Backdooring it
Tuesday morning started poorly for the defense in the murder trial of Christopher Harris. Circuit Court Judge Scott Drazewski began the day by shooting down a pair of potentially pivotal motions aimed at selling jurors on the notion that the real killer was 14-year-old Dillen Constant, who was found dead with his mother Ruth Gee,…
Chris Britt’s Free Speech: Chris Britt at TEDxTacoma
Chris Britt was named Cartoonist of the Year in 1994 by the National Press Foundation in Washington, D.C. In 2009, he was honored with the Sigma Delta Chi award, one of journalism’s most prestigious awards. Chris has also won press club awards in Texas, California, Washington State and Illinois. In 2000, he was the only…
Between the Cracks: Big Storm tonight at Black Sheep
The perpetual lament of the local band has always and forever remained: Why won’t those bastards at the alt-weekly ever give us the time of day? Well, prepare to whine no more! Faingold at Large hereby presents Between the Cracks – a new feature designed to shine a light onto lesser-known, quite possibly up-and-coming Springfield-area…
Seeing is believing
In “Happier endings,” I pointed out that a lot of people make decisions about end-of-life care that are not fully informed. Jonathan Rauch, a contributing editor at The Atlantic and at the National Journal, gave us a fascinating report in the former magazine on work going on at Harvard University Medical School that tries to…
Community schools: For extra credit
Recently I banged the drum on behalf of so-called community or full-service schools as a way to provide learners with a wider array of help and to provide taxpayers with a better return on their investment in school buildings that sit idle two-thirds of the time. Want to learn more? I found Joy Dryfoos’s 2002…
Near collapse
Steve Benen commented on the May 23 collapse of that interstate highway in Washington state so I wouldn’t have to again. (See my Daring to imagine the future from 2010.) Benen was reacting to a post at Business Insider by Joel Weisenthal pointing out that public construction spending in the U.S. has reached a 20-year…
When corner stores aren’t on the corner
There’s more that might said about the design of the new Country Market supermarket at 2nd and Carpenter – isn’t there always? Steve Patterson, a St. Louis architect and author of the blog, UrbanDesignSTL, criticized it for its failure to provide safe pathways across its park lot to the front door for people approaching the store…
Taking the stand
It is always a risk for a defendant to take the stand in a criminal proceeding. Christopher Harris showed why on Friday. Whether he murdered anyone or not, Harris during nearly three hours on the stand revealed himself to be a narcissistic liar of the first order. While no one can force a defendant to…
Fracking bill draws harsh criticism in Statehouse
In the formerly quiet towns of western North Dakota, there are new strangers arriving every day. New housing is being erected at a breakneck pace, and newfound wealth is flowing quickly into the rolling hills because of the wealth flowing out of them. Hydraulic fracturing of the Bakken Shale rock formation has created an oil…
Letters to the Editor 5/23/13
WOUNDED WARRIOR MEMORIALI am on a quest to contact one editor in each capital city from all 50 states by Memorial Day to share my brother’s last request. For so many people, this is just another holiday – a day off work. For me, it has become a painful reminder of the high cost of…
Happier endings
You’re in your doctor’s office. You’ve just been told that you have cancer – one of the bad ones, like those that attack the pancreas or the liver or the lungs or the ovaries – and that it has spread. The doctor will then tell you what he or she intends to do to help…
Poetry makes nothing happen – everyone should watch this
Love it! Just received this awesome VlogBrothers You Tube video titled “Poetry Makes Nothing Happen: Thoughts on Ai Weiwei from the Indianapolis Museum of Art.” Wow … artists, poets and all other creatives and noncreatives (though according to Julia Cameron there is no such thing as a noncreative) need to watch this well done expo on…
Loco-motion
The gallons of sweat, aching muscles and months of training have led to this: race day. You’re at the starting line with dozens, hundreds or even thousands of other people, your mind amped up and your body full of energy like an outstretched spring ready to snap into action. As the race begins, a human…
Zoos and flowers in St. Louis and Chicago
Sunshine, flowers and, of course, furry creatures make kids and adults alike light up. This year winter’s grip was a tight one, increasing our longing to shed the coats and head outside. In early April, I hopped on the Amtrak to Chicago, to check out the Lincoln Park Zoo. Founded in 1868, this is one…
A river runs through it
