Davlin vs. Strom
Untitled Document On a little bit of everything . . . From NIMBY mentality to racism to open government to the proposed Hunter Lake to the future of the city’s smoke-free ordinance and back to race relations, Ward 10 Ald. Bruce Strom and Springfield Mayor Tim Davlin parried and jousted Monday in the first of…
A pound of cure
Untitled Document On a pleasant Saturday morning, James “Rock” Haley would rather be building a deck or demolishing a vacant home, something he says he learned to do as a teenager using little more than his bare hands. With broad, sturdy shoulders and muscular forearms, Haley looks every bit deserving of the nickname that’s he…
Kinderfingers
Untitled Document I’m not a fan of horror movies, but I think most of them start with a beautiful girl enjoying a carefree life, then suddenly being attacked by a monster. If you can adjust that scenario down to kindergarten age, I’ve got a gorefest for you. Our movie opens with young Sammi Rafferty trying…
Three St. Louis favorites
Untitled Document My husband, Peter, and I frequently bop down to St. Louis for the day to shop; listen to music; see a film, play, or exhibit; go to the Missouri Botanical Garden; or just generally mess around. No matter what else is on our St. Louis agenda, however, we always take advantage of its…
Sisters, doing it for themselves
Untitled Document Looking for emotion, struggle, determination, and accomplishment? They’re all there in Megan Marshall’s The Peabody Sisters, a fascinating look at the lives of three women who helped light up American culture in the early history of our Republic. Pulling information from newly discovered letters and diaries, Marshall tells us about Sophia, Mary, and…
Fooling rhubarb
Untitled Document I’ve got a newcomer in my culinary bag of tricks, and it’s so clever, I feel like a genius. I can’t take credit for such brilliance, however; the concept dates to Elizabethan times, and in spite of numerous morphings over the centuries it remains a certifiable oldie but goodie. I’m talking about the…
Still serious after all these years
Untitled Document The Search, Son Volt’s fifth album, doesn’t shy away from heavy subjects. Among its themes are stem-cell research, FBI wiretapping, global warming, gentrification, war profiteering, and methamphetamine addiction — not exactly a recipe for cheer and also no great surprise to anyone at all familiar with Jay Farrar, the band’s singer, songwriter, and…
Letters to the Editor
Untitled Document We welcome letters. Please include your full name, address, and telephone number. We edit all letters. Send them to Letters, Illinois Times, P.O. Box 5256, Springfield, IL 62705; fax 217-753-3958; e-mail editor@illinoistimes.com. STRANGE KIND OF CHRISTIANITY In the story “Shelter force” [Lawrence Crossett, March 1], you quote the Rev. Scott Payne as saying,…
Green boats
Untitled Document Are there efforts to design and manufacture environmentally friendly boats to replace gas-guzzlers? The United States has been regulating fuel economy and emissions in cars and trucks for decades but got a late start addressing similar issues with boats. In 1996, though, recognizing a growing problem of boat engine pollution, the Environmental Protection…
Paint the town green
Untitled Document The Emerald Underground, Springfield’s only Celtic-fusion group (the band combines rock elements with traditional Irish tunes and instruments), is — no blarney here — the hardest-working band in town this weekend. Catch them at Robbie’s (4 Old State Capitol Plaza, 217-528-1901) from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Friday, then later that night at the Lime…
George in fantasyland
Untitled Document President George W. Bush has so many fantasies that they’re even affecting the first lady’s grasp of reality. Laura Bush recently castigated the media for not reporting that “many parts of Iraq are stable now,” then added, “but, of course, what we see on television is the one bombing a day that discourages…
How to spell relief
Untitled Document Gov. Rod Blagojevich is proposing a massive infusion of cash for public schools, but whether his proposal will mean relief for property owners is unclear. Blagojevich briefly mentioned property taxes during his annual budget address at the Statehouse last week but said not a word about whether his spending plan would provide any…
People’s poetry
Untitled Document grandchildpoem #5 she began talking the moment sheheard my voice grandma wyatt isusing the s-h word and he’s watching a dvd and it has smoking and drugs and the s-h word and I don’t think he should be watching that dvd withsmoking and drugs and the s-h word my daughter claimed the…
Payback
Untitled Document A man described by law-enforcement officials as one of the city’s biggest drug dealers says in a federal lawsuit filed Wednesday that police conspired to violate his constitutional rights. Larry Washington wants the city and six other defendants, including former Springfield Police Department detectives Jim Graham and Paul Carpenter, to pay $3.65 million…
People’s poetry
Untitled Document note: this is the anniversary of the death at fifty-five of my dearest friend who was the first woman dean of a u.s.medical school: she wrote this in aletter to me when she was eighteen. sciencepoem #2 last night cleo our cat gave birth to three kittens in my dresser draweron a…
