The Show Must Go On
Capitol observers could be forgiven for feeling a sense of déjà vu. For the second week in a row, the Illinois House of Representatives ran legislation modeled after Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner’s agenda, and for the second week in a row, Republicans raised objections. Two weeks ago, a bill resembling Rauner’s proposed budget was brought…
Schwarzenegger, Breslin Strive to Bring Life to “Maggie”
Since giving up on California politics, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s return to the big screen has failed to generate the sort of box office success his earlier work had. Cameos in Sylvester Stallone’s geriatric action franchise The Expendables and features such as The Last Stand and Escape Plan failed to break any new ground where his persona…
Cahnman engaged in misconduct, panel finds
A state panel has concluded that attorney and former Ward 5 alderman Sam Cahnman engaged in misconduct by having a conflict of interest as a lawyer-legislator. Cahnman, who served two terms as alderman before losing his bid for a third term in April, could face punishment ranging from censure to disbarment. The case stems from…
May music blossoms
Kris Bell Band brings rocking blues-based music to the Brewhaus, Sunday, May 17. Looks like we are getting our April showers in May, so look up and leave the rain dances at home as this weekend pours in with four area outdoor festivals presenting live music at the forefront of entertainment activities. Combine that with…
Celtic competitions in Chatham
20th Annual Springfield Highland Games and Celtic Festival A day of athletic events, drumming, solo piping and highland dancing competition rooted deep in 11th century Celtic tradition awaits attendees of the 20th Annual Springfield Highland Games and Celtic Festival, on Saturday, May 16. Other festival highlights include live music by Exorna, Four Leaf Rovers and…
Smells like bean spirit
My girlfriend of a year is 51 and lovely in most areas – except one: She often passes gas and recently started belching audibly. She is a psychotherapist, dresses nicely and has a great figure. However, she grew up in a male-dominated, military home. She thinks I’m “weird” and “overly sensitive” to be disturbed by…
Letters to the Editor 5/14/15
POLICING POLICE Police management needs to develop a system wherein good cops can report bad cops without the fear of reprisal. Certainly there is a natural sense of loyalty among the police and/or a fear of retaliation that prevents the reporting of excessive force and/or brutality on the part of their associates. Yet until that…
Land of drinkin’
“It’s time we started cashing in.” So sayeth Richard C. Longworth in the Chicago Tribune recently. Longworth, senior fellow at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, was talking about Illinois’ abundant water. He noted that factories of all kinds located in water-short places such as California and the Southwest need most what Illinois has a…
We’ve come a long way. There’s a long way to go.
PHOTO BY WALLY SKALIJ/TNS Springfield PrideFest marks the first festival of the season celebrating Pride for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Illinoisans, our families, friends, allies and neighbors. On June 1, we will be marking the first anniversary of statewide marriage equality in Illinois. This is certainly a season to celebrate. Here in Illinois,…
Pursuit leads to disaster
Reese Witherspoon as Cooper in Hot Pursuit. PHOTO BY SAM EMERSON/ WARNER BROS. PICTURES The old adage is that “Dying is easy. Comedy is hard,” and that’s never been more evident than while watching Hot Pursuit, an agonizingly bad movie that features Reese Witherspoon and Sofia Vergara. From past work, we know that both of…
U.S.S. Illinois nuclear sub now under construction
John Hollenbeck, Fred Cook, Koby Johnson and Leonard Wass, chairman of the U.S.S. Illinois’ Commissioning Committee, were on hand to showcase a model of the nuclear submarine at the State Capitol recently to publicize the cutting-edge sub. Photo BY GINNY LEE Members of the new nuclear submarine USS Illinois (SSN-786) Commissioning Committee brought a replica…
Tea time for tots
The Fancy Nancy Tea and Soiree Fans of Fancy Nancy will flock to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library on Saturday, May 16, for a family-friendly celebration of the best-selling children’s book series about a little girl with a big personality and a penchant for all things French and fancy. The soiree, which begins at 10…
What could go wrong?
