Silent night
Everyone’s been cooped up since March. The nation is in economic distress not seen since the Great Depression. The weather is nice. Something horrible happens. Few rise in perfect storms. Mostly, everybody sinks. But not necessarily in Springfield, at least, not always. Springfield is among the nation’s most segregated cities, according to a 2019 report…
Sunday night, stay home
From a release: The City of Springfield is asking residents to please stay home this evening, Sunday, May 31. In light of recent events across the nation including disruptions with various businesses, and now with information coming in at a local level, individuals are asked to stay in. Unless an emergency situation, please remain at your…
Cop under investigation for comments about alderpeople
A Springfield police officer is off the job after calling an alderperson a “f——— idiot” on Facebook. A release from the Springfield Police Department said it is “aware of the inappropriate and unprofessional comments made by one of its members on social media directed at Alderman Shawn Gregory and Alderwoman Doris Turner.” According to a…
Pandemic enforcement remains uncertain
Enforcement of Gov. JB Pritzker’s restrictions on businesses appears murky after an abbreviated legislative session that ended with lawmakers declining to pass anything that might give the governor the power of law to keep people apart amid pandemic. Pritzker, under fire for closing businesses to curb the pandemic, called legislators’ failure to put statutory teeth…
Masked hatred
Optimism long has been my curse. I have doubled down on Ford stock and bet big against the reelection of George W. Bush. No way, I figured, could the Bills lose four Super Bowls in a row. Last week, I headed to the Bank of Springfield Center, not for the spectacle within as the state…
Covering politics with no public access
Last winter, a buddy of mine asked me if I thought I could cover state legislative sessions from a remote, perhaps warmer, location. I’ve been writing about Illinois politics and government for 30 years. Like many of my more experienced colleagues, I’ve developed an extensive list of sources and contacts that I can reach out…
Editor’s note 05-28-20
When, before heading out to play golf, President Trump ordered governors to open churches, Rev. Alison Miller was moved to write: “Mr. President, congregations are not buildings. They are the people who gather – and, as a pastor I can attest we have never closed – not for one day. We have just moved to…
Entitlement at the Statehouse
Entitlement at the Statehouse Legislators think rules don’t apply to them Last week, two state Senate staffers were allegedly caught – gasp – drinking beer in the Capitol. The surprising thing is that both were arrested. While it is illegal to drink alcohol in the Capitol building, I’ve never heard of the measure being enforced.…
barnes poem #1
hi friends I have written a lot about a barn this is about barnes world famous hospital near us where I just spent a week for an eye op I blipped a bleb (look it up) stellar experience excellent time I thank the several spfld eye doctors who got me there and now barnes doctors…
Letters to the Editor 05-28-20
MOVE PILLSBURY FORWARD The leaders interviewed in Rachel Otwell’s article (“Moving Pillsbury forward, inches at a time,” April 23) are the same leaders who haven’t been able to move Pillsbury forward in decades. What’s missing is a city advisory council. This group of appointees from each ward could meet monthly to offer the city recommendations…
Learning remote learning
In mid-March, when Buffy Lael-Wolf realized in-person school was indefinitely postponed, she sprang into action. She knew her 10-year-old daughter, Nea, thrived on routine, and she wasn’t going to skip a beat. She felt her professional background had prepared her. “If I wasn’t going to be a nurse, I was going to be a teacher.…
U of I prohibits faculty-undergrad relationships
The University of Illinois Board of Trustees approved changes to its policies on hiring as well as faculty and staff relationships with students and subordinates. In an online meeting May 21, board members voted in favor of the two proposals without discussion. The new policies result from the work of committees that formed in the…
Strawberry shortcake for real
Strawberry shortcake is one of the most beloved desserts in the American culinary repertoire. Neither brief nor small, the cakes are named short because of the generous quantity of shortening in the dough. Coating flour with fat inhibits the formation of gluten, resulting in the signature, crumbly texture of true shortcake, which most Americans today…
The polio quarantine of 1949
There are stark similarities between the coronavirus pandemic and the 1949 beginnings of the polio pandemic in Springfield. Then, as now, the length of isolation was set at 14 days; people were urged to stay away from others and practice clean hygiene. There was a call for nurses to help with the increase in hospital…
High Note familiar but entertaining tune
I’m going to take a counterintuitive approach to Nisha Ganatra’s The High Note. As written by Flora Greeson, this is a formulaic romantic comedy that makes no bones about the fact that it’s a formulaic romantic comedy. Be that as it may, I contend that it’s a rather daring proposition to make something so predictable.…
Live music lives
As we hit week number whatever-it-is of the shelter-in-place order, live music is back and truly live, and not just online. The calendar exploded this week with all kinds of in-person music at a good deal of local venues this weekend. And also, remember there are plenty of Facebook concerts still continuing to happen as…
Illinois Symphony Orchestra
Pour yourself a glass of wine, enjoy some dinner and tune in to the Illinois Symphony Orchestra’s YouTube channel to experience the new Sunday at Six Recital Series from the comfort of your own home. The series will run every Sunday through June 28. Each recital will be followed by a Coda Conversation via Zoom…
