Guilty Conscience
(Look at this guy! How can you not feel bad for him? He’s all sad and factory-ridden. Is it just me? Anyone … anyone? Fine.) If you’re like me, you probably have a lot of Catholic friends/family, and so you know that we’re in the middle of Lent. (Or maybe you are Catholic. In which…
Starry stroll
Star gazers and animal enthusiasts get two for the price of free at Lincoln Memorial Garden March 12. Trek the trails with two UIS science professors and learn about the night sky and night animals. Dr. John Martin from the astronomy/physics program will have telescopes and teach about the nighttime sky. Biology department vertebrate biologist…
The Emerald Underground
During the St. Patrick’s Day season The Emerald Underground becomes Springfield’s Celtic house band. Starting with a CD release party at the 49er on Friday, TEU next does Marly’s Pub at noon and Lime Street Café at 8:30 on Saturday, private shows at the Island Bay Yacht Club on Sunday and at Floyd’s Thirst Parlor…
Why the latest gambling push has a chance
The Statehouse is buzzing yet again with talk of a new gaming expansion plan. This time, the players say, they have their acts together. Really. I’m always pretty skeptical of these big legislative pushes. Expanding gaming is one of the most difficult things to do. A big reason is that there’s so much money involved…
Redpath caught red-handed
Darius Billops has spent his fair share of time behind bars. The 29-year-old from Springfield has collected a laundry list of indiscretions, starting in 1998 with traffic violations like driving without a license and insurance and moving up over the years to drug possession, theft and domestic battery. No one was more surprised than he…
Tourist town
Illinois Bureau of Tourism Deputy Director Jan Kostner refuses to dwell on the poor economy and its effect on tourism. In mid-February, as she delivered the annual State of the State of Tourism Address to more than 500 tourism professionals at the Illinois Governor’s Conference on Tourism, Kostner instead infused confidence into the state’s $2…
Amazing collectables
Families can learn all about collections — how to start a collection and how to keep it in great shape – and explore the collections of Springfield area kids and teens March 13 from 1-3 p.m. at the museum. There will be no sales or appraisals at this event. Families with younger children, ages 4-8,…
Drawing the line?
Maybe it was the recent election of Richard Nixon to the White House that left me looking to the past rather than to the future in 1974. That was the year I published Honest Abe’s Honest Almanac. The little book was, as its subtitle promises, “a cornucopia of amazing facts, useful wisdom and amusing anecdotes…
Soupe de Poisson Provençal Fish Soup
Soupe de Poisson is as much a provençal classic as its more famous cousin, bouillabaisse — and, in my opinion, much better. Adding fish or shellfish makes it more substantial, but the soup is traditional with or without. Large pinch saffron, crumbled 3/4 c. dry white wine or vermouth 2 c. chopped onion, not supersweet…
Downtown addition
Prairie Art Alliance has a new downtown gallery, Gallery II, located in the old Serendipity shop across from Maldaner’s. The opening day will be March 15. If you’ve seen the original gallery, H.D. Smith Gallery at the Hoogland Center for the Arts, you know that this will be a beautiful and special place. The opening…
Assaults at Springfield nursing home illustrate statewide problem
Incidents of assault at a Springfield nursing home highlight safety concerns as a state task force on nursing home reform calls for sweeping changes. In 2009, Springfield police were called to Springfield Terrace nursing home, located at 525 S. Martin Luther King Drive, for a variety of incidents involving residents with mental illnesses and criminal…
Alice, a wonder to behold, but cold
To be sure, there are moments when Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland truly soars. After the title heroine falls down the rabbit hole and becomes engrossed in a trippy world replete with odd creatures and vivid locales, the film achieves everything we hope it would. This material seems a perfect fit for Burton’s unique sensibility.…
Urban music radio comes to Springfield online
It began with a childhood dream of becoming a radio personality. But when Angel Macon sent demos to countless area radio stations, none responded. Instead of idly waiting for that big break, Macon took matters into her own hands by creating an opportunity for herself and others attempting to enter the radio industry. At a…
March marches on
Here comes the middle of March with the most famous Ides of all, St. Patrick’s Day celebrations and other assorted diversions, the best of all being a feeling of spring in the air. As an astute observer of nature shared with me on Sunday, “Wow, you can smell the world getting warmer,” and I couldn’t…
