ICON endorses in city races
Inner City Older Neighborhoods, a consortium of neighborhood associations and groups in the city’s core, today endorsed candidates in municipal races, choosing incumbent Mayor Jim Langfelder over challenger Frank Edwards Other endorsements include: Treasurer: Misty Buscher City Clerk: Rianne Hawkins Ward 1 Alderman: T. Ray McJunkins Ward 2 Alderman: Gail Simpson Ward 3 Alderman: Doris…
Edwards get cash infusion for mayor’s race
Get ready for commercials: Springfield mayoral hopeful Frank Edwards has received a big financial boost from organized labor and Republicans. Edwards on Saturday reported receiving more than $31,000 in three donations, including $25,380 from the Sangamon County Republican Foundation, $5,000 from the South Central Illinois Laborers Political League and $1,000 from the Sangamon County Republican…
Trains, planes and buses
The Wall Street Journal last week made clear what folks who’ve been paying attention have long known: Passenger trains between St. Louis and Chicago aren’t living up to promises. We were supposed to be zipping along at 110 mph by now. We’re not. Thanks to delays in installing safety gear aimed at keeping trains from…
Tax cuts for the masses
Democrats often propose ideas that take forever to explain and are difficult for the masses to understand. That wasn’t the case last week. “Under my fair tax plan,” Gov. J.B. Pritzker tweeted, “97 percent of taxpayers get tax relief and the wealthy will pay their fair share.” It’s gonna be really tough to top a…
Letters to the Editor 3/14/19
PROUD TO RECYCLE Imagine my dismay when I opened my IT to the headline “The blue badge of shame” and then proceeded to read Bruce Rushton’s anti-recycling opinion piece (Feb. 28). After I got over my initial anger that a well-respected local journalist was essentially telling people not to recycle, I decided some education is…
Editor’s note 3/14/19
Everybody knows, “If you see something, say something.” But not as many have learned, “If you read something, write something.” People are always telling us, “I almost wrote you a letter.” Well, it’s never too late. Writers and editors thrive on response, especially on thoughtful response like the one that appears on this page from…
We need something better than blue bins
“I’ve got a funny feeling they got plastic in the afterlife…” – Beck Bruce Rushton’s article (“The blue badge of shame,” March 6) highlights a critical need for future-thinking. We present-day humans produce an unbelievable volume of waste – recyclable, compostable and otherwise. We have some halfhearted measures to handle this output, but sadly, the…
Salary Negotiation Workshop
American Association of University Women’s research on the gender pay gap shows that one year out of college women are already paid significantly less than men. Women who work full time take home 80 cents for every dollar a full-time male worker is paid. Over a lifetime, those lost potential earnings add up. Women who…
Share the Irish Spirit
Springfield’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade has been an annual event since 1985. That year the grand marshal was William “Pinky” McHenry who was instrumental in the revitalization of St. John’s Breadline and Friends of Brother James Court. This year the honor goes to Share the Spirit Foundation. The Foundation was formed in 2003 with the…
Broken Homes
About the article: Governing magazine, based in Washington, D. C., covers state and local government across the country – the laws and leadership that shape the way states and cities serve their citizens. The magazine decided to devote attention to the ongoing issue of residential segregation in America, and how government policies continue to reinforce…
Three experienced candidates compete in Ward 5
Three candidates who all have experience as elected officials will be on the ballot for the Ward 5 aldermanic race in the April municipal election. Sam Cahnman, an attorney in private practice who previously served two terms as alderman for Ward 5, is hoping to regain the office from current alderman Andrew Proctor, who…
Ward 7 wars
The biggest issue in the race for Ward 7 alderman is the incumbent. Ald. Joe McMenamin has drawn the ire of fellow aldermen whom he has excoriated for accepting campaign contributions from labor unions and entities that do business with the city. There have been arguments at council meetings to the point that some aldermen…
Grim Greta a deliciously dark comic thriller
If your tastes run towards Grimms’ Fairy Tales, Neil Jordan’s Greta is likely to be your cup of tea. This nasty little dark comedy effectively taps into the paranoia of the abduction thriller, doing so with a distinct twinkle of the eye and tongue planted firmly in cheek. Much of this is due to Isabelle…
Irish, Flash, Colour
What a weekend of this, that and the other things, including the Ides of March plopped in there for good measure. Let’s begin, shall we? We must — or so we should — so we shall, start off with our annual review of Irish/Celtic music around town for the big St. Patrick’s Day weekend. Our…
The Emerald Underground
Springfield’s best-known and longest-running Celtic-fusion band still has the green going on with plans to keep it growing for years to come. Once upon a time, before becoming TEU, group origins were in an area band called Stone Ring Circle. After decades of performances, combined with several personnel changes, the history of the band projects…
springfield poem # 27
springfield poem # 27 I appreciate that springfield is wanting to keep us walkers and riders safe from the new faster trains but the big red and white barriers blocking some downtown streets are not only unsightly but in one case making it almost impossible to find the large plaque erected for our most unsung…
Winter farmers market
Shop local this St. Patrick’s Day weekend! A variety of locally raised products will be available for purchase at the Winter Farmers Market this Saturday, March 16, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at the State House Inn. There will even be some fresh produce available in spite of the cold rain and snow, alongside free-range eggs, meat,…
