“Visioning” the possibilities
A group of about 100 local residents will begin meeting this week to help make a decision about the future of district buildings, including Springfield High School. The residents received an invitation from Springfield schools superintendent Dr. Walter Milton. Feasibility study committee members will participate in four Friday-Saturday “visioning” sessions over the course of five…
Letters to the editor
Thanks from Elkhart Thank you very much for your article on our fair little town [see “The view from Elkhart hill,” by Rick Wade, IT, March 19]. I thought the article was very well written and the pictures did us justice. Publicity like this is what we and other small towns need to help us…
First novel wordplay reflects writer’s “crush on life”
It is hard to imagine a single person who has exerted more influence on the literary life of Springfield in the past calendar year than Joanna Beth Tweedy, founder and co-editor of Quiddity, theliterary magazine at Springfield College — and moderator of the half-hour “Quiddity” radio program broadcast at 6:30 p.m. on the first Wednesday…
Why nobody supports Quinn’s tax hike plan
The biggest problem with passing Gov. Pat Quinn’s tax hike and budget proposals is not that almost every Statehouse interest group opposes them. The Illinois Federation of Teachers, for instance, sent out a statement before Gov. Quinn had even finished his budget address to say that any state legislator who votes for the governor’s proposed…
Millikin’s Bluegrass Weekend
When I saw the famous and fantastic band Asleep at the Wheel scheduled to perform at the Kirkland Fine Arts Center of Millikin University in Decatur, that alone seemed to be enough for a column. Then upon further investigation I discovered a couple more living legends coming to the same place on the same weekend:…
The ABCs of school board candidates
My kids don’t go to the public schools. I don’t have children. There’s an election? Despite routinely encountering the preceding rejoinders, the four individuals running in two competitive races to serve on the District 186 board of education have been trudging across precincts and knocking on doors, many of them unanswered, in their respective subdistricts.…
Richard Dreyfuss performance highlights history symposium
Academy Award-winning actor Richard Dreyfuss and Lincoln scholar Harold Holzer will present a rare performance of Lincoln Seen and Heard, on Friday, March 27, on the campus of Illinois College in Jacksonville. The dramatic reading has been presented in recent months to audiences at the White House, Ford’s Theatre, The Library of Congress and at…
In love with lentils
For most folks, the Incredibly Delicious bakery means world-class croissants, artisinal breads, beautiful pastries and cakes and lovely lunches served in a gorgeous historic mansion. As a friend recently said, “I certainly hope Springfield realizes what a treasure we have in him (master baker, chef, and owner Patrick Groth).” I absolutely agree. And there’s more.…
A 3-D monster mash, and a disaster flick with soul
There’s no question that digital 3-D is here to stay. After many fits and starts to perfect the process since its introduction in the 1950s, the nut has finally been cracked where making it seem like fire is landing in your lap is concerned. Dreamworks’ Monsters Vs. Aliens is no exception as the effects are…
Wall Street arrogance meets Washington meekness on executive bonuses
Citigroup, once the world’s largest financial conglomerate, has fallen so far down that you can buy a share of its stock today for less than it costs to use one of its ATM machines. A few days ago, however, Citi caused investors’ hearts to go pitter-patter with joy when it loudly trumpeted that it had…
People’s Poetry
ecopoem #7 in switzerland in ’54 I heard children on the playground chanting this singsong rhyme: ce qui plait — l’escargot — ne plait pas a tout le monde! what’s pleasing to the snail does not please all the world! a truth worth chanting though now belatedly we are seeing our need to please the…
Born leader
Ask Jonathon Monken how he got the job as director of Illinois State Police — at the tender age of 29, with no law enforcement experience — and he’ll start with a story about being introduced to now-Gov. Pat Quinn at an awards ceremony a few years ago. “The first time we met was when…
High-tech healthcare
The Southern Illinois University School of Medicine has long been the heart of healthcare in the central Illinois region, and now thanks to über-modern medicine, it’s circulating lifelines to hospitals in every corner of the state. Since 2001, SIU has synchronized its videoconference system with 149 clinics and hospitals. The school’s staff facilitates the transmission…
IT Picks
DANCE | Ice skating United States national pewter medalist, Ryan Bradley, performs as guest skater in the Springfield Figure Skating Club’s annual Spotlight on Ice this weekend at the Nelson Center in Lincoln Park. Springfield’s ice show features more than 100 club members performing solo and group skating numbers to musical ice versions of Beauty…
Junior lobbyists revved up to decrease tailpipe emissions
Julien and Liam Mathie, 10- and 9-year-old brothers from the western Chicago suburb of La Grange Park, woke up at 5 a.m., put on suits and ties, and drove to Springfield with their parents last Wednesday to promote the Clean Cars Act. It was the second time the junior lobbyists — considered “pros” by Environment…
Art imitates Springfield life
Bill Crook experimented with a number of concepts before settling on the final design for the sign that attorney William Panichi asked him to paint for Panichi’s law office on North Fourth Street. Panichi wanted something that combined images of Abraham Lincoln, who lived in Springfield before becoming president, and Barack Obama, who’s often compared…
CAMPIOFF
A lawsuit against the city of Springfield by Dr. Michael Campion, who screened city police and fire department recruits for 15 years until he was fired in 2005, was tossed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit this week. Campion believed his contract was terminated because of an Illinois Times article revealing…