Goldman Sachs authors a Greek tragedy
Another Greek-based cargo ship and its crew were recently hijacked by Somalian pirates, costing the Greek owners an undisclosed amount in ransom. Such ongoing acts of brazen piracy off the coast of Somalia have riveted the established media’s attention. But the same news hawks have missed (or ignored) a much more brazen, longer-running and far…
Green scene
Don’t get pinched. Put on your green attire and march out to downtown Springfield where the Paddy’s Day parade kicks off at noon. The procession of floats, walking units and bands makes its way from Jefferson and Seventh streets, heads south down Fifth Street onto Capitol Avenue heading east. Then it turns north on Sixth…
Fish Stock
Approximately 2 lbs. fish bones, heads, and trimmings or seafood shells or heads. Do NOT use oily-type fish such as salmon, trout or mackerel Stalks from 1 fennel bulb 1 tsp. dried tarragon 1 T. peppercorns 1 bay leaf 3-4 cloves garlic 1 stalk celery 1 small onion, NOT supersweet, quartered 3-4 parsley sprigs or…
The Crazies: an effective throwback to ’70s horror
Once a sub-genre of horror films, the zombie movie has now become so popular you can’t swing a severed limb over your head without hitting one at the multiplex. The genesis of the modern zombie flick began with George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead, in 1968 and while his later film, The Crazies, did…
Rouiller
This spicy, garlicky provençal mayonnaise is good not only with Soupe de Poisson, but as a sandwich spread, sauce for shrimp, base for a salad dressing, and anything else where a spicy aioli would be suitable. In Spain, a similar version is used as a condiment with paella. If you’re in a hurry, or have…
Letters to the Editor 03/11/2010
NORTH TO ALASKAThank you for the wonderful story by Ginny Lee about the Illinois State Museum’s “North to Alaska” [see “Alaska visits Springfield in photos and artifacts,” Feb. 25]. Lee’s story and the photographs highlight our hard work to present this exhibition for the people of Springfield, the nearby area, and visitors to our city.…
Hot soup to end winter
Recent signs of spring are more welcome than usual this year. This winter has been tough, not because of any single blizzard or cold snap, but because it just seemed relentless. Still, remembering the Chicago winter of 1979 kept me from grumbling much. Now that was weather worth complaining about! Chicago’s annual snowfall averages 33…
BANKING ON HEALTHY SNACKS
It’s not often that one bank donates to another bank, but these aren’t your typical banks. Employees at Illinois National Bank in Springfield are holding a healthy snack food drive for the Central Illinois Foodbank’s Kids Café program, which provides nutritious meals to children from low-income homes during the school year. When Kids’ Café closes…
New energy codes leave home builders in the dark
Zinn Construction, a custom home building company based in Sherman, builds eight to ten homes per year, along with a few remodeling projects. But new energy efficiency codes, approved by the state last August, are causing confusion for owner Phil Zinn and his fellow home builders. Illinois enacted new building codes that require well-insulated basements,…
TRASH TO TREASURE
Lee Elementary School students turned juice pouches into pencil cases, chip bags to lunch boxes and candy wrappers into backpacks as part of a national initiative that combines fundraising and recycling. Students collected nearly 6,000 pieces of non-recyclable waste, such as bags, wrappers and bottles, and shipped them to TerraCycle, a company that makes new…
demopoem # 1
with all the interest in the filmjulie and julia and also localcooking schools let me tell you astory about my springfield friendtom(doc)durr he was attendingthe culinary institute of americawhen julia child came to visitthe white-clad students lined uprespectfully at long tables behindtheir designated specialties whilejulia accompanied by famedchefs and dignitaries reviewedthe troops doc had a…
The Heartland needs more than hope
Hope from the Heartland, a new book by Jay Hoffman, the Democratic state representative from Collinsville, starts with the premise that climate change, the energy and economic crises can be solved simultaneously. “We can retool our industrial base using new technology, take advantage of our abundant natural resources, and create new jobs while replacing our…
Communities demand solutions for pension burden
If you’ve paid property taxes in Springfield, you’ve contributed to a police officer or firefighter’s pension fund. According to Mayor Tim Davlin, almost 100 percent of property taxes collected in Springfield go to police and fire pensions. In accordance with state law, the city’s public safety employees receive retirement funds, which can total up to…
