Familiarity the Demon “Evil” Can’t Exorcise
The press notes and movie poster for Deliver us from Evil claim the film is “inspired by the actual accounts of a NYPD sergeant.” This is a good piece of information to have because if I didn’t know better I’d swear the movie was inspired by other much better horror films and police procedurals. Ralph…
McCarthy’s Act Wears Thin in “Tammy”
Not sure if I am the only one but I’ve gotten tired of Melissa McCarthy’s shtick already. Though having toiled in film and on television for over the better part of a decade, it seems as though the actress just arrived on the scene with her star-making turn in 2011’s Bridesmaids. Since then, she has a…
Up-and-Coming Performers add Human Touch to “Transformers 4”
Upon meeting Jack Reynor and Nicola Peltz you can tell that these two young performers are well aware that they’re lucky to be in the position they’re in. While both these actors only have a handful of credits between them, they were both cast in one of the summer’s most eagerly awaited films, Transformers: Age…
No quick resolution for pension lawsuit
Despite a weak defense by lawyers for the state, it will likely be several months before Illinois’ pension reform lawsuit is settled. On June 26, Sangamon County judge John Belz declined to act on a motion which could have pushed the case to the next stage: the Illinois Supreme Court. While Belz is being careful…
Trashing the past
In “Squabbling over the inheritance,” I asked whether the State of Illinois, which governs a commonwealth rich in everything except good government, is capable of responsible stewardship of its own past. The evidence is not encouraging. I offer the stories recounted in “The First Century,” an article in the Illinois State Museum’s Living Museum in…
FORE!
Springfield Park District officials have met with representatives of a private golf management firm. But it’s too soon to say that the district will put management of the district’s four courses into private hands. Derek Harms, park district executive director, said that representatives of Billy Casper Golf, a Virginia-based company that operates more than 140…
Good news for better parenting
The Good News Chair: A simple tool for shaping a child’s positive behavior and self-image, by Harriet Arkley, published April 29, 2014. Available through Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Village Books. The author of The Good News Chair, and her granddaughter. PHOTO OF HARRIET ARKLEY COURTESY DOUG BASCAN PHOTOGRAPHY Many people in central Illinois will…
Bang for your buck
PHOTO BY GLENN SWEITZE Central Illinois’ largest Independence Day fireworks display takes place Friday, June 27. Rock the Dock is famous for its fireworks launched from barges on Lake Springfield in front of Lake Springfield Marina. Country singer Austin Webb, whose new single “Raise ’Em Up” is currently being played on the radio, will perform.…
What job creation numbers don’t tell us
Have you noticed “the powers that be” employ an entirely different standard for measuring the health of America’s job market than they use for the stock market? They’re currently telling us that, “The job market is improving.” What do they mean? Simply that the economy is generating an increase in the number of jobs available…
Give peace a chance
Swami Sankarananda relaxes at the Hindu Temple of Greater Springfield. In the world of Hinduism, orange is the color of renunciation. To dress like a pumpkin is to announce that you’ve spurned possessions, wealth, even family. In the world of cops, orange is the color of jail. When you get a call that someone dressed…
Letters to the Editor 6/26/14
INFLATION CESSATION In the June 19 Illinois Times, Jim Hightower urges raising the national minimum wage to $15 per hour (“A bold shift in America’s minimum wage debate”). But why raise it to only $15? Why not $100? Why not $1,000,000 per hour? When I started work in 1960, my dream was to make $2.50…
SIU makes up with AFSCME
Employees at SIU School of Medicine protested in April after being told they were no longer part of the union. Photo BY PATRICK YEAGLE They took a firm stand, and then they promptly retreated. In late April, SIU School of Medicine in Springfield surprised about 230 employees by not deducting their union dues from their…
The hearth eternal
She said to us who came with wondering eyes– “This is a magic fire, a magic room.” – From “The Hearth Eternal,” a poem by Lindsay published in 1914 in Congo and Other Poems. Jennie Battles stands in one of the rooms of the Vachel Lindsay State Historic Site by the typewriter poet Vachel Lindsay…
Young Luck
How lucky it is to be young and in a band! Young Luck began in mid-November of 2012 when Fedor and the Power Trio morphed into a kicking band blowing down the road like a rock ’n’ roll freight train. When Zack Fedor (lead vocals, guitar, harmonica), Tyler Landess (lead guitar, vocals), Ryan Hendrickson (bass,…
Remap petition problems
Almost 90 percent of the “Yes for Independent Maps” petition entries tossed as invalid by the Illinois State Board of Elections this month were for people who were either not registered to vote or weren’t registered to vote at the address shown on the petitions, official documents show. The group is attempting to get a…
Editor’s Note 6/26/14
This week the winners of the Small Business Owner of the Year awards, sponsored by the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce, all talked about taking care of their employees and their customers, persevering through hard times and putting in some long hours. Several referenced prayer as a key to their success. But none spoke of…
About history, so what?
