Mr. Opporknockity
This rock quintet dominated the band scene in Springfield around the turn of the century with energetic live shows, exciting original songs and an incredible base of friends and fans. Originally an acoustic guitar/vocal duo with Doug Gholson and Troy Roark, after scoring a local radio hit with Lisa’s Shirt the twosome became a quartet…
State shuffling agency offices
State offices in Springfield are about to do the do-si-do as Illinois shuffles office spaces in an attempt to eliminate costly expired leases. The leases are negotiated by the state’s Central Management Services agency, which spent almost $41.3 million for real property rental in Fiscal Year 2010. Many of the new leases replace expired “holdover”…
Making room for the Huangs
In 2002, the government of the People’s Republic of China banned a book of oral history interviews with the sorts of people that the West does not hear about, and that the Chinese authorities do not wish it to. The compiler was one Liao Yiwu, a dissident writer who had been marginalized himself by the…
Plan ahead to plant the right tree
Selecting a tree is one of the most important landscape decisions a homeowner will make. Trees should be considered as an investment for the future, since most people move before a tree that they planted reaches mature height. Keep in mind, a properly placed and cared for tree will most likely outlive the person who…
Chicago political conventions, stories from Lincoln to Clinton
Chicago Alderman Edward Burke’s career as an author had an unlikely beginning. “I was sitting at a table with a writer and professor named Craig Sautter,” recalls Burke. “We were talking about all the great political conventions that had taken place in Chicago. But all anybody ever seemed to talk about was the fear in…
Brady’s many unhappy returns
I was out with some political buddies the other night and the subject of Bill Brady’s taxes came up. Just about everybody agreed that Brady should never have released his tax returns. All he did was make a bad situation worse, they said. The Republican gubernatorial nominee released his returns four years ago when he…
Party with a cause
The race is full, but the party needs you. This annual run and walk, to benefit the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, and other charities, has gotten so popular that this year’s race roster is at capacity. But that doesn’t mean you can’t check out the action and join the street party and pig roast. Entertainment…
Can do
Forty-nine million Americans are at risk of hunger according to the USDA. Mark your calendar for May 8, because helping those in need just got easier. All you have to do is place non-perishable food items in a bag, set it by your mailbox and your letter carrier will collect the bag. Mail carriers will…
Illinois and the Panic of 1819
Financial problems are nothing new to the Prairie State. Sadly, neither are inept responses by governmental officials. After the Panic of 1819 one of our own townsmen, an esteemed founding father, was one of several leaders investigated for wrongdoing in relation to state-sponsored recovery efforts. This fact was discovered by local historian and author David…
Mexican heritage
Do you know what Cinco de Mayo is really about? Learn about the Mexican heritage of many Illinois residents through activities, music and more at this museum’s children’s program. Recommended for children 4-8 years of age, registration is not required. Activities take 30-40 minutes to complete and feature take-home crafts. Super Saturdays at the Museum:…
A recurring Nightmare
One of the things that made many of the classic horror films in the 1970s effective is they were done cheaply and sported a gritty esthetic. The fact that the images were grainy and that their low budgets inadvertently gave them a semi-documentary feel made them seem more frightening. This is exactly what was missing…
Good but cheap Chicago eats
It was our dining Bible when my husband was in dental school in Chicago: The Good But Cheap Chicago Restaurant Guide. Because of TGBCCRG, we ate out frequently, even with little money and a baby-then-toddler. Many were ethnic – Bohemian restaurants where roast pork or half-duck dinners (including soup and dessert) cost $7.50; Italian joints…
Furry a bit mangy
You have to give Brendan Fraser one thing – the guy’s a good sport. Having donned a loincloth in George of the Jungle, sported a Canadian Mountie’s outfit for Dudley Do-Right and gone rounds with Bugs Bunny in Looney Tunes: Back in Action, the actor has proven that he has no problem making fun of…
Letters to the Editor 5/6/10
MOVE YOUR FAT ASS Regarding the Fat Ass 5K, which will raise money for charity with a run through downtown Springfield May 8: Well, good for charity, very bad for local business! Any event that takes place downtown should enhance the businesses downtown! This event completely cuts us off from our customers unless they live…
Wall Street grins as Washington fiddles
Performing a public service was undoubtedly the last thing on the minds of the geniuses who created Abacus 2007-ACI – but I, for one, am grateful to them. Abacus is an infamous investment package created by the financial alchemists at Goldman Sachs. It fell into infamy because it is the convoluted scheme that has recently…
How to gut renewable energy
For the third consecutive legislative session, myopic legislators have introduced illogical, almost surreal rationalizations for why they should repeal one state law that has successfully protected Illinois for 23 years, and sabotage a second that promotes zero-carbon, sustainable and less-polluting energy. I refer here to attempts to repeal what has become known as the “nuclear…
HAIRCUTS TO HELP KIDS
Get your hair cut for a cause on Wednesday, May 19, at University of Spa and Cosmetology Arts. From 8:30 a.m. until 7 p.m., the school will be hosting a cut-a-thon to raise money for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, with haircuts and manicures for $5 and facials and half-hour massages for…
May’s amalgam of offerings
Coming up on the first full weekend in May and I can only say there is so much going on, no one subject trumped another. Therefore I will proceed with an amalgam of offerings at various venues and upon assorted subjects. First up here’s a heads up to Marina V fans. Most likely due to…
Election board owed $585,000 in unpaid fines
Click for a searchable PDF of all fines as of 5-5-2010: http://www.illinoistimes.com/Springfield/file-45-.pdf More than a half million dollars in unpaid fines have yet to be collected by the State Board of Elections for violations of state election law. Many of the 477 delinquent fines are several years old, totaling $585,623.75. The fines were issued to…
Hero of Hotel Rwanda campaigns for truth about genocide
Just when we thought Rwanda had reinvented itself into a genuine success story in Africa, and that Rwandan president Paul Kagame had become a star of international leadership, along comes the hero of Hotel Rwanda to tell us it isn’t necessarily so. Paul Rusesabagina, portrayed in the 2004 film Hotel Rwanda by actor Don Cheadle,…
Park photos
While you’re out biking and hiking at Washington Park, or strolling the trails, playing tennis or having a picnic at the children’s playground, take time to stop by the Botanical Garden and sneak a peak at this year’s photography contest winners. Entries each contain some aspect of Washington Park in their composition. First place winners…
Media expert: Print’s not dead
Larry Maynard has heard it numerous times: “Newspapers are dying and will totally disappear within five years,” he repeats skeptically. “In the 1930s, radio was supposed to kill the newspapers,” he says. “In the 1950s, it was broadcast TV. In the 1980s, it was cable TV. In the 1990s, it was the Internet, but newspapers…
Building a sustainable school
Lake Land College in Mattoon has reduced its energy costs by nearly $100,000 annually, as part of a campus-wide sustainability initiative. The 308-acre campus has experienced a 100 percent reduction in natural gas use and a 30 percent reduction in electricity use in two of its recently renovated buildings. Using energy-efficient lighting, daylight-harvesting, solar energy…
Dancing without the stars
It’s chilly in the packed parking lot of the Eagles Club on Springfield’s far east side. But inside the club’s cavernous concrete ballroom more than 100 novice dancers are shedding sweaters and mopping their brows. “Tee, ay—n-g-o! Tee, ay—n-g-o!” barks Pat Lyttaker as she leads a multigenerational crowd through the basic steps of the tango.…
