A little knowledge . . . . Part 6 in a series
Over at Vox, Sarah Kiff reminds us that the Affordable Care Act is now five years old. Better known as Obamacare, the legislation has accomplished more and cost less than even it supporters expected. However, a new poll conducted for Vox shows that 83 percent of Americans still hold the same opinions on the…
Making better ducks
People love to feed the ducks, as happens every day where the Jacksonville Branch of Spring Creek enters Washington Park. People don’t love ducks, however, judgig by what they feed these animals. The usual gift is bread, but Britain’s Canal and River Trust warns that white bread in particular is no better for ducks…
Supreme Court hears pension arguments
The Illinois Supreme Court heard arguments last week on whether a controversial law cutting public pension benefits was constitutional. The high court’s decision will play a pivotal role in determining how Illinois deals with its growing unfunded public pension liability, especially as Gov. Bruce Rauner seeks to further cut pensions to close a massive budget…
Take more money, please
Sangamon County administrator Brian McFadden has gotten a pay hike of nearly 25 percent. McFadden, who had made $116,025, now earns $145,000 a year under a proposal approved by the county board’s finance committee on March 10. Andy Goleman, chairman of the board’s finance committee, said that the county surveyed like-sized counties in Illinois and…
Opportunity squandered
Reading about the reactions from around Illinois to the cuts in state programs proposed by Gov. Scrooge, I was reminded of this passage from Benjamin Franklin’s Autobiography. Those who govern, having much business on their hands, do not generally like to take the trouble of considering and carrying into execution new projects. The best public…
Mostly Mozart By Illinois Symphony Orchestra
The Illinois Symphony Orchestra is putting on a “Mostly Mozart” Concert at six and eight PM, Friday March 20 at the First Presbyterian Church, 321 S Seventh St. It is “mostly” Mozart because in between the two Mozart Pieces they will be priemiering a brand new piece, “Musica Nostalgia” by Uzbekistani Composer Dmitri Yanov-Yanovsky. This…
From books to off-Broadway
GRAPHIC COURTESY THE LEGACY THEATRE Fancy Nancy is a young girl with a big personality and a penchant for everything fancy. When her teacher announces plans for a class show, Deep Sea Dances, Nancy and her best friend, Bree, are thrilled at the prospect of performing in the show as mermaids. Much to Nancy’s dismay,…
RADIO WAVES
The union that represents newsroom employees at the State Journal-Register has turned to radio to ratchet up pressure on management to agree to a contract that includes raises for workers who haven’t seen bumps in pay since GateHouse Media bought the paper in 2007. Spots noting the decline of the paper, including the elimination of…
Skate, spin, sparkle
Spotlight on Ice The Springfield Figure Skating Club’s annual Spotlight on Ice returns to the capital city this weekend for three dazzling performances. The theme of this year’s showcase is “It’s Magic” and will feature ice skating performances set to music from Mary Poppins, Wicked, Pippin, Harry Potter and The Princess and the Frog. SFSC…
Studying the sex trade
Studying the sex trade On Tuesday, March 24, at 7 p.m. join the University of Illinois Springfield’s ECCE Speaker Series for a Women’s History Month presentation on the exploitation of girls and women via sex trafficking. Speaker Jody Raphael is a senior research fellow at the Schiller DuCanto and Fleck Family Law Center at the…
Iron Orchard
Iron Orchard Claiming to come from a “downtrodden region of Illinois known as Forgottonia” that others might call Western Illinois (Macomb to be more specific), this hard-hitting quartet is out to set the woods on fire by taking inspiration from the land where they live and turning it into heartfelt, hell-bent, heads-up, countrified, rocking music.…
your today’s assignment: item 8
make a serious stab at accounting forthese two books’ incredible longevityinfluence popularity (even though fewread them these days and knowing themis the mark of an educated person)not many children read them either andthey’re not often included in the canon ofvictorian lit – that’s because they don’tfit – don’t tell me it’s the fault of disney…
Editor’s note 3/19/15
The drip, drip of records related to the city’s Shredgate scandal continued this week with the city’s release of minutes, a transcript and an audio recording of an hour-long city council executive session held on May 7, 2013. The council, ostensibly, met in private because they were discussing collective bargaining, personnel and pending litigation, but…
Happy blues birthday
Ronnie Baker Brooks plays the Illinois Central Blues Club Birthday Bash on Saturday, March 21, at the Knights of Columbus Hall on Meadowbrook and Iles. Let’s switch colors this week from green to blue as we move from the Irish into blues territory. Lots of other things are going on as usual, but we should…
