Tangible rights
As I write, the jury is still out on Rod Blagojevich. The coming verdict in his second trial for behaving like an Illinois governor will settle for now the question of his criminal culpability. Other questions of perhaps more moment to Illinois are likely to remain unaddressed, much less answered. Blagojevich was tried a second…
Non profit applicants wanted for $17,000 grant to aid homeless
Springfield residents have turned an extra nickel and dime into a more than $17,000 to help curb homelessness in Springfield. The City of Springfield’s Round-Up program is proof that small change really can add up to make a difference. Through the voluntary contribution program, community residents can round their City Water Light & Power bill…
Durbin on the rail
Something about the Springfield rail consolidation seems to have spooked Sen. Dick Durbin, our senior Illinois senator in Washington. Maybe it was the State Journal-Register article today that has Springfield Mayor Mike Houston and Sangamon County Board Chairman Andy Van Meter disagreeing with the “official” federal estimates of the project’s cost. Whatever the cause, Durbin…
GREEN ENERGY UNDERMINED
Unmapped coal mine voids are costing Springfield School District 186 an extra $49,300 on a project originally expected to cost $262,000. The district hired geothermal well-digging company, The Hole Deal, this spring to develop a field of 120 geothermal wells that would more efficiently heat and cool Jane Addams Elementary School. In order to get…
peepoem # 5
peepoem # 5 I heard it on NPR marketplace it wasn’tapril 1 someone caught a guy on camerapeeing in a reservoir think it was portlandthe scene went viral to use a mod term Idon’t know the details but authorities arenow draining millions of gallons millionsof dollars because “people won’t drink thewater” what about the fish…
Letters to the Editor 6/23/11
OPTIMISM WE CAN’T AFFORD Rachel Wells’ excellent June 2 article on nuclear safety [see “The nuke next door: Is the Clinton nuclear power plant prepared for a Fukushima-level disaster?”] demonstrated both the complexity of the planning involved in dealing with nuclear disasters, and some of the existing deficiencies. Our organization met with Gov. Pat Quinn…
A Garden Walk with Master Gardeners
A collection of 122 different hosta plants, an extension vegetable garden, a Japanese-inspired backyard with bamboo fencing, a low-mow yard and a pond with a waterfall are all features of an upcoming Springfield-area garden tour. Sangamon-Menard Unit Master Gardeners invite you to a Garden Walk on Saturday, June 25, 2 to 7 p.m. Most of…
PURCHASING POWER
Two opportunities for charitable giving in Springfield are giving new meaning to the phrase “put your money where your mouth is.” Through July 2, Shop ’N Save grocery stores in Springfield offer shoppers a chance to combat child hunger by purchasing a full bag of groceries for the Central Illinois Foodbank at a cost of…
Overcrowded Illinois prisons could be next
A U.S. Supreme Court opinion ordering the State of California to reduce its prison population should serve as a warning to Illinois lawmakers, says an Illinois prison watchdog group. In a 5-4 vote, the U.S. Supreme Court held in late May that California’s overcrowded prisons violate the constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment, so…
Return to Emiquon
The shallow lakes and swamps are glorious in their season with the American lotus and the white water lily. Waterfowl abound, and fish lie in the shallows, basking in the summer sun. –Stephen Forbes, Illinois Natural History Survey, 1896 In 2000, The Nature Conservancy purchased 7,100 acres of farmland approximately 55 miles northwest of Springfield…
School Choice waiver dropped
District 186 has decided not to ask the Illinois State Board of Education to approve a waiver that would have limited the number of Public School Choice notifications it sends out from more than 4,000 to about 40. Public School Choice is part of the federal No Child Left Behind law that applies to Title…
What’s healthy?
