The new Illinois Rx Card – Too good to be true? Apparently not!
This is the first post in our new IT Overflow blog, where we’ll post all sorts of news, including stuff that doesn’t fit in our normal paper or stuff that maybe doesn’t warrant a full article. We’ll try to update it often, and the style will be less formal than our normal news stories. Expect…
Wall Street tames Washington
They came, they saw, they conquered. This line pretty well sums up a little-reported but important story about the new tea partiers in the U.S. House of Representatives. No sooner had they arrived than the corporate lobbying corps came to visit, saw what these supposed rebels were made of and quickly conquered them without a…
Betting the farm
Central Illinois farmland doesn’t usually return a fat harvest until the fall. These days it’s doing so all year long. Sales prices for prime farm acreage around Springfield rose roughly one fifth in 2010, to as much as $9,000 an acre for the best stuff, and they’re still rising. That’s faster than since the 1970s,…
Here are better ideas than a casino
Recently I was a panelist for a meeting of the Constitutional Rights Foundation of Chicago youth summit on the question of casino expansion. The premise was that gambling expansion would bring more money for Illinois education services. One reason the high school students called for new money was because their sports teams may disappear. They…
Neighbors shut out of decision on low-income apartments
Gina Whitener has a vision for her east side neighborhood. Her vision includes improved streets, sidewalks and lighting. Her vision includes enforcing city standards for property upkeep, helping current residents transition from renting to home ownership, educating children to give them more options and opportunities and creating businesses to develop wealth within the community. Whitener…
It’s the 5th of May, Ole
Do you need an excuse to eat delectable Mexican food and maybe knock back a couple of margaritas or Negro Modelas? I sure don’t. But if you do, Cinco de Mayo provides a perfect opportunity. Most Americans think that Cinco de Mayo is the Mexican equivalent of our Fourth of July. But Mexico’s Independence Day…
Pedal to the floor for action in Fast Five
Either I had a mini stroke while watching Justin Lin’s Fast Five or the films in this lucrative series for gearheads are getting better and better. I’ll be damned if I don’t think it’s the latter as this fifth installment left me smiling and a bit giddy at the sheer audacity and ridiculousness Lin and…
Prom a bland party
It’s been a long time, but I don’t remember going to prom being the angst-filled occasion it’s portrayed to be in the squeaky-clean Disney movie Prom. Seems it’s an event that causes great emotional turmoil for some, is the inspiration for elaborate methods of asking for a date and is an opportunity for those from…
A ringing success
Bells in Motion, a locally based, nationally known, professional handbell ensemble, gets my vote as one of the most interesting creative organizations in town. The 16-member group literally puts bells in motion playing songs by singly ringing differently pitched bells together to make music happen with a clang and a clank. Conceived and coordinated by…
Harmonic procession
Mary Jo Curry, Ruth LaMaster, Brooke Thomas, Josie Lowder, Lorrie Eden, Lori Ann Mitts and central Illinois blues band Tombstone Bullet join together to promote and benefit Illinois Wings, a nonprofit group that provides breast cancer treatment to those in central and southern Illinois regardless of their ability to pay. This concert is brought to…
Symphonic sounds
The Illinois Symphony Orchestra performs its final concert led by Music Director Karen Lynne Deal, May 7 at Sangamon Auditorium, UIS. Tickets for “Earthly Encounters” can be purchased by phoning the number above or at the door beginning two hours before the performance. Pre-concert Conversations start at 7 p.m. Illinois Symphony OrchestraSaturday, May 7, 8pmSangamon Auditorium,…
Animal amble
Looking for somewhere to take the kids? When was the last time you visited Springfield’s zoo? May 7 is a great time to amble the paths and see the animals. The zoo welcomes everyone in for free on Dr. Dolittle Day. The zoo also hosts a range of activities for the family, including animal programs,…
Caregiver or killer?
