“8” a Dim Echo of “11”
8 a Dim Echo of 11 One of the reasons Stephen Soderbergh’s Ocean’s 11 was such a success is that it contains am effortless sense of cool from a bygone era. Perfectly cast, George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and the rest of their crew had just the right amount of swagger to make their…
Springfield fire battalion chief arrested
Sherman police on Monday arrested a battalion chief with the Springfield Fire Department after he reportedly hurled obscenities at officers. Chad Bates, 44, spent the night at the Sangamon County jail after he was arrested at his home in Sherman and booked on a felony charge of intimidation and a misdemeanor count of obstructing…
Loncar vs. Lang
If nothing else, the unfolding of a recent sexual harassment accusation against Rep. Lou Lang, D-Skokie, has been melodramatic. Two days before last Thursday’s press conference, Denise Rotheimer (whose accusations against state Sen. Ira Silverstein, D-Pig Sty, proved politically toxic) teased the announcement, telling reporters that a top lawmaker soon would be accused. The morning…
Springfield fire battalion chief arrested
Sherman police on Monday arrested a battalion chief employed by the Springfield Fire Department after he reportedly hurled obscenities at officers. Chad Bates, 44, spent the night at the Sangamon County jail after he was arrested at his home in Sherman and booked on a felony charge of intimidation and a misdemeanor count of obstructing…
Loncar vs. Lang
If nothing else, the unfolding of a recent sexual harassment accusation against Rep. Lou Lang, D-Skokie, has been melodramatic. Two days before last Thursday’s press conference, Denise Rotheimer (whose accusations against state Sen. Ira Silverstein, D-Pig Sty, proved politically toxic) teased the announcement, telling reporters that a top lawmaker soon would be accused. The morning…
Father’s Day Sweepstakes
Enter to win merchandise and services from one of the participating local businesses! *Click the image to enter desired sweepstake.
What a long, strange case it’s been
When last I spoke with Ryan Bandy, Donald Trump was on the verge of the presidency and local voters were about to select a circuit court judge. April Troemper won the 2016 election and kept her seat on the bench. During the campaign, David Reid, the challenger, pointed to a bar association poll showing that…
Goons in Gucci
In the fierce labor wars of the last century, industrial barons employed Pinkertons and other goons to bloody the heads of laborers or simply gun down those struggling for a share of economic and political power. It was brutal, but organized workers persevered and eventually gained a share of economic and political power. Today the…
Blue Wave Illinois
For weeks now, some Democrats have been wondering if their party intends to run a “coordinated campaign” this year and have asked what it might look like. A coordinated campaign means all the party’s candidates are working together under one umbrella group. The party’s standard-bearer J.B. Pritzker has kicked off “Blue Wave Illinois” and will…
Letters to the Editor 5/31/18
The collection includes gloves that Lincoln wore to Ford’s Theater and a hat that has had its provenance questioned. SELLING LINCOLN Tremendous article in the May 17 edition of Illinois Times titled “Selling Lincoln.” I guess you have seen that the original State Journal-Register piece first announcing the potential auction of various artifacts from the…
Editor’s Note 05/31/18
One good thing about the political divide in Springfield is that it keeps a lot of bad things from happening, bad things like casino gambling expansion. The proposal died in committee in the closing days of the General Assembly, but not before local officials got to think about having a casino in Springfield, proposed by…
Media burdens run two ways
I was chatting with a group of students the other day when one of them looked me in the eye and commented, “You’re very tough on journalists.” I had to plead guilty. Of course I’m tough on journalists. Maybe even as tough on them as they are on politicians. Our representative democracy depends on journalists…
SOHO’s successful successor
The Legacy of Giving Music Festival, a two-day charitable festival that donated more than $23,000 in proceeds to local charities in 2017, will once again offer Springfield the opportunity to enjoy more than 60 local, regional and national music acts spread out across five stages, as well as a vendors’ fair, children’s area, food and…
Civil War theater
For someone who wasn’t around during the Civil War, playwright John Woodruff must know it pretty well. Of course, it helps to have family members who fought in that conflict. That’s part of the inspiration for Drummer Girl: A Civil War Journey, the play he wrote. In Drummer Girl, the main character, Lorena, starts out…