Paris, New Orleans, London – many fine cities around the world are built on rivers. And that’s also true in Illinois, where Peoria offers a great opportunity for a weekend getaway or day trip. The largest city on the Illinois River, Peoria, about the same size population-wise as Springfield, was the first European settlement in…
Decatur changes its image and its attitude
Decatur’s historic downtown is launching a new era. A new look, a hip attitude, fresh paved roads, restored storefronts and a refreshed self-image have made downtown Decatur the place to be any night of the week. In a town that often has a reputation of crime, poverty and, yes, sometimes the smell, Decatur aims to…
Summer Picks
Old Capitol Farmers Market8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays through October Fresh cheese, bread, meat, spices, herbs and locally grown produce can all be part of your summer menu thanks to this year’s Old Capitol Farmers Market. Presented by St. John’s Hospital and Downtown Springfield, Inc., the market opened for the season May…
Cross may be GOP candidate for attorney general
One of the worst-kept secrets over the past few weeks is that House Republican Leader Tom Cross has been considering a run for Illinois attorney general. Cross has reportedly been asked by Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka and Congressman Aaron Schock to think about a bid in case Attorney General Lisa Madigan decides to run for…
personal pilgrimage poem
her ashes – my brit child’s – were in abaggie about a teaspoonful I left a pinchat the dorset farm she loved another onwhite horse hill near the town of her birthsun wind skylarks brilliant kites and folkfrom all over giving the prehistoric chalkcarving its yearly cleaning a third pinchin cornwall’s lost garden of heligan…
America’s worsening jobs crisis
At last, some excellent economic news for folks long-mired in the stagnant labor market! At least, those were the headlines recently trumpeted across the country. “Jobs Spring Back,” exclaimed a typical headline or report that companies added a better than expected 165,000 private-sector jobs in April. Wow – the thunderous, three-year boom of prosperity that…
Giveaways to Big Gambling make Illinois budget crisis worse
If, during the last 23 years, Illinois had taxed Big Gambling at rates comparable to other states, then Illinois would have had an additional $35 billion to $56 billion in tax revenues – and no current budget crisis. Distressed by Illinois gambling, former U.S. Senator Paul Simon sponsored the Congressional bipartisan 1999 U.S. National Gambling…
STATEHOUSE TAN BAN
Having successfully pushed for a ban on tanning for teens under age 18 within Springfield, Ward 5 Alderman Sam Cahnman continued his push into the Illinois Statehouse. On Monday, the Illinois Senate voted 34-12 to pass Cahnman’s legislation, House Bill 188. The bill passed the House in February and now goes to Gov. Pat Quinn…
Medical marijuana closer to legalization
As Illinois waits for Gov. Pat Quinn’s decision on the medical marijuana bill, many citizens are wondering how they will be affected if he signs it into law. The Illinois Senate last week approved legalization of medical marijuana, 31-25. If the bill becomes law, Illinois will join more than 20 states allowing medical marijuana. The…
Curtain closer
A murder trial has something in common with a fireworks show. In both cases, eye-catching flares – or witnesses – grab attention early on. Then a certain rhythm sets in: When, oh when, will we ever be through with those giant firecrackers, or forensic scientists, that make nothing more than noise, or explain the finer…
Oil wells not so well
Paula Cook has had it with oil. She and her husband, Jim Cook, live on the 65-acre farm Paula’s ancestors owned 100 years ago. Located outside Edinburg, about 20 miles east of Springfield, the farm hosts a series of oil wells operated by Springfield oil company Bi-Petro, Inc. The oil wells were installed before Paula…
The curtain closer
A murder trial has something in common with a fireworks show. In both cases, eye-catching flares – or witnesses – grab attention early on. Then a certain rhythm sets in: When, oh when, will we ever be through with those giant firecrackers, or forensic scientists, that make nothing more than noise, or explain the finer…
GOODBYE, COMPUTER
What do you do with that old computer that can’t handle the newest games or that old scanner you’ve used a total of four times in the past decade? In past years, most people probably would have simply chucked them into the trash can. But in 2012, most electronics were banned from landfills in Illinois.…
Future stock
World Affairs Council of Central Illinois is holding its next program Wed., May 29, with special guest Dr. Daniel Twining. Dr. Twining serves as a consultant to the U.S. National Intelligence Council where he helped with a new report that identifies four “megatrends” that are certain to shape the future, six “game changers” that will determine…
