An utter mess
Financial records from a high school basketball tournament that once bore the name of Springfield School District 186 board member Adam Lopez are such a mess that auditors can’t determine whether money is missing. Among myriad financial issues, money from ticket sales wasn’t properly accounted for, auditors hired by the district found in a report…
archival letter, Uncle Trever to Jackie
“I resented Aunt Ida for always favoring the first born. When your dad and I were going to town school for awhile and we boarded across the street, she’d always have a nice surprise for Ron like a skiprope or a ball and jacks when we came in from school. I’d drop my lower lip…
School of Wizardry and Enchantment Tickets
Enter for a chance to win tickets Deadline to enter is 7 pm, on April 10, 2019. About The School of Wizardry and Enchantment This is a small family friendly show that is suitable for all ages whether you’ve always been a fan or you are just getting into it. No alcohol will be served…
More money for Edwards in mayoral contest
Frank Edwards today reported receiving $23,000 in contributions in Springfield’s mayoral campaign. The donations reported today put Edwards, who is challenging incumbent Jim Langfelder, far ahead in the money race, according to the latest disclosure reports filed with the Illinois State Board of Elections. This week alone, Edwards has received more than $56,500 as the…
Welcome to Hotel Springfield
I’ll believe a $56 million hotel is coming to downtown when I’m sipping pink champagne at the promised rooftop bar. Proponents have secured $7.65 million in tax increment financing money from a city where hotels come cheap and downtown development isn’t easy. Besides 95 hotel rooms, the proposed 10-story building next to the Amtrak station…
Talking taxation
A bunch of weak political arguments have been used so far against Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s proposed constitutional amendment for a graduated income tax. But there is a clear path to killing it. My favorite argument was the complaint that the governor is trying to impose a “millionaire’s tax.” That’s precisely the sort of “Won’t everyone…
Letters to the Editor 03/21/19
INSPECTION PROCESS FLAWEDThe March 7 story, “Inspect this,” by Bruce Rushton, exposes several problems with landlords and the city’s housing inspection process. Michael Gant represents both sides: He is a landlord and an inspector. As a landlord, he owns nine properties, and has had 100 citations for violations, but zero fines. As an inspector, he…
Editor’s Note
Normally conservative and responsible legislators get all excited when there’s talk of a capital bill. That’s because it’s a Christmas tree bought with borrowed money, so all restraint goes out the window. Now Gov. J.B. Pritzker is taking some heat for being slow and cautious about determining how much Illinois can responsibly borrow, and how…
‘Focused deterrence’ reduces gun crime
I believe, based on experience, that we can reduce gun violence. When faced with a surge in gun violence, Peoria adopted “focused deterrence,” and this seems to reduce the problem. David Kennedy, in his book, Don’t Shoot: One Man, a Street Fellowship, and the End of Violence in Inner-City America, describes his years of experience…
UIS Visual Arts Gallery walk-through
The University of Illinois Springfield Visual Arts Gallery is hosting a curatorial walk-through for its current exhibition, The Magnificently Mundane, a group exhibition that presents works selected from the field of graphic design by designers from throughout the country. Brytton Bjorngaard, UIS assistant professor of digital media and curator of this exhibit, will lead the…
The Middle Passage
The Springfield and Central Illinois African American History Museum (AAHM) will host a grand opening for the exhibit The Middle Passage. The Middle Passage refers to the part of the slave trade where Africans were transported across the Atlantic to the West Indies under dire, crowded conditions. The exhibit includes a replica of a slave…
Mayoral clash
Frank Edwards acknowledges many things. He isn’t polished. He isn’t warm and fuzzy. He’s an underdog. And the man who would be Springfield mayor also is prone to thinking out loud, saying things that he hasn’t thought through or researched. What he said recently about red-light cameras is one example. During a March 12 press…
Fulgenzi faces opponents in Ward 4
Ward 4 Alderman John Fulgenzi is used to having competition when it comes to politics and business. The alderman, who’s seeking a second term on the city council, has two opponents who have both unsuccessfully run for elected office: John Thomas as a write-in mayoral candidate and Angel Sides for the 13th Congressional District. In…
PROTECTION FOR RENTERS
A struggling mother of three was given notice that she was being evicted. Despite the tenant’s financial struggles, she remained in good standing with the landlord, said state Rep. Rita Mayfield, D-Waukegan, during a subcommittee meeting. The eviction was due to the landlord’s property going into foreclosure, not the type of tenant the woman had…
BAM!
A Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy would have done well to use a bit more care last week while responding to a wee-hours burglar alarm. Deputy David Howse was northbound on Sixth Street in downtown Springfield shortly before 2 a.m. last Friday, en route to an alarm call at the 1000 block of North MacArthur Boulevard,…
Timely, smart Captive State a stunning surprise
There were advanced screenings scheduled for Focus Features’ Captive State. They were cancelled. Commercials and trailers for the film were few and far between and the film opened last week with no advance reviews and little fanfare. Of course, these are all signs that the movie in question is one the studio has little faith…
Marching on…
With the green blaze (and a wee bit of the orange) of St. Patrick’s Day behind us, as well as the first day of spring, don’t you feel the warmth of summer beer gardens in your toes? Let’s not get too excited just yet, but we’re getting close to the thaw. Hey cowpokes, it’s Roots…
Folk Family Revival
Around since 2010, this Houston-based quartet has taken their mix of a “rootsy stomp of the Southern states with the trippy swoon of the West Coast” across the country and back. They cite Bob Dylan as a “huge influence” and also add Led Zeppelin and Tom Petty in the mix, plus their fellow Texan musicians,…
Magic mushrooms
When I travel to a new city I always seek out the local farmers markets. My obsession is fueled by my fond memories of selling vegetables on the Old State Capitol Plaza with my grandfather-in-law during my summers off from college during the early 70s. If traveling by car, I’ve been known to drive back…
