Metaphors and murder
Labeling his client “the most hated man in Peoria County,” defense attorney Daniel Fultz on Thursday told jurors that he was proud to represent Christopher Harris, accused of slaying a family of five with a tire iron. “I’m proud to represent him because he deserves his chance to tell his side and have 12 people…
Senate passes ‘Obamacare’ bill
The confusing world of health insurance could get a lot easier for Illinoisans in October, when the federal government opens a public health insurance marketplace here. The state would only get to take control of the marketplace, however, after creating a board to oversee it. The Illinois Senate approved a bill to do just that…
Letters to the Editor 5/30/13
DILLARD ON DOWNTOWNAs a 20-year part-time resident of downtown Springfield, I look forward to Downtown Springfield Inc. “Artification” project [see “Artification of Springfield,” by Scott Faingold, May 16]. Using a local artist is also a plus. A vibrant downtown in the capital city is crucial for tourism, workers, residents and economic development. The civic pride,…
The end is near
The alleged love of Christopher Harris’ life didn’t show up in court on Wednesday to testify on behalf of the man accused of murdering her family. Had she testified, Nicole Gee, Harris’ ex-wife who lived just down the street from her family beaten to death with a tire iron, would presumably have said that the…
New sex ed law would require the full story
The days of sexual education emphasizing only abstinence may be over. Legislation headed to Gov. Pat Quinn’s desk would require schools to provide more information on contraception and disease control in grades 6 through 12 as part of a comprehensive, age-appropriate and medically accurate curriculum. Quinn is expected to sign into law the House-passed bill…
More intricate politics behind carry law
Gov. Pat Quinn has loved to hold Sunday press conferences for decades. He discovered a long time ago that newspapers were desperate for stories on Sundays, so a Sunday press conference pretty much guaranteed coverage in Monday’s editions. The problem, though, is that newspapers and other media outlets tend to send younger, less experienced reporters…
State won’t pay to defend rogue prosecutor
A former state’s attorney who allegedly framed two men for murder won’t have his legal defense costs reimbursed by Illinois taxpayers, thanks to a unanimous decision handed down last week by the Illinois Supreme Court. Stemming from a gruesome double murder that saw two men imprisoned for a combined 38 years, the case centered around…
A guide to the Shawnee National Forest
At 280,000 acres, the expansive beauty of the Shawnee National Forest in southern Illinois can feel both breathtaking and intimidating. In fact, in April of this year, Saline County Central Dispatch assisted 5 Illinois residents who became lost in the dense natural playground – Illinois’ largest publicly owned parcel. Sheriff Keith Brown reminded the public…
Hangover III brings the wolf pack home
As years go by and I sit through more and more insufferable, unimaginative comedies, Todd Phillips’ The Hangover continues to stand the test of time. It was apparent when it was first released in 2009 that the director had caught lightning in a bottle, providing one surprise after another in delivering a film that defied…
Time is on her slide
My girlfriend is constantly late, which is annoying, but what’s more annoying is that there’s always an excuse: She had to do one more thing at work; traffic was horrible; her dog wouldn’t pee, so she had to walk him longer; she couldn’t get somebody off the phone. She always apologizes and is always late…
Sangamon Auditorium expands its borders
Sangamon Auditorium’s upcoming season, starting in September, is a heady mix of surefire crowd-pleasers and boundary pushing one-offs, finding Broadway touring companies rubbing shoulders with classic rockers, country and folk virtuosos, jazz musicians, world music extravaganzas, operetta ensembles, family entertainers and the occasional uncategorizable act. The season’s theatrical musicals run the gamut from the New…
ART PROGRAM NEEDS FUNDING
Springfield’s Lanphier High School is one of many schools suffering from cuts to its art program. Lanphier’s Art Department has been cut for the upcoming school year. With a supplies budget of $900 a year to cover 20 classes by two teachers, maintaining will be difficult. With such a limited budget, students and teachers are…
Watching out for fools
