Hear, hear
Should the film Noise, starring Tim Robbins, be required viewing for all? Well, that might be going a little far, but during this year of compassion in Springfield, Illinois many might benefit to know that there are those among them who are sensitive to or suffer with their noise. In the film, Robbins’ character lives…
Quinn reinstates early prison release
Gov. Pat Quinn today signed a law allowing Illinois prison inmates to receive credits toward their sentences in a move meant to reduce overcrowding and save the state money. Quinn signed SB2621 late Friday. The bill allows the director of the Illinois Department of Corrections to award and revoke credits, while taking into account several…
Springfield’s poor record on minority hiring
For years, Springfield politicians have talked the talk: We need more minorities in the police and fire departments. The numbers are undeniably dismal. More than 96 percent of firefighters are white; fewer than 8 percent of police officers are racial minorities in a city where more than 20 percent of the population is a color…
Fun farewell
Theatre in the Park at Kelso Hollow in Lincoln’s New Salem State Historic Site presents the comedic musical Bye, Bye Birdie. Sean VanAusdall-Rose directs this classic that opened on Broadway in 1960 featuring a story based loosely on the media circus of Elvis Presley’s 1958 Germany departure that had him giving one last kiss to…
Scholarships mean more than money
The Community Foundation for the Land of Lincoln is giving 40 college-bound students in central Illinois a boost with more than $42,000 total in scholarships. The Community Foundation for the Land of Lincoln and the Frontiers International Springfield Club teamed up to give each student an award of between $500 and $5,000. The Frontiers International…
Support your local artist
If you dare say there’s nothing going on in Springfield these days, you just might be silly and wrong. Mid-June is one of the busiest times of the year for an intense and expansive variety of music, and a good bunch comes from your friends and neighbors. Nothing could show better how our original music…
Hollywood, Illinois
Springfield may not be the first place people think about when imagining locations to shoot movies or TV shows. But thanks to the efforts of one local group, this city and the central Illinois region have earned a reputation as a great place to film and find professional talent. Dean Williams helped start the Central…
Quinn still plans to close Tamms supermax
Gov. Pat Quinn is moving ahead with plans to close the state’s controversial “C-Max” prison at Tamms, Ill., despite a plan by state lawmakers to keep it open and convert it to a lower-security facility. In February, Quinn announced plans to shutter the prison, which holds about 200 inmates in solitary confinement at an estimated…
Wall Street’s mutant greed gene marches on
In the realm of prevarication, there are deceivers, fibbers, liars, politicians … and Bank of America. For weeks, this financial behemoth has been running a nationwide PR blitz, portraying itself as a loveable bunch of public-spirited bankers — hoping that you and I have no memory of its two taxpayer bailouts, constant fee-gouging, illegal foreclosures…
Bernie, a morality tale
In 1996, the citizens of Carthage, Texas, refused to believe that Bernie Tiede (Jack Black) had murdered Marjorie Nugent (Shirley MacLaine). While they agreed that if anyone had it coming, it was Nugent, picturing her much younger, constant companion blowing her away with a shotgun was unthinkable. According to those who knew him, Tiede was…
When Lincoln’s friend was killed just as war began
The Civil War was only five weeks old when Col. Elmer Ellsworth, 24, was killed tearing down a Confederate flag in Virginia. As the first prominent Union casualty, he became an instant hero: newspapers around the country mourned his martyrdom and composers penned songs in his honor. His death hit Springfield and Abraham Lincoln particularly…
Biscuit Miller and the Mix
Raised on Chicago’s South Side by his grandmother, young Dave Miller received his lifelong nickname of Biscuit from spending too much time in the kitchen. It wasn’t long before he discovered the bass guitar at a friend’s house, and at age 11, a love for music drove him from the kitchen to the stage. After…
Help wanted
Prospects for paychecks drew hundreds of people to a Land of Lincoln Goodwill job fair last week. The charity is hiring in a big way. Within the first five hours, 42 of more than 250 applicants had received conditional employment offers, pending drug tests and reference checks. “The interview went great,” said Latonya Buchanan. “When…
In motion
The Illinois State Museum focuses on art and movement in a free family event, Art on the Move, Saturday, June 23. Motion-inspired activities and crafts are highlighted. Children can make blurred action photographs, and then create a one-of-a-kind frame with artist Rhiannon Gurley. They can also try some simple yoga inspired by art at 12:30…
Who pays for what?