Letter’s to the Editor 3/19/15
Jim Langfelder, left, and Paul Palazzolo, right, are the two candidates in Springfield’s upcoming 2015 mayoral contest. PHOTOS BY PATRICK YEAGLE RECENT RESIGNATIONSI would like to address recent events that concern me and many others with whom I have spoken. These events are the three recent resignations of local elected officials in the middle of…
Subsidizing corporate crime
“Do the crime, do the time,” the old saying goes. Unless, of course, the criminals are corporate executives. In those cases, the culprits are practically always given a “Get out of jail free” card. Even the corporate crimes that produce horrible injuries, illnesses, death, massive pollution, consumer rip-offs, etc. are routinely settled by fines and…
Moving on
My family bought our house in 1925. At the time the address was 1207 West Grand Avenue South. During World War II the street name was changed to MacArthur Boulevard. Now, 90 years later, we are getting it ready to be sold. I have lived in the house for 70 years. People express surprise saying…
Magnificent “Messiah”
Georg Frideric Handel’s “Messiah” (Easter portion) This Saturday, March 21, at 7 p.m., join the Springfield Handel Society for a performance of the Easter portion of Georg Frideric Handel’s “Messiah.” Written by G.F. Handel in 1741-1742, the Baroque-era oratorio remains one of the most well-known and most frequently performed choral works in Western history. Choir…
JOBS GALORE
Who says there are no jobs available? The Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce is hosting employers from Springfield and the surrounding area for a Job and Career Fair next month, showcasing the jobs available here and the talent Springfield has to fill them. Illinois workNet Center, a state-run website listing jobs around Illinois, shows more…
The hidden cost of child care cuts
Buried deep within Gov. Bruce Rauner’s proposed budget plan for next fiscal year is yet another claimed “savings” which may not actually save any money, and could easily wind up costing the state more. The governor proposes to save a whopping $108 million by discontinuing child care services provided by relatives in the child’s or…
Off the rails?
Organizer Katie Spindell, center, says that plans for the re-creation of Abraham Lincoln’s funeral in May are coming together despite problems getting a replica of the funeral train to participate in the event. Flanking Spindell are Ted Henry of S PHOTO BY PATRICK YEAGLE While organizers scramble for money, some Civil War reenactors are outraged…
Nothing to fear here
Curses, foiled againRocco Tumbarello, 41, stole stuff from a home in West Boynton, Fla., authorities there said, but he didn’t get far. He lives across the street. The victim came home to find his 42-inch TV and his mother’s laptop gone, the sheriff’s report said, and spotted his neighbor “running across the street with his…
Movie magic in Cinderella
Lily James stars as Cinderella in Cinderella. PHOTO BY WALT DISNEY PICTURES Do we really need another version of Cinderella? I didn’t think so until I saw Kenneth Branagh’s ravishing new rendition that’s buoyed by a reverent approach, perfect casting and a sumptuous production design that manages to create a magical kingdom that effortlessly straddles…
The wrong guy
Angel Gonzalez was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and he was driving the wrong vehicle. Were it not for his 1979 Cadillac sedan, Gonzalez probably would have never become a suspect in a 1994 rape at an apartment complex in Waukegan. Gonzalez spent nearly 21 years in prison for the crime, until…
1950s food fun
ILLUSTRATION BY KATHY HAGEDORN/TNS Reading Judith Jones’ newest book, Love Me, Feed Me, inspired me to reread her memoir, The Tenth Muse: My Life in Food. Jones, an editor at Knopf Publishing, was responsible for recognizing Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking as a masterpiece and getting it published. Then her memoir made…
State police just don’t get it
FOIA Facts and FrictionStaff writer Bruce Rushton will sit on a panel organized by the Better Government Association to discuss the state Freedom of Information Act and the future of the law intended to ensure open and transparent government. The March 24 event called FOIA Facts and Friction will also include experts from the BGA,…
Angry crowd protests Rauner’s budget cuts
The Capitol dome echoed with chants of “We are the 99 percent,” “Whose money? Our money” and “Tax the rich.” Every so often, a hush fell over the crowd as they raised their fists in solidarity. That was the scene last week as protesters swarmed the Statehouse to protest Gov. Bruce Rauner’s proposed budget cuts.…
Keeping things clear
PHOTO BY NABIL K. MARK/TNS [Note to readers: The snow has gone, as snow does, but it will be back – probably in July, given how wacky the weather has become. Time now, while memories of the drifts are fresh, to ponder how best to cope with them a few months from now.] To most…
If Adam met Albert
CARTOON BY CHRIS BRITT
