“Uncle Drew” Hits More Shots Than it Misses
Some films have no purpose other than to entertain. There’s no intent to make a grand political or social statement, the whole goal is to put smiles on faces. Charles Stone III’s Uncle Drew’s such a movie and, for the most part, it succeeds in what it sets out to do. While the movie is predictable and its…
City plan calls for $6 million in TIF money for new YMCA
Nearly $6 million in public money would be used to build a new downtown YMCA under an ordinance scheduled to be introduced tomorrow at the Springfield City Council. The money would come from two tax increment financing funds, one set up to benefit downtown, the other for Enos Park. Val Yazell, city economic development director,…
Visit Alton – historic and quirky
Alton is a curiosity-seeker’s paradise. Where else can you celebrate the 100th birthday of the world’s tallest man, pay homage to an anti-slavery and press freedom martyr, marvel at antique torture devices and possibly commune with ghosts, only 85 miles from Springfield? In fact, Alton has so much history related to the Civil War, floods…
Miles of smiles
The only thing less fun than getting a root canal is not getting a root canal. And so a crowd is expected next month at the Bank of Springfield Center, where dentists from around the state will gather to work for free. This will be the first time that Springfield will host the Illinois Mission…
What do those people want?
Where is the Democratic Party? The Party of the People is stuck in the status quo – the still reigning, old-line hierarchy of the Democratic Party is unwilling to just be dedicated to, well, to the democratic interests of its own political base. While Republicans are a wholly-owned corporate subsidiary, unabashedly dedicated to the narrow…
The Democrats’ Madigan problem
Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan will be on the ballot in just one of Illinois’ 118 House districts this November, but his name and reputation will be featured in electoral battles throughout the state as Gov. Bruce Rauner and the Republican Party use Madigan against every Democrat from J.B. Pritzker on down to maybe even…
Letters to the Editor 6/28/18
STOP ‘BEAT THE TRAIN’ Great article on the railroad sidewalk fencing (“Don’t fence me in,” by Bruce Rushton, June 21). I too drive through that intersection every day on my way home. Everybody here at the Illinois Commerce Commission had a good laugh and loved the fact that you combine excellent writing skills with a…
Editor’s note 6/28/18
AFSCME Council 31 called the U. S. Supreme Court ruling against the union a “blatant political attack,” while the Illinois Policy Institute, crowing over its victory, called the unions “inherently political,” as though IPI is not. In fact, one of the groups supporting the suit said its purpose was to “defund” the labor movement nationwide.…
Where have all the flowers gone? When will we ever learn?
I recently returned from Los Angeles where my grandson was born six weeks ago. I spent the first few weeks of his life there helping my daughter and caring for him. It broke my heart to leave him and return to Springfield, and I look forward to going back soon. As I thought of my…
Small town, big family fun
When it comes to getting the most bang for your buck, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a more extensive small-town festival than Assumption Fest. This epic three-day festival with free parking and free admission meets all the standards for old-fashioned family fun, with pork chop dinners, car cruises and car shows, kiddie and adult tractor…
An on-stage throwdown
Don’t miss Beatles vs Stones, a high-energy musical showdown on Friday, June 29 at 8 p.m. at the Hoogland Center for the Arts. During this top-rated event, The Fab Four will be represented by Beatles tribute band Abbey Road while the Rolling Stones will be represented by Satisfaction, a Rolling Stones tribute band. Beatles vs…
The last stare fighter
I’m a 28-year-old woman who has been single for over five years. I’m steering clear of dating sites right now because of how so many guys portray themselves in ways that are very different from how they are in person. But then, in day-to-day life, when I smile at a guy I like, he’ll usually…
History lives here
Restoration of the Governor’s Mansion is wrapping up for a grand opening in July. The mansion is the third-oldest continuously occupied executive mansion in the United States and has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1976. It has a rich history, in its occupants and frequent restorations. The mansion has witnessed births,…
Bicentennial and Beyond opens at Illinois State Museum
A vibrant and fanciful painting of Carolina parakeets is juxtaposed with a taxidermy mount of this once prolific bird that was hunted to extinction. An original John Deere steel plow appears so simple, yet it broke the prairie soil and transformed agriculture. These are just two examples of objects telling stories in the new exhibition…
Positive effects of spending local
A community’s local businesses are often what write the town’s history, initiate and maintain traditions and give a community its special characteristics. Shopping local also creates a positive ripple effect throughout the entire community.Your money supports your communityWhen you spend local, it stays local. It pays local workers, who send their children to local schools…
Shopping local by the numbers
See how much shopping local can affect your community with these fast facts.Let’s talk small businesses• According to the Small Business Administration, there are 29 million small businesses across the United States. • These businesses account for 99.7 percent of all business in the country and provide 47 percent of the nation’s jobs, according to…
HISO Music is moving on up
Since 2014, Springfield-based multiple-platform entertainment conglomerate HISO Music has been building its business steadily, to the point where it has started to feel growing pains. Now the company is preparing to open a new, self-contained complex at 1401 S. Fifth St.The brainchild of relentlessly energetic and positive 28-year-old CEO Ayo Abitogun (see “The business of…
ALPLM foundation sells Monroe memorabilia
A dress once worn by Marilyn Monroe fetched $50,000 last Saturday as the struggling Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation sold eight non-Lincoln items at a Las Vegas auction. Seven photographs of Monroe with Carl Sandburg collectively brought $15,000. A Sandburg bust proved exactly that and remains the property of the foundation, having failed to attract…
Civil War Thursday nights
A bookstore in downtown Springfield aims to educate visitors on the vital role Illinois played in the Civil War. Every Thursday night during the summer, Books on the Square, 427 E. Washington St., presents “Illinois and the Civil War.” A host of authors, scholars and historians will conduct seminars analyzing Illinoisans who shaped the outcome…
Soldado heavy on action, short on conscience
Depending on your political leanings, Sicario 2: Day of the Soldado is either the film we need right now or a piece of inflammatory propaganda that only focuses on one side of a complex issue. Within the first ten minutes we witness a suicide bomber take his own life when stopped by U.S. Immigration and…
June jangles away
Here we go into the last weekend of June, soaking up fun in the sun, sliding into neon-lit nightclubs, and generally having a whale of a good time swimming in this sea of lively and lovely live music. Friday sets things off in a good direction when the Fabulous Hoedads show up at the VFW…
Chris Duarte
This Austin-based guitarist, songwriter and singer gets welcomed and warranted comparisons to the late, great Stevie Ray Vaughan and combines other flavors of electric Texas-blues players as well, including shades of the also late and great Johnny Winter to create his very own sound. Originally from San Antonio, Chris started playing gigs at age 15,…
border babies poem #1 for June 28
border babies poem #1 for June 28 I’m sure almost all of us areheartsick heartsick heartsick atthe inhumane cruelty to childrenfamilies the ugliness our gutlessland has become our sewer ethicsfear for our grandkids great-grandsfolks, I pose us this basic questionclimate change is upon us we’reliving in a new geologic epoch ofour own making clever sapiens…
Hot summer, cold soups
As I write this, I’ve just come in from the garden, and it’s so hot outside that by 10 a.m. the morning sun was beating down, and even in the shade, sweat was freely running into my eyes. I’d started garden chores early in the day, knowing that by lunchtime I wanted to be inside…
Many ways to eat local
Eating local has a more authentic flavor. By eating local, you support local families, but you are also more likely to consume items that are locally sourced and grown. Here are just a few ways to eat locally. Find a new placeMost of us are creatures of habit, and it’s easy to fall into the…