The audacity of grope
My friend’s girlfriend hits on me all the time. (We’re all lesbians.) She always offers to get me a drink before she gets her girlfriend one, and she’s taken to giving me quick shoulder rubs and stomach pokes. The other night was really bad. A bunch of us were seated around a big table, and…
News Quriks 5/23/13
Curses, foiled again• Authorities charged Carolyn James, 55, with assaulting her 96-year-old mother in Dickson City, Pa., after a neighbor recorded James slapping the invalid woman on the back and neck, screaming obscenities and threatening to break her arm. Mark Gruss told investigators he was testing webcams when he picked up a live feed from…
We-cycling
Sustainable Springfield, Inc. invites the public to its free program at Lincoln Library titled “The Making of a Bike Friendly town.” Ed Barsotti, executive director of the League of Illinois Bicyclists (LIB) will discuss the national trend of communities recognizing and using cycling as an alternative method of transportation. He will talk about what it…
Historic race
Illinois Motorcycle Dealers Association has a full weekend of racing planned for Memorial Day weekend. On Friday, May 24, American Motorcycle Association amateur TT will start at 5 p.m. A pro class was added to the event and grandstand tickets are only $10. Saturday, May 25, the AMA All Star TT race starts at 7…
Unique perceptive
Springfield Art Association opens a new exhibit featuring the interesting and intricate work of Jean Poklop. An opening reception is Saturday, May 25. Poklop was a Chicago housewife in the 1950s and 60s who had studied at the Chicago Art Institute and University of Illinois, but never catapulted into the work-world until after her husband…
Whiskey of the Damned
Take an Irishman, drop him in Milwaukee and let him go wild in a Celtic-influenced rock band, and that’s Whiskey of the Damned. With Eoin McCarthy (guitar, vocal), Blaine McQuinn (fiddle, bagpipes, banjo, vocals), Michael Favaro (accordion), Tim McQuinn (drums, bodhran) and Chaughn Hoffman (bass, vocals) knocking out the music, these guys went from bar…
Memorable Memorial Day Weekend
Yes, friends and neighbors, the official beginning of the summer season is upon us as we celebrate Memorial Day with a weekend of fun and excitement. Please remember to remember your lost loved ones as Grandma used to do on “Decoration Day,” the old school holiday name for the last Sunday in May. Our family…
Furious 6 throws Fast into reverse
I was just as surprised as anyone when Fast 5 not only revived the Fast and Furious franchise but also proved to be one of the best action films of the last decade. You’re excused for having missed it, as it stands to reason that a fifth chapter in any series would have little new…
Darkness a worthy addition to Trek canon
Viewers are likely to be sharply divided after seeing J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek Into Darkness, his second entry in the venerable science-fiction series. Is it shamelessly derivative or an inspired homage? Is it a visionary reinvention or a piece of narrative slight-of-hand masquerading as a tribute? Trekkies and casual fans alike will have to come…
Grilled salads, Vietnamese-style
Serving grilled protein as a salad component has become commonplace lately. More often than not, though, it’s an afterthought or at best an add-on as in: “Caesar Salad…..Add a grilled chicken breast for $1 extra.” But in Southeast Asia – especially Vietnam and Laos – they’ve been combining grilled and salad ingredients for hundreds of…
Innocence, the mystery
The Innocence Game, by Michael Harvey.Knopf. 256 pages. Mystery writers often set their stories in their hometowns. For Michael Connelly it is Los Angeles, for Sara Paretsky, Chicago. The late Stuart Kaminsky, who taught at Northwestern University, often set his mysteries in Chicago and its northern suburbs. While Michael Harvey was born and raised in…
Summer theatrical fare covers all the bases
No matter what your taste in theater might be, whether it’s light musical comedy, modern musical bombast, prize-winning drama, kid-friendly shows or Pythonesque parody, at least one of the regional theaters has you covered. Here is a rundown of some of the shows on offer this summer. New Salem’s Theatre in the Park will kick…
Pridefest, a celebration of tolerance and progress
Other cities – Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle, to name but a few – have parades. Big parades. Parades featuring outlandish costumes and leather and tattooed women on motorcycles aka Dykes on Bikes loudly leading the way. Springfield has PrideFest, a glorified downtown block party still in its infancy that celebrates how far central Illinois has…