Something wasn’t right when Cynthia Czapski picked up her 10-month-old son, Matthew, from a Bartlett, Ill., day care on Aug. 11, 1994. The child seemed to be sleeping, but she couldn’t wake him up. Matthew was taken to the emergency room and then to another hospital, where doctors worked to relieve bleeding and swelling in…
GROWING THE GARDEN CLUB
A poor economy is no excuse for not seeing green, says Springfield Civic Garden Club’s Susie Risser, who’s helping organize the organization’s annual plant sale this Saturday, May 7, from 8 a.m. to noon at the fairgrounds’ University of Illinois extension building. She says the club’s budget is struggling to stay in the black as…
Another try to legalize medical marijuana
Springfield resident Steven McClure breathes through a tube that connects him to a 10-pound tank of oxygen, a lifeline he carries on his shoulder daily. The 56-year-old says he has emphysema, sleep apnea and bronchitis. A work injury has filled his lungs with remnants of concrete, leaving only 20 percent functioning at their capacity. But…
Queso fundido
1 lb. Mexican white cheese, often labeled as Queso Chihuahua or other mild white cheese such as Monterey Jack. 1/2 c. Mexican chorizo 3/4 c. white onion, thinly sliced 1 medium fresh poblano chile, stemmed, seeded and thinly sliced In a medium skillet, sauté the chorizo until just cooked. Set aside. Return the pan to…
Reformers blast sex offender legislation
Legislation in the Illinois General Assembly to increase registration time and other requirements for Illinois’ 25,000 sex offenders awaits a House vote in the final days of the session. Opponents working to stop the bill say it would waste scarce resources without improving public safety. Senate Bill 1040 would increase the length of time sex…
Police say Springfield has no organized gangs
A House bill aiming to uproot gang violence before it starts is one of many attempts by the General Assembly this session to decrease violence in Illinois. House Bill 3033, sponsored by Sen. Michael Noland, an Elgin Democrat, would seek a federal grant from the Department of Juvenile Justice to fund gang prevention and intervention…
Jicama and orange salad
1 large jicama, peeled 3–4 large seedless oranges fresh lime juice pure chile powder (without salt or other spices) cilantro sprigs for garnish Cut the jicama into sticks approximately 3 inches x 1/2 inch x 1/4 inch. Cut the peel off the oranges with a sharp knife so that none of the white pith remains,…
Letters to the Editor 5/5/11
SHIMKUS AWAY FROM HOME I often appreciate the statements Congressman John Shimkus makes to area news outlets about the environment. He speaks in favor of protecting public health and supporting real science when developing environmental policies. He sounds sensible when he’s back home in the district. That’s why it’s so disappointing to read national blogs…
No agreement in sight on workers’ comp reform
As if it weren’t already complicated enough to pass a workers’ compensation reform bill – what with unions, trial lawyers and the medical community so far allied together against major changes – there’s also a noticeable schism within the business lobby about what to do and how far to go. This schism isn’t new. In…
Mexican mocha ice cream
1 qt. good quality chocolate ice cream 1 qt. good quality coffee ice cream 1 T. cinnamon Place a large metal bowl in the freezer. Soften the ice creams slightly. Scoop in large chunks into the chilled bowl of a heavy-duty mixer. Add the cinnamon and, using the paddle attachment, turn the mixer to medium…
HOPE FOR HARVARD PARK
Grungy carpet, chipped paint and dim lighting: sounds more like a sleazy motel than a school serving more than 400 students. Those are just some of the sorry conditions at Harvard Park Elementary School, 2501 S. 11th St. in Springfield, a 100-year-old facility where 93 percent of students live below the poverty line. Bathrooms at…
Fiction recalls terrible Springfield crash
But For the Crash, George A. M. Heroux. Connecticut: Eloquent Books, 2010. Paperback $13.95, Kindle Ed. $9.99. ISBN 978-1-60911-453-4. George Heroux lives in Springfield and is an attorney and the executive director/attorney for Victim Impact Speakers, a nonprofit organization that assists families and victims of drunk driving crashes. He has worked for Mothers Against Drunk…
Chile-glazed country ribs
8 large garlic cloves, unpeeled 3 ancho chiles 6 guajillo chiles 1/2 c. chicken stock or water 2 T. cider vinegar 2 tsp. ground cumin 1/4 tsp. ground cloves 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper 1 T. dried oregano, preferably Mexican 1 tsp. ground cinnamon 1/3 c. honey 1 1/2 tsp. kosher or sea salt,…
Rock rangers
Touring multiple cities across the U.S. on their Avalanche Tour, Canadian rock band Theory of a Deadman makes its way to Springfield’s Prairie Capital Convention Center on May 10. The band went Platinum with songs “So Happy,” “Bad Girlfriend” and “Got it Made” from its 2008 Scars & Souvenirs album. Members include Tyler Connolly on…
Telegraph 3am
Together since November of 2009, this good-rocking quintet is manned by familiar faces Brian Reilly (guitar and vocals), John Reilly (vocals), Mike Taft (lead guitar), Charlie Barnes (bass), Pat Miller (drums) and Rory Davis (assorted instruments). The group pedigree includes the likes of Mugshot, the Damwell Betters, Thunderbeast, From the Attic, Reel Channel Cats, Lazer…
1937 – INCHES KEEP FLOOD FROM CAIRO
Flood waters have begun to recede in Southern Illinois in and around Cairo following concentrated efforts by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and others, but plenty of work remains to be done. (More info and background here: http://thesouthern.com/news/national/article_56caf9fc-feea-5bb3-9f49-1f85096096ca.html) In an interesting coincidence, Illinois Times editor Fletcher Farrar recently found some old newspapers from 1937…
royalwedding poem #1
royalwedding poem #1 ah, c’mon. in the Y lobby this april 29 morna guy maybe forty jeans t shirtwho’d got up at five couldn’t findanything on the tube except “thatgarbage” it was on all the channelsjust stupid garbage who wants towatch it anyway well two hundredthousand people took time forsome joy and pageantry and howmany…
