Not child’s play
It might seem odd to think of a retired cop working at a place decorated with kid-sized furniture and stuffed animals. But for Joe Goulet, who was a Springfield police officer for 27 years, the mission at his new job — as executive director of the Child Advocacy Center — isn’t all that different from…
Jacqueline Jackson
poolpoem #4 all summer I swim with excreta bass perch pike excreta turtle frog snail excreta algae excreta bacteria excreta gull guano a white splotch on the water like latex paint with gently fraying edges cow pats from the pasture flushed into the lake in a storm and down at the beach little kid pee…
Letters to the editor
We welcome letters, but please include your full name, address, and daytime telephone number. We edit all letters for libel, length, and clarity. Send letters to Letters, Illinois Times, P.O. Box 5256, Springfield, IL 62705; fax 217-753-3958; e-mail editor@illinoistimes.com. HELP A GOAT, SKIP THE FAIR Was it really necessary to mention the addition of meat…
A different ‘memorial’ day
Pardon the folks on Bob-O-Link Drive for missing a few traditional late-May cookouts, swimming-pool opening days and Indy 500s. For going on two decades now, John and Dixie Steele have postponed their own personal Memorial Day for a couple of weekends — until the last divot is replaced and the last score is posted at…
Springfield’s race history haunts City Hall
Last week’s panel discussion of race relations in Springfield was well under way when Mayor Tim Davlin slipped into the room and sat in the back row, but he was there for the best part. That was when two of the panelists brought history home to the present. University of Illinois at Springfield emeritus professor…
No criminal charges
Two Springfield police detectives who have been on leave and under investigation for several months won’t face criminal charges, the state appellate prosecutor announced this week. The news came Monday afternoon, and spread quickly through the department thanks to an announcement sent out over the SPD pager system. However, detectives Paul Carpenter and Jim Graham…
Cat nipped
In the coming weeks, activists plan at least three separate actions against Peoria-based Caterpillar Inc., protesting the company’s role in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine. On June 13, participants in a peace-and-justice walk from Springfield to Chicago will hold a vigil at Caterpillar’s corporate headquarters. The next day, a group called Stop Caterpillar…
Blind man’s bluff
Since taking office, Gov. Rod Blagojevich and his top aides have claimed that politics never touches state hiring. They swore up and down that they follow the law whenever they fill mid- to low-level civil-service positions and claimed that they don’t even know the names of the people who were applying for the jobs. This…
A double standard
One of the most heated academic controversies in America today involves Ward Churchill, a central-Illinois native and Sangamon State University graduate. A May 17 article in the State Journal-Register discussed the charges of plagiarism against Churchill and reminded readers that he once likened some 9/11 victims to Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann. More needs to…
The Ruby Red cocktail
It’s time to take another peek into the Lifestyles of the Rich . . . and Cranky. Most of us rubes have no idea how difficult it is to be rich. The demands are crushing, because one is always expected to live up to, well, expectations. Take the simple act of ordering a drink. You…
CAP CITY
ASIAN PERSUASION Illinois has gently rolling fields and vast unkempt places. Japan has towering mountains and meticulously manicured gardens. But when Springfield photographer Gale Myers looks through her lens, they don’t seem all that different. This week Myers, manager of the Prairie House Gallery, embarks on her third trip to Japan, a three-week outing for the…
The Hype
SEEING GREEN The political dynamics of Illinois’ 115th House District are somewhat unusual. A former Democratic stronghold, the 115th elected conservative Mike Bost as their state representative in 1995. However, Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, many believe, provides a solid base of liberal-minded folk in the district as well. So in 2002 when Carbondale attorney Rich Whitney, running on…
Crosswired
Imagine a Midwestern industrial town where a rookie mayor proposes a property-tax increase, the first in almost 10 years. About $6 million of the money would build a citywide wireless-Internet system. Imagine the protests from angry property owners who would pay nearly $100 a year more for a $250,000 home. Imagine the outcry from business…
Vinyl Static
JUNEBUG: Rip the month of May off your calendar quick — the painfully slow month for shows and new releases has finally been put to rest, and not fast enough. Can you say, “American Idol season 5 encores”? Glad that’s over. Sure, we had some memories, those tasty musical morsels such as Gnarls Barkley’s St.…
Conserve water
Dear “Earth Talk”: How could there ever be a water scarcity? Isn’t water the most plentiful thing on Earth? — Chris Carroll, Austin, Texas Seawater may cover more than 70 percent of the Earth’s surface, but thirsty human beings rely on finite supplies of fresh water to stay alive. With exploding human population growth, especially…
Letters to the editor
