Magic money? Rauner’s state savings
“Today, I laid out more than $1 billion in structural reforms,” Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner boasted to his supporters via a blast email last week. Baloney. Rauner’s press conference to announce a billion dollars in alleged budget savings was an almost total farce. Fully half of what Rauner said he could save – $500…
Tomorrow: Alejandro Escovedo at Donnie’s
A punk progenitor, an alt-country pioneer, a roots rocker and an acoustic troubadour walk into a bar. The bar is Donnie’s homespun and the punchline is they are all one musician, the legendary Alejandro Escovedo, back in Springfield tomorrow night under the auspices of the invaluable Bedrock 66 concert series. This show will be solo,…
Tonight: SOHO Rain Check
“And if it rains both days I could still owe people thousands of dollars.” So spoke Springfield SOHO Fest founder and executive director Eric Welch at the conclusion of IT’s June 5 cover story about the musical festival’s tenth anniversary celebration last weekend. Welch’s words were sadly prophetic. While it fortunately did not rain…
Video: New DEMO Project exhibit opens tonight
Tonight is the opening reception for “Hillbilly/Invisibility: On Love and Servitude,” new work by Chicago-based artist Maggie Crowley. This is the latest exhibit at DEMO Project (732 N. Fourth Street), an alternative space located on the premises of the Springfield Art Association. Watch the IT exclusive video below for a glimpse of Crowley’s art along…
Full Moon: Corn Moon
Hugh Moore FULL MOON: CORN MOON It hears a root make movement in the soil, words that leaves make when the wind comes strong and sudden. Reads that map the shadows trace to show where day has gone. It speaks in tongues we have forgotten. In the sparrow’s flight can see a signal, or sense…
Survivor stories
The documentary Bravo! Common Men, Uncommon Valor will be shown at the Hoogland Center for the Arts Friday, June 13, thanks to the Staab family. Bravo! tells the story of Bravo Company, First Battalion, 26th Marine Regiment who fought at the siege of Khe Sanh in Vietnam. Several of the men featured in the film will…
Big Guy and the Mob
What could be more fitting for a Father’s Day weekend show than a band formed by a father and stepson? Mark Bott (lead vocals) and Danny “the Kid” Schroeder (lead guitar), seasoned musicians a generation apart, initially created Big Guy and the Mob to connect with other players and perform at benefits. Bott, who took…
Unclear on the concept
Curses, foiled again• Dean Richard Smith, 27, entered a bank in Treorchy, Wales, holding a breadknife, covering his face and wearing socks over his shoes. When he demanded money, teller Catherine Stockton stood behind her glass partition and pressed the alarm. Meanwhile, a gentleman in his 70s standing next to Smith offered him 20 pounds…
The future of power
Climate change is happening already, and climate scientists say the more the globe heats up, the more humans will suffer. Summer heat will last longer and bring hotter average temperatures. Wildfire season will start earlier and end later, while prolonged drought in some areas will further raise the risk of fires. Other areas will see…
Favorite things
Springfield Municipal Opera will open its 2014 season with the musical The Sound of Music Friday, June 13. The production will run Fridays and Saturdays for three weekends with Thursday shows on June 19 and June 26. The true story of the von Trapp family follows the life of Maria Rainer, a young postulant at…
Legislative session rundown
There were lots and of losers during the state legislative session which ended last month. But there were a few winners, so let’s take a look at them. First up, Republican gubernatorial nominee Bruce Rauner. Never before has a political party nominated a gubernatorial candidate who’s had more impact on a legislative session than Rauner…
Letters to the editor 6/12/14
The Shell station at the corner of Jefferson and Walnut, June 30, 1938. Our letter writer recalls that Jefferson once had 11 gas stations between First and Amos, making competition tough. Photo COURTESY SANGAMON VALLEY COLLECTION GAS FROM THE PAST What a difference in gasoline prices from when I started helping my dad at age 14…
Wall street rewards Ben and Tim for stiffing you
Not only has the Wall Street bailout restored the banksters who wrecked (and are still wrecking) our economy to full prosperity but it’s also paying off very handsomely for the bank overseers who orchestrated the bailout. Perhaps you’ve been wondering: How are good ol’ Ben and Little Timmy doing these days? Extremely well – thank…
ingenuity story #1
ingenuity story #1 back in the days of old-fashioned devicesa huge group picture at a Y camp thephotographer’s camera would sweepthe crowd so that one end was recordedbefore the other well there was this kidwho stood on the beginning end of the lineas soon as the shutter clicked ran like hellbehind everyone to stand at…
Monster truck
PHOTO BY BRUCE RUSHTON They say that you should never buy a car online. Then again, there is Uncle Sam’s Used Car Sales, aka the U.S. Department of Defense, where the Sangamon County sheriff’s office recently acquired something called a mine resistant ambush protected vehicle, or MRAP for short. At 11 feet high with a…
Squabbling over the inheritance
The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library, front, and museum, rear, feature large rotundas in Springfield, Illinois PHOTO BY BILL HOGAN/MCT That nice Mr. Madigan, I’m sure, just wants to help. The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum and the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency have not been getting along. Friends of both have offered their advice, but…
Diverse faith groups talk about race
It has long been said that 10 a.m. Sunday morning, when many worship services begin, is the most segregated hour of the week. While it is true segregation marks many a Sunday service, there is a movement afoot in Springfield that will help counter segregation, and will help build a sense of unity and appreciation…
All scream for bison
Springfield Art Association will host a free family gathering, celebrating their mascot — a buffalo sculpture, created by John Kearny and purchased by the SAA in 1976. Kids’ activities, square dancers, crafts and free ice cream will be provided on the SAA lawn. There are two exhibits you can visit also, one at SAA and…
Editor’s Note 6/12/14
The Compass after-school program for homeless and low-income children this week marked the end of the school year by recognizing the dozens of volunteers who give an afternoon a week to being a guiding presence in the lives of children. The program, finishing its third year, has grown from one site serving children from Dubois…
All is not flossed
I’ve gone out several times with a girl I really like, but her breath bothers me enough that I don’t want to kiss her until it improves. (It smells like pepper and socks.) She doesn’t smoke, eat stinky foods, or have an odd diet (beyond not eating red meat), so I’m not sure where this…
Travel to simpler times
The free Menno-Hof Visitors Center in Shipshewana, Indiana, is a good place to learn about the history of the Anabaptist movement and modern-day Mennonite and Amish communities. The area in northeast Indiana is the third largest Amish community in the United States. PHOTO BY BRENT BOHLEN The horse’s hooves clip-clop along the pavement, pulling the…
Dad’s big weekend
The Randy Dandies bring on the burlesque at Donnie’s Homespun, Friday, June 13. We have so much going on this week I don’t even have time or space to… The SOHO washout last Saturday sure disappointed hundreds of folks, including musicians, fans, charities and organizers. Looks like good luck comes on Friday, June 13, from…
Mine your own business
Foresight Energy is poised to become the state’s largest coal producer with mines such as this one in Williamson County. Imagine a company that spends less than $20 to produce something that sells for more than twice that amount. Imagine that the company can produce more than 32 million units each year. Imagine, also, that…