A seven-member team of urban paramedics known as a Sustainable Design Assessment Team recently spent three days touring Springfield’s city center, greater downtown Springfield. They were charged to recommend steps to enliven that district that will not require the city to make drastic changes. Of course, drastic changes are exactly what the city’s development practices…
Jerome officer charged with two felonies
Former Jerome police officer Steven Stirmell has been charged with officialmisconduct and obstruction of justice for allegedly filing at least one false report ina drunken driving case involving Kathleen Vehovic, the daughter of Todd Renfrow,former chairman of the Sangamon County Democratic Party. Stirmell, who is the son of Jerome Mayor Harry Stirmell, was laid off…
Brass ring
This is your third and second-to-the-last chance to hear the performances of the local handbell ensemble under the direction of retiring director Michael Lamb who founded and led the group for 15 years. June 24 at 4 p.m. at St. John’s Lutheran Church, they will play jazz favorites such as “In the Mood” and “Misty”…
Bug out
Friday evening, grab your night walking clothes, bug spray, flashlight and camera (if you are a night photographer) and head out to Adams Wildlife Sanctuary for an interesting program titled, Insects After Dark. Several local entomologists help the group attract and identify insects using a system of lights and screens at a woodland, prairie and…
How can we love America yet hate politics?
Recently, I was sharing stories with current political candidate about campaigning and musing about how nasty some people can be to those seeking office. Frustration with all things political is spilling over to create a hostile atmosphere toward candidates in general. During my campaign, a woman left a fiery, expletive-filled message on my home phone.…
The kindness of strangers
“…I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.”From Tennessee Williams’ play, A Streetcar Named Desire My circumstances and those culminating in those final words of A Streetcar Named Desire couldn’t have been more different. But on Memorial Day, I kept hearing Williams’ words in my head. I still do. In last week’s IT I…
Sandler hits bottom with Boy
Moviegoers usually experience moments of disbelief when taking in a spectacle like Avatar. However, I think the movie that will elicit the most gasps this year will be That’s My Boy, a shockingly crude film that sets the bar so low for a comedy from a major studio that others will have to tunnel under…
Letters to the Editor 06/21/12
GRATEFUL SENIORFor a long time, I’ve wanted to write a letter to Illinois Times, expressing my gratitude for all the services provided to senior citizens in Springfield. For retired immigrants from St. Petersburg, Russia, such as my companion, Alex, and myself, the experience has been an unexpected and delightful surprise. Such gems as the Senior…
Jerome’s well runs dry
The village of Jerome is broke and may no longer be able to afford cops. Mayor Harry Stirmell last week told the board of trustees that the village for the past two years has spent more than it has taken in, but cash reserves now stand at less than $40,000 and will soon be exhausted…
A PRESSING ISSUE
One year after it started printing in Peoria, the State Journal-Register is getting rid of its press. Publisher Walt Lafferty put the staff on notice more than a week ago, imposing parking restrictions near the building’s loading dock, where the press will be taken out one piece at a time. Where the press will end…
foundpoem #16
Elspeth, 3rd grade, left this inher mother’s typewriter, Idon’t think purposely to beread. (She often monkeyedabout on my machine.) Thegrammar is deliberate for shespoke correctly. I see this asa youngest-child heartfeltexpression. It’s as she typedit except for two lines brokento fit my space. JJ a big wind blow;a small wind blow too.big, small, both blow.Free.No…
Shoefly pie
Pennsylvania Dutch/Amish cooking is known for its pies. Shoefly Pie is perhaps the most indigenously famous. It’s also a favorite in America’s South. Truthfully, shoefly pie isn’t a personal favorite; it’s intensely sweet, to me often cloyingly so. That’s how it got its name: flies were drawn to cooling sugary pies. I prefer desserts that…
Thrilla In Vanilla
My best friend is a guy. We have tons in common and have conversations that are lively, honest, and deep. He’s basically everything I’ve ever wanted in my future husband, but he has an infatuation for Filipina women half his age. I’m 37, his age, and Caucasian. His plan is to find and marry a…
Labor gives Democrats a slap on the wrist
Only a handful of state House Democratic incumbents targeted for defeat by the Republicans were endorsed by the Illinois AFL-CIO last week, but the damage to the Democratic Party’s chances this fall will likely be minimal. Organized labor’s umbrella organization met in Springfield last week to make endorsements in state legislative and other races. Labor…
MEATY MESSAGE
During a June 13 demonstration organized by the national animal rights organization Mercy For Animals, downtown Springfield commuters might have caught a glimpse of an interesting sight: a 10-foot-long inflatable puppy topped with ketchup, mustard, lettuce and cheese all crammed within a hamburger bun. The inflatable puppy within the hamburger bun was meant to provoke…