Oklahoma’s governor said what they always say. “We will rebuild.” Sigh. Again? There? That way? Really? Tornadoes, we have all been reminded yet again, are nature’s most violent storms. (Not the most destructive; earthquakes and hurricanes, which affect vastly more area, wreak the widest devastation.) The Moore twister was one of the worst of the…
LEADING LOCATION
Go ahead and complain about having nothing to do while you’re in Springfield, Chicagoans. We’ll just smile and nod as we think of you sitting in traffic for an hour. That’s because we like it here, and apparently, some other folks think Springfield is a pretty decent place, too. The planning magazine Area Development recently…
Big bells
Pack your chair or blanket and head to Washington Park for some fabulous sounds ringing out for six nights at the International Carillon Festival. Rain or shine, six of the world’s top carillonneurs from The Netherlands and United States will present concerts nightly. A large screen at the base of the carillon will show concert…
A story of bravery
Kenneth “Tuck” Belton of Springfield didn’t give much thought to tulips while he was growing up in rural Tallula. They were just a sure sign that summer would soon arrive in central Illinois. But his perspective changed in the bitter winter of 1945. He was a downed B-17 pilot hiding out with the Dutch Underground,…
Sealed in freshness
Dixie Longate of Mobile, Ala., brings Tupperware parties into the 21st century and into a whole new realm of entertainment with an onstage improv and comedy act that really is a Tupperware party. Admission to one of The Legacy Theatre performances will buy you an evening or afternoon full of laughter plus a chance to…
A day trip to Cave-in Rock
From 20 Day Trips in and around the Shawnee National Forest, by Larry P. Mahan and Donna J. Mahan. Used with permission. • Cave-in-Rock State Park• Tower Rock• Elizabethtown• Rosiclare Cave-in-Rock State Park consists of 204 acres of land, including wooded areas, rugged bluffs along the Ohio River, and the 55-foot-wide cave carved out of limestone…
Nincompoopery at work
My state of Texas seems to have an inordinate share of nincompoops in public office. But it’s only fair that officeholders from other places be considered before deciding which state is the nincompoopiest of all. Give credit to Pennsylvania, for example, whose GOP governor, Tom Corbett, recently scored big nincompoop points by explaining why his…
Chris Vallillo makes music work
Macomb resident and working folk musician Chris Vallillo (sounds like pillow), has spent a lifetime making a living making music. Anyone who’s tried knows what a trying time that can be, and anyone who has even thought about it likely came to the conclusion the attempt was not worth the risk. Chris did it, does…
Fifteen minutes with Andy
“In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes.” –Andy Warhol, 1968 My kids still think I should have accepted his invitation. But they weren’t there. More than 40 years later, thinking about his hands still gives me the creeps. It was the summer of 1972, and I was in Venice, having finished my freshman…
operapoem #2
when you hear over WILL thatthe opera will start an hour earlyyou automatically think wagnerand sure enough here come theleit motifs of sigmund or seigfriedor whoever (our cows never milkedwell during ride of the valkyries)my intro to real stage wagner: ahigh school classmate enamoredof opera coached my sibs and meon the ring cycle for months…
Great American Taxi
Considered some of the best Americana artists touring today, the “Americana Without Borders” music of Vince Herman, Chad Staehly, Jim Lewin, Chris Sheldon and Brian Adams sparkles with rock-n-roll raunchiness, subtle piano nuances, blazing folk splashes and jam-band freedoms, roiling into a creative melting pot of brilliant music-making. The effervescent live performances bubble over with…
Akin to the sacred
Sunday, June 2, Fantastic Jones Family will perform a free gospel concert at Abundant Faith Christian Center, celebrating 40 years of making music. Siblings Robert L. Jones, Jr., Jerry E. Jones, Clifton O. Jones, Jackie L. Newman and Patricia A. Pittman will sing contemporary to traditional spirituals from the group’s earlier recordings and preview songs…
News Quirks 5/30/13
Curses, foiled againu A man ordered coffee at a Dunkin’ Donuts drive-through in West Haven, Conn., but when he pulled up to the window, he got out of his vehicle, announced a robbery and started to climb through the window. The employee stopped him by throwing his coffee at him. She then threw a whole…