Curses, foiled againPolice were able to link Christopher Furay, 33, to six bank robberies in Pittsburgh, Pa., by his distinctive red beard. After media coverage of the first four robberies, he wore a fake red beard over his real one for the next two. He was arrested anyway after the sixth robbery when a detective…
mother poem #11
mother poem #11 for a long time I’ve considered myself “young-old” pretty soonI better start thinking “old-old”if I knew then about old what Inow know I’d have been moreunderstanding more helpful to my“old-old” mother—mom, I’d havecoaxed from you your untold storiesharkened to any fear behind yourwords realized when you rubbedyour wrist it was hurting but…
A black outlook
A decade ago, Chris Cline was sitting at the top of the proverbial coal heap. Cline, who made his fortune mining coal in Appalachia, bet big on Illinois coal at the dawn of the 21st century, quietly securing sufficient reserves in the Land of Lincoln to make his company, Foresight Energy, founded in 2006, one…
Grilling vegetables, a guide
The grilling season is – finally! – upon us. While grilling proteins such as meats, poultry and fish utilize varying levels of skill, grilling vegetables to perfection requires more finesse. I developed this guide for grilling vegetables over many years of trial and error, and believe me, there were lots of errors! One or more…
SAVING THEIR ASHES
Guy Sternberg is a different sort of tree hugger. Last year, Sternberg and other arborphiles convinced the Illinois Department of Transportation to spare a group of about 30 historical trees which were planted along Highway 125 and Highway 97 northwest of Springfield during the 1930s. Sternberg, an arborist who co-founded Starhill Forest Arboretum north of…
Crowdfunding for businesses
It’s usually associated with making movies, recording music or creating a new product, but the Internet phenomenon known as “crowdfunding” could soon apply to small business investments in Illinois. State lawmakers are considering a bill to allow small companies to informally issue stocks, following a bipartisan federal law that lifted a decades-old ban on such…
Rauner’s secret, legislative ‘working groups’
I recently obtained a document distributed by the governor’s office detailing the membership list and meeting times and locations of the secret state legislative “working groups.” The governor’s office has insisted that not only should legislators dummy up about what goes on at the groups’ meetings – which are designed to forge compromises on the…
Local governments trying to become less transparent
As state government scurries to fill a projected $8 billion deficit in the 2016 fiscal year budget, it would seem to make sense to move beyond successful compromises and proven solutions already in place and instead focus on issues that truly have a significant impact on the state’s finances.At least you would think so, given…
The rise and fall of Cahokia
Monks Mound is the largest remaining mound at Cahokia, near Collinsville. Photo by Tim Vickers. Nearly 1,000 years ago, a bustling city sprouted in southern Illinois. As many as 20,000 people lived in this six-square-mile metropolis located near modern St. Louis around the year 1050, but then the civilization simply disappeared. Now, one team of…
A BAD WEEK FOR CHRISTIAN
A week ago, Calvin Christian, who is either Springfield’s most persecuted motorist or its biggest traffic scofflaw, had access to wheels and lawyers who were handling his civil-rights lawsuit against the city in which Christian claims that he became a target of traffic cops after filing dozens of requests for internal affairs records and twice…
CNE syndrome strikes state governments
It’s well-known that harsh climate conditions can mess with your mind – from cabin fever to heat delirium. But America is now experiencing an even more dangerous mind-numbing disease called Climaticus Non-vocalism Extremism. Oddly, CNE syndrome almost exclusively afflicts a narrow segment of our population: Republican political officials and candidates. Scientific studies suggest that CNE…
Celebrate who you are
Fifth Annual Springfield PrideFest The Fifth Annual Springfield PrideFest is a family-friendly festival boasting two stages of entertainment spanning two city blocks. The 10-hour street party features a diverse selection of live music and other performances. Main stage entertainment includes Hurricane Ruth, Rocky Horror Show performers, Looming, The Capital City Men’s Chorus, The Shenanigans, Thornhill…
Editor’s note 5/14/15
Here we go again on Hunter Lake. The outgoing City Water, Light and Power chief says that Springfield needs a second lake to serve as a backup water supply, something former mayor Mike Houston said often. New mayor Jim Langfelder says a second lake would make a swell place for recreation, even if it’s not…