Erika Holst, Springfield historian and curator of collections at the Springfield Art Association, is guest columnist this week while Jim Krohe takes a week off. Your favorite dyspeptic is away this week, so instead of your regularly scheduled dose of Dyspepsiana you have me, leaving the comfort of my niche as an occasional writer of…
Cheap food I: illegal immigrants
“It kills me that the folks who freak out over ‘illegal immigrants streaming over the border to steal American jobs’ are often the same folks who love $0.99 boxes of strawberries …. Don’t want illegals coming over here to work? Get ready to pay fair, American wages to the workers who produce your food. Just…
Bullish on GateHouse?
GateHouse Media, parent company of the State Journal-Register, is back in a buying mode, having recently made a deal to acquire the Providence Journal in Rhode Island, according to recent media reports. The price, according to stories published by New England media outlets, is between $50 million and $60 million. Where did GateHouse come up…
Too not everyone’s cup of tea
Romany Malco, Michael Ealy, Gary Owen and Kevin Hart. Film critic Gene Siskel once put forth the notion that reviewing comedies was a useless exercise. He felt that comedy was a subjective genre and that while he might think something was funny, others might not be amused at all and vice versa. I think there’s…
Music galore
Square of the Roots celebrates the release of Common Heritage, Sat., June 28, 9 p.m. at the Tin Can Pub with special guests, Johnny and the Two Gs. As we wrap up the last weekend in June 2104 (just so you know how fast we’re spinning), the bands are back and the bars (and other…
EPA to step up water pollution enforcement
It has been on the books since 1972, but the federal Clean Water Act has always been a bit unclear about exactly which waterways it protected. That’s set to change with a rule proposed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, but business groups are pushing Congress to block the change. The rule change would specify…
where I grew up poem #3
where I grew up poem #3 the house is gone the barn is gonethe metal corn bins are gone thedrying bins gone the corn storage building gone the corn processing building gone (the one with the mural on it you could see from town)even the old smokehouse is gone butthe asparagus still grows in abundancewild…
Give college grads a future of freedom from debt
The U.S. Senate held a vote recently to bring up legislation allowing student debt holders to refinance old loans at lower current interest rates. The motion to debate the “Bank on Students Emergency Loan Refinancing Act” garnered a 56-38 majority but fell short of the 60 votes needed to open debate. Republicans cast 37 of…
Two guys make a movie
Cast and crew of Seriously Trippin’ from left: Martin Miller, Kammy Robinson, Gabe Owusu, Tanesha Morrison, Ozland Banks, Talina Spencer, Shawn Williams, Mario Taylor, Fontaine Krushall, Eik Williams, Daton Vaughn, Bian Parga, Rodney Haley. PHOTO BY PATRICK YEAGLE Springfield resident Ozland Banks has been independently shooting videos and doing graphic design work for years but…
Field day
PHOTO BY DOUG CARR Families will have the opportunity to discover where food from their dinner plates comes from during Amazing Agriculture at the Illinois State Museum Saturday, June 28. Activities planned include a sweet corn farm-to-table relay, fruit and vegetable stamp painting, building a hamburger flannel board and seed planting. There will also be…
Going the extra mile
PHOTO BY CHAD MITCHELL PHOTOGRAPHY Assumption Fest opens Thursday, June 26, in the small town of Assumption but the lineup is anything but small. Recently added to the parade on Saturday, June 28, is the vehicle and color guard, courtesy of the Illinois Army National Guard’s Company A and Company D, 1st Battalion, 106th Aviation…
Prairie Dreams
Prairie Dreams: The History of Clayville and Its People. Dates and times: July 4, 6 p.m., July 5, 7 p.m. July 6, 3 p.m. Admission: Adults (13 and over) $13.50. Seniors and veterans $11.50. Youth (12 and under) $8.50. Tickets: Clayville Trading Post, Tues-Sat, 10 a.m.- 4 p.m., 217-572-4984. Sangamon Auditorium, 217-206-6160. Visit www.clayville.org for…
Giving them something to strive for
Lanphier senior forward Kalvin Caesar drives to the hoop against three defenders at the Boys and Girls Club in Springfield. Photo BY PATRICK YEAGLE It’s already warm outside at 85 degrees on a breezeless summer evening in Springfield, but inside the gym at the Boys and Girls Club, it seems even hotter. The gym, sans…
LEGISLATIVE FICTION
How can a reporter tell it’s election season? The flood of bloviating emails from candidates is a dead giveaway. One of our favorite offenders is Rep. Sue Scherer, a Democrat from Decatur who represents part of Springfield. Last week, Scherer sent an email taking credit for the passage of a law to improve early childhood…
