Backstage Pass
Springfield stages are busy these days, with more new and experimental works being staged here than in most communities of comparable size. Here are just a few of the new shows being hatched locally: This weekend, Springfield Theatre Centre’s production of Holes continues, with a large-cast production headed by young Sam Germann and a near-professional-quality…
Earth Talk 5-13-04
Dear Earth Talk: What are some ways to maintain a “green” swimming pool? — Jim Humphey, North Andover, Mass. The primary health and environmental drawbacks to swimming pools are water waste, energy waste, and overuse of chlorine. Chlorine is very irritating to the eyes and skin, and can trigger breathing difficulties by also “stinging” the…
A feeling for family, down on the farm
What happens when 10 siblings decide to join forces? Add 10 cousins to the mix, and imagine the fun and frivolity. Often, downright naughty things happen. Springfield native Helene Odell Moss O’Shea, the middle child of 10, writes of her family’s escapades in A Handful of Prisms, due out July 4. The book brims with…
The price of salvation
Since taking the reins of The Salvation Army last July, Captain Deon Oliver has concluded the agency’s shelter fails to meet the needs of the city’s swelling homeless population. Now he’s trying to get that message across to city officials in an attempt to secure funding and political support for a new facility that would…
Nun sense
Just a few miles west of Springfield, on a farm graced with rolling hills and a creek, Sister Sharon Zayac is working hard on relationships. She’s getting to know the ways of vegetables. She’s mastering the subtleties of manure. She’s learning the proclivities of llamas, those unusual camel-like mammals from South America. It’s all part…
Moon shot
It was a stunt Jim McGill had performed more than 100 times, and never ever had anything gone wrong. It was a simple feat, really, involving a bottle rocket, only instead of launching the firework from a bottle, McGill launched it from his buttocks. Sadly, on Mother’s Day, one rocket misfired, and McGill ended up…
Chain reaction
There’s always a soap opera in progress at the Illinois statehouse, but this year’s version is a bit crazier than usual. • House Speaker Michael Madigan, a Democrat, is killing off Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s proposals left and right. Madigan’s strongest supporters so far are two Republicans: Senate Minority Leader Frank Watson and state Treasurer…
quick takes 5-13-04
STUDENT ACHIEVER NO. 1 Liz Moran, a local student activist, has been named one of three “National Raise Your Voice” fellows by the National Campus Compact, a coalition of more than 900 colleges and universities. Founded in 1985, the Compact promotes community involvement by students. Moran, who will be senior in the University of Illinois…
Now playing 5-13-04
Enjoying your day? Now get on out there and enjoy the night, too. Everyone should burn the candle at both ends for awhile, it’ll help you to appreciate a good night’s (or day’s) rest. Some like it hot, they say, and if you’re one of the sizzling ones, Hot Property is the band for you.…
letters 5-13-04
Letters policy We welcome letters, but please include your full name, address and a daytime telephone number. We edit all letters for libel, length and clarity. Send letters to: Letters, Illinois Times. P.O. Box 5256. Springfield, Illinois 62705. Fax: (217) 753-3958. E-mail: editor@illinoistimes.com GIVE THEM SHELTER I was very shocked to read the story about…
Answers needed in the Julie Rea-Harper case
After two years and two nationally televised exposés of the case of Julie Rea-Harper, who was convicted of murdering her child, why has the state of Illinois taken little significant action to seek the truth? Convicted serial child killer Tommy Lynn Sells has confessed to the 1997 murder of Rea-Harper’s son, 10-year-old Joel Kirkpatrick, and,…
The kindest cuts
Selecting the right shrubs and trees is the key to making sure plants don’t overrun your home. But even when plants are selected properly, a plant that was supposed to grow to a certain height may exceed expectations. That’s when it’s time to prune. Proper pruning techniques are essential to ensuring healthy and attractive plants.…
Freedom’s fabric
In a one-man shop at South Grand Avenue at Spring Street, a convivial 45-year-old immigrant turned outspoken American is contributing to the cause of freedom, one stitch at a time. Mario Ingoglia was 6 years old when his family left his native soil of Castel Vetrano, Sicily, to come to the United States. When the…
Grace about town 5-13-04
I’ve finally sorted all of the Very Exciting Contest entries into piles all over my living room. Most fall into two categories. First, people crave more community involvement. José Santiago sent a lovely handwritten note saying that everybody should be required to do something or go somewhere he/she has never done or been. He gets…
The art of reaching middle age, without a crisis
In 1961, the now-defunct Springfield Central Area Development Association invited community organizations to help plan a one-day art fair. The rather lofty goal was to launch an event that would help turn Springfield into a “model capital city to be observed by other cities of the nation as a source of pride and emulation.” Now…
Movie review
Homer lite: How Troy was lost in less than three hours You don’t need to brush up on your Homer to get through Troy: Director Wolfgang Petersen and screenwriter David Benioff set the stage quickly in the film’s first half hour. For those who dozed off during history class, Agamemnon (Brian Cox) has united all…
Limited safety net
Though built like a bouncer, social worker Robert Brooks can’t help but wipe his eyes at the mere thought of the homeless man who froze to death in Springfield last winter. Brooks, now the director of S.A.R.A Center, which assists homeless people with HIV/AIDS, for two years helped run the emergency shelter at The Salvation…
Prairie Notes 5-13-04
Our restored prairie is finally coming to life out here at Prairierth Farm. Golden Alexander appeared after a few good spring showers, and the foxglove beardtongue is about ready to show off its little white bell-shaped flowers. Native Americans discovered that plant had medicinal value for “weak heart,” and modern science still uses its essence…
Knoepfle 5-13-04
sandalwood poem #1 decaying shadows a compost of dreams a million galaxies sparrow sparrow you have mistaken the air © John Knoepfle 1978, 2004
Card shark
Last week, when Mayor Tim Davlin announced the appointment of Ralph Caldwell as director of Homeland Security, Caldwell didn’t get a raise or any tangible perk. “Just more responsibility,” he said, at a council meeting that night. But Caldwell, already assistant chief of the Springfield Police Department, admitted the new title did bring one benefit:…