Fishing with SPD’s finest
Children ages 5-13 are invited to enjoy a morning of fishing alongside members of the Springfield Police Department on Sunday, June 3, at Southwind Park in Springfield. Registration will take place from 9-9:15 a.m., and fishing instruction will begin at 9:30 a.m. All fishing equipment will be provided, and all participants will receive a souvenir…
The arf of reading people
I’m a woman who judges potential boyfriends by whether dogs like them. My friends think I’m crazy, but I’m convinced that my dog picks up on who a person really is. Is there any research on whom animals are drawn to? – Muttperson Dogs have proved useful for sniffing out drug stashes, dead bodies and…
Muni’s season of high-spirited fun
The Springfield Muni Opera is starting its 2018 season on skid row. Specifically, the cartoonish version of skid row which serves as the setting for Little Shop of Horrors. The cheerfully dark musical comedy, which opens Friday, June 1, follows a good-natured, nebbishy flower store employee named Seymour (Kevin Hart) as he inadvertently unleashes bedlam…
Trying to bypass federal tax restrictions
Bipartisan legislation under consideration in the General Assembly would bypass the federal cap of $10,000 in state and local taxes that could be deducted on income tax returns. Created as the Illinois Education Excellence Fund, the bill would offer a 90 percent credit for taxpayers who contribute towards a local government, county or school district’s…
No pills for you!
Forty years after the fact, just looking at Jimmy Garland hurts. Garland was riding his Yamaha motorcycle on Stanford Avenue in 1978 when he was struck by a Buick, suffering severe injuries to his left arm. The prognosis was poor, and four years after the wreck, surgeons amputated Garland’s arm above his elbow to help…
Tiny insects, big annoyance
Buffalo gnats are back. This time of year in central Illinois, many people are experiencing large red welts around their face and neck as a result of bites from these insects. Commonly called buffalo gnats, these annoying insects are part of the Simuliidae family of black flies. To find out more, we contacted Dr. Chris…
A BRAKE ON GOLDEN PARACHUTES
We’ll confess that we sometimes don’t know what to make of the Chicago-based Better Government Association. On the one hand, they’re in favor, as the name implies, of better government, which is a good thing. On the other hand, one person’s example of better government is another person’s Mosquito Abatement and Mayfly Treatment Commission. This…
The Best Museum
Fossils? Fuhgedaboudit. Picasso? Please. The best museum in Illinois isn’t up north. Rather, voters in a recent online election chose the Abraham Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield as the best museum in the, well, Land of Lincoln, besting such Windy City institutions as the Field Museum and the Art Institute of Chicago. Results of…
Terminal true to its name
Today’s movie lovers live in a golden age whether they realize it or not. While the quality of what appears on screen is questionable at times, never before have there been more films being made or more different ways to see them. Classic movies, foreign works and other oddities are available through a variety of…
Giving wine, music and more
The dominant music happening this weekend is, of course, the Legacy of Giving Festival surrounding the Old State Capitol area on Friday evening and continuing on Saturday from noon to midnight. Originally known as SOHO Fest, the new name just says what it is – a gathering of incredible diversity and inclusivity where musicians play…
Lee Bains III and the Glory Fires
These hard-hittin’, fire-spittin’, go-gittin’ cool cats come from Birmingham, Alabama, on a mission from the land of the Deep South to set the record straight on Southern ways and means. One way describes the group as “part MC5 and part Flannery O’Connor and all rock and roll,” which puts a perspective on what Lee (guitar,…
archives poem #1
archives poem #1 now that I’m archiving recordsfrom the farm I grew up on – UWiswants them – I’m going over stuffused (or not) in my work now mostlyforgotten I just called my sister toreport her birth was recalled in ayellowed clipping: “Merton Miller,county speed cop, has new motorcycle. . . a daughter Joan is…
Mostarda a must
Last Saturday at the farmers market, I was attempting to make my way back to my car and head home, arms sore and tired from toting around an overflowing market basket and a hot and stroppy five-year-old. I ran into Michael Higgins, an old friend who is the chef and owner of Maldaner’s Restaurant in…