We welcome letters, but please include your full name, address, and daytime telephone number. We edit all letters for libel, length, and clarity. Send letters to Letters, Illinois Times, P.O. Box 5256, Springfield, IL 62705; fax 217-753-3958; e-mail editor@illinoistimes.com. WE NEED 24/7 HOMELESS CENTERS The electorate must open the eyes of sleeping politicians and aldermen.…
Long-distance burger orders
OK, corporate America is shipping our manufacturing, high-tech, and professional service jobs off to Lowwagehellistan — but at least they can’t send our fast-food jobs away, right? After all, these require face-to-face dealings with customers, so surely they’re safe. Well, not exactly. Pull into the drive-thru lane at a McDonald’s, Hardee’s, or Carl’s Jr., and…
Red Dirt in central Illinois
Ever hear of the Red Dirt music movement? Popular in Texas and Oklahoma, it now seems to be sweeping the nation, especially in rural areas populated by folks who like country, rock, beer, and fishing. Its origins are hazy, but generally it’s agreed that the epicenter is Stillwater, Okla. Bands don’t necessarily come from or…
“No new evidence”
Gordon“Randy” Steidl, one of two men accused of the 1986 double homicide of Paris newlyweds Dyke and Karen Rhoads, may be one step closer to clearing his name. Special prosecutors in the case have written letters to the state Prisoner Review Board indicating that no new evidence against Steidl has been uncovered. The move clears…
Voice of the people
In addition to this column I publish a daily political newsletter named Capitol Fax. A couple of years ago I also started a blog, found at thecapitolfaxblog.com. Running the blog is a real pain sometimes. It’s a lot of work, and I’ve had to weed out some truly insane comments. Still, most people have interesting, insightful…
Fixing squeaky floors
Dear Gene: Our house has beat-up hardwood floors covered by wall-to-wall carpet. The floors squeak badly. Is there any way to fix this problem from the basement, without removing the carpeting? — M.S. Squeaking floors can be very tricky to repair, but if you can work from underneath the floor, you have an advantage. The…
CAP CITY
RIP-AND-READ — AND RIPPED OFF Illinois Times has grown accustomed to scoops: The scapegoating of police officer Renatta Frazier. Phony war-hero claims by Joe Wilkins, who was a Democratic Party bigshot until this newspaper revealed that he didn’t have the medals he’d claimed. When you break news no one else has, some local television and…
Flavor explosion
It really shouldn’t come as a surprise, but somehow it always does. The first seasonal local produce arrives, and the intensity of its flavor shows us just what pale substitutes we’ve been settling for. Don’t get me wrong: I’m glad such things as lettuce, scallions (a.k.a. green onions), radishes, and fresh herbs are available at…
The Hype
Betting on a gamble Not long after Gov. ROD BLAGOJEVICH announced his proposal to fund education by leasing the state lottery for $10 billion, the wordplay began. “Governor takes gamble on funds,” read one headline. Chicago Sun-Times columnist MARK BROWN announced that the “plan looks like a bad bet for schools.” Even state Treasurer JUDY…
Breaking up is hard to do
Men may be from Mars and women from Venus, but Brooke and Gary aren’t just from different planets — they’re from different galaxies. She likes ballet; his idea of high culture is Grand Theft Auto. She likes things clean; he couldn’t care less if their tony condominium looks like a sty. She works at a…
When Chatham girls go wild
Next to “like,” I believe the most overused word in the English language is “ironic.” It’s, like, you turn 12, and you learn, like, this cool word, and you suddenly realize that, like, your whole life is chockfull of irony. OK, I’ll stop with the “like.” Let’s go straight to the irony. Last Thursday was…
Jacqueline Jackson
kidquotepoem #1 I don’t like walking to school with betsy with betsy it’s always hurryhurryhurry but when I’m with cappy her walks nice and slow © Jacqueline Jackson 2006
The long march
In March of 1965, thousands of protesters, led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., walked 50 miles from Selma, Ala., to Montgomery, the Alabama capital. Centuries earlier, around 1290 B.C., Israelites wandered the desert for 40 years after being freed from the bonds of slavery. The “Walk for Justice: The Midwest to the Mideast” will…
Cheapskate steak
As summer makes its debut, cowboy wannabes across America are pulling out their grills, great and small, for a season of smoke, fire, and, alas, the same old underwhelming steaks. Why must we turn to the same cuts of cow every time? To paraphrase my pal Ralph Waldo Emerson, foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of…
Curb appeal
Most of us are familiar with the saying “It only takes a spark to light a fire.” This year I was inspired (in part because of the Yard to Yard challenge) to create a small annual flower garden in my front yard. This garden is a combination of “Terra Cotta” Million Bells, tricolor geraniums, and…
All in the family
What if the Manson Family had been less of a patriarchal death cult and more of a freeform collective? What if they’d shacked up in cool, reasonable Vermont instead of hotheaded California and collaborated on their own songs instead of parroting those of their rock-star-manqué leader? What if they’d spent more time ministering to their…
American Life in Poetry
When I complained about some of the tedious jobs I had as a boy, my mother would tell me, Ted, all work is honorable. In this poem, Don Welch gives us a man who’s been fixing barbed wire fences all his life. At the Edge of Town Hard to know which is more gnarled, the…
