet news turns sour with this little admission: “About…
Christine Radogno: A class act, through and through
Senate Republican Leader Christine Radogno was the first-ever female leader of a state legislative caucus in Illinois. That alone puts her in the history books. But she’s also a decent human being, something that often seems in short supply around the Statehouse. The fact that several Senate Democrats showed up for her press conference last…
Letters to the Editor 7/6/17
LESSONS ON LIFE SKILLS I agree with the June 29 article titled “Real innovation,” written by James Krohe Jr. Even though I have a college degree that served me well, I think too much emphasis is put on sending everyone to college and not enough on life skills and thriving in the real world. I think more…
Editor’s note 7/6/17
Oh thank goodness. New Jersey finally resolved its budget impasse, while there were similar budget cliffhangers in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and North Carolina. In New Jersey, the stalemate had stretched into three full days and closed state parks before a budget deal was finally made July 4. Gov. Chris Christie, fresh from a relaxing day at…
Sanders supporters plan future of progressive movement
Earlier this month I attended the 2017 People’s Summit in Chicago along with several thousand other progressive activists. The event was sponsored by a “who’s who” of left-leaning Democratic Party organizations connected with Bernie Sanders, who was the keynote at the event. Here’s my take on what went down. There were really two conversations going…
Stop the presses!
Central Illinois theater lovers are in for a treat this July, as Springfield’s Legacy Theatre has been selected as one of 12 regional theater groups across the United States to receive licensing rights for Disney’s hit Broadway musical titled Newsies: The Musical. The show, based on the real-life newsboy strike of summer 1899, follows charismatic…
Batty for bats
Join the Illinois State Museum and the Organization for Bat Conservation on Saturday, July 8, for the Illinois Bat Festival, a division of the Great Lakes Bat Festival, which celebrates bats and their unique role as insect-eaters in ecosystems. The festival is geared towards children, families, educators and ecology professionals, and will feature presentations, speakers,…
Plenty of dead fish
My girlfriend and I broke up recently, so I’m back in the dating pool. Do you think online dating is a good way to meet people? If so, which are the best dating sites? – Diving In Asking “Which dating site is best?” is like asking “Is pro basketball a viable career?” That question can…
Images of Illinois
The sixth annual Images of Illinois photography contest saw numerous changes. The contest showcases the splendor of Illinois through professional, amateur and youth photography. It is spearheaded by the SAA Collective and sponsored by Illinois Times, Cherry Berry, PSC Digital and MicroPower Computer Systems. As in the past five years, photos eligible for submission must…
Timeless hunger
Of all the stories of the settling of the American West, none is as compelling, heroic and tragic as that of the Donner Party, which stepped into history on April 15, 1846, from Springfield, Illinois. Now Michael Wallis has given us an impeccably researched book that tells this history with a sparkling narrative and far…
Repairing the world
Julius Rosenwald (1862-1932) helped turn Sears, Roebuck and Co. from a middling mail order firm into a retail megalith. According to Wikipedia, between 1895 and 1907, annual sales of the company climbed “from $750,000 to upwards of $50 million” under his guidance. He used the resulting fortune to help build more than 5,000 schools in…
AP enrollment skyrockets
Enrollment in advanced placement courses has surged in Springfield high schools. Last year, 745 students in Springfield School District 186’s three high schools enrolled in AP courses that can earn them college credit if they score sufficiently high on spring exams, the district says. Next fall, 1,053 students are scheduled to take AP classes. It’s…
Jail suicide case settled
Christian County has settled a lawsuit for more than a half-million dollars in a case filed by the family of a man who committed suicide in the county jail. The $550,000 settlement reached last month came after U.S. District Court Judge Richard Mills in March ruled that jailers had failed in their duty to keep…
A walk on the artistic side
“I’m not interested in what I think.” So proclaimed multidisciplinary artist Astrid Kaemmerling when queried about her personal opinions regarding the Enos Park neighborhood and her experiences of Springfield in general during a brief question and answer session at the well-attended opening of her exhibition, “Walking Enos Park: Who is your neighborhood?” this past Wednesday,…
PROFESSOR OF HIP-HOP
Decatur native A.D. Carson – former Springfield High School English instructor and writer-in-residence at Benedictine University – has recently been named “assistant professor of hip-hop and the global south” for the University of Virginia’s McIntire Department of Music. He will begin teaching writing and composition classes in the upcoming fall 2017 semester, along with a…
LANDMARK CEMETERY
The Sangamon County Historic Preservation Commission (SCHPC) has named Churchill Cemetery – currently owned by Clear Lake Township – an official county landmark. The small cemetery, previously known as Bissell Cemetery and the German Prairie Cemetery, is located off Route 54 on Colt Road. The land was originally donated in the early 1800s by the…
Holland’s exuberance energizes Homecoming
“Amazing,” “astonishing” and “spectacular” are all adjectives that have been used to describe various comic book iterations of the famed web-slinger Spider-Man, and they certainly are apropos in relation to the latest big screen effort he’s in, Spider-Man: Homecoming. Having stumbled badly in the post-Sam Raimi-era with two “not quite there” efforts, Sony Pictures has…
July on the move
Here we are rolling into July with a wheelbarrow full of entertainment goodies. Things are happening at an incredible pace, so hang on, keep updated and enjoy the goings on. Friday night brings us a sweet selection of regular local groups at the normal haunts including Broken Stone at Trade Winds, Betty Whitesnake at Weebles…
Mr. Opporknockity
It seems just like yesteryear! In 1997, Troy Roark and Doug Gholson broke on the scene as Mr. Opporknockity with “Lisa’s Shirt,” a bona fide, local hit song on WDBR-FM from the acoustic guitar-powered, high-energy vocal duo. The addition of Mark Sanders on drums and Tom Irwin on bass put them in the band category…
family story, again
family story, again thinking about babies and adoption – when I was a kid we knew those in ourclasses adopted it was a matter of no significance – I did hear later a boy in the class behind me who I hadn’t knownwas adopted – had come at birth to a large catholic family immediately…