I started laughing when I spied the bottles of grapefruit juice at the store. “What’s funny?” another shopper asked. “It says ‘Fat Free,’” I chuckled. “Why does that make you laugh?” she asked. “Because grapefruit juice is naturally fat-free,” I replied. “They’re trying to make us think it’s something special when it’s just regular grapefruit…
Mt. Pulaski celebrates a colorful 175 years
Until the mid-1850s or so, much of Springfield was a mud bog. For decades our dirt streets were filled with trash and mud, and in summer, pools of rainwater stagnated on the streets and combined with refuse from roaming livestock to make the place smelly as well. Perhaps it’s no surprise then, that some Springfieldians…
KFD
Less than a year after forming, KFD is now firmly established as one of the top notch cover bands in central Illinois with an imposing list of big gigs lined up for this summer. Along with headlining the prestigious Chatham Homecoming the group, consisting of local music veterans Perry Zubeck (keyboards, vocals), Mike Williams (lead…
Immigrant intergration
Coalition to Promote Human Dignity and Diversity, Liberty Brew and View and Lincoln Land Community College present free screenings and discussions of the documentary Welcome to Shelbyville at LLCC on June 23 and Lincoln Library on June 27. Filmed for a year in 2008, the film explores attitudes and adjustments of a small Tennessee town…
Bottoms up
Last year our introduction of the first BassBerg event contained a list of silly bass player jokes collected from sources not particularly friendly to our bassist buddies. Let’s begin this year’s tribute with a few puns upon the bottom echelon of the music world, the lower portion of the melodic scale, that down deep place…
Popper’s Penguins pitch-perfect fun
Comedians as broad as Jim Carrey are an acquired taste. You either love him or hate him. He’s mellowed a bit over the years and I’ve come to admire his willingness to go all out on screen. In his latest, Mr. Popper’s Penguins, he displays a sense of charm that’s escaped me before. He had…
Finding minority firefighters
The father of Chatham resident Alexander Thomas told him before taking a June 18 written test for the Springfield Fire Department that he should study hard because efforts by the city to boost minorities on the city’s payroll might give him a better chance of getting the job. But after taking the first of a…
Lantern proves it’s not easy being green
Like all superhero origin movies, Martin Campbell’s Green Lantern has its share of growing pains. It can be a narrative burden to have to dispense with the requisite introduction of an ordinary person who lacks direction but whose life is about to be turned upside down when a traumatic event bestows them with great power.…
The free ride is over for ethanol
A push to eliminate federal subsidies for ethanol production could affect Illinois farmers and consumers, while more moderate efforts to adjust the subsidies are gaining momentum. Ethanol is an alcohol made from fermented plant material – mainly corn – and blended into gasoline as an additive. Darrel Good, an agriculture economist at the University of…
Vermont leads the way
“We have a problem,” said House Speaker Shap Smith of Vermont. “We need to solve it.” This comment reflects a no-nonsense, hands-on, can-do attitude you rarely find in legislative bodies these days. Instead, when most so-called leaders are confronted with a problem, they tend to say, “We need to cover it up,” or, “Let’s turn…
Our prison system is bankrupting us
If there was any doubt about the broken state of our prison system, recent news should put it to rest. The Global Commission on Drug Policy, made up of former presidents and other luminaries from the United States and abroad, concludes that the Drug War is an expensive failure. The California prison system – which…
Race to health
Kids 12 and under will enjoy a unique one-mile race toward health. With eight different activities along the route, kids can proceed at their own pace. After and before find healthy snacks, health screenings, activities, cooking demonstration, and everyone can help harvest the community garden. Every child receives a t-shirt, race medal, race bib, small…
Magical plot
The outdoor amphitheatre at New Salem houses Theatre in the Park’s second production of the season, The Secret Garden, directed by Kari Catton. The musical by composer Lucy Simon and Marsha Norman, a Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, is about 11-year-old orphaned Mary Lennox who returns to England from India to live with her uncle and his…
Why the Senate Dems backed down on spending
Gov. Pat Quinn was willing to offer up only the tiniest of face-saving possibilities to the Illinois Senate Democrats last week: Drop your budget demands, and we’ll talk about them this fall, but do it soon or bad things will happen. On the last day of the spring legislative session, the Senate Democrats tried to…
Street picnic
A 64-year-old tradition continues as Chatham American Legion Post 759 hosts Homecoming, its “street picnic” on the Chatham square Thursday, June 23, through Saturday, June 25. Carnival rides are only $1 on Thursday night from 5 p.m. to close, and Saturday from 12-4 p.m. Food and drinks include walleye fish sandwiches, chicken strips, river fries,…
New push for reusable bags
At eight of Springfield’s largest grocery centers, between 80 and 92 percent of customers choose plastic bags at the checkout counter, according to a survey by Springfield’s Better Bag Project, an initiative sparked by the efforts of retired pathologist Joan Barenfanger and lawyer Jane Denes about 18 months ago as a way to encourage use…
