TAILOR-MADE FILM FOR TV
Mario Ingoglia is cutting more than fabric these days. A Springfield tailor who ran unsuccessfully as mayor in 2007, Ingoglia has completed editing a short film titled Southtown 66, to air on Sunday, May 17 during his Metro Variety Show on Access 4. Set in 1955 and shot at various locations in the capital city,…
To get fresh teachers, grow your own
A few years ago, someone in the Chicago public school system came up with a brilliant way to help Riley Higgins, who was then about 3 years old and living in Springfield. Why would anyone in the Chicago public school system give a fig about a preschooler in Springfield? The truth is they didn’t. But…
Star Trek: A bold reboot
I laughed, I cried and I was on the edge of my seat watching J.J. Abrams’ inventive and wildly entertaining prequel Star Trek. And that was just during the first 15 minutes. It’s no secret that one of Paramount Studios’ cash cows is the Trek franchise and that execs there have been wringing their hands…
Peoples Poetry
friendquotepoem # 17 I’d love to visit butthis time of the year I’mknee deep in seedlings andplanting stuff tomorrow I’mgetting 25 trees last week Iplanted 15 blueberry bushesand a bunch of fruit trees addto that a one-eyed horse Irecently adopted named himjack and a brooding hen I’m trying to keep the rooster from bothering so…
Other states aren’t great at regulating campaign contributions
Editorial writers, crusading columnists and reformers say it all the time: Illinois is one of only a small handful of states which does not regulate campaign contributions. That’s technically true, but you might be surprised at how little some other states actually regulate those contributions. Gov. Pat Quinn’s independent reform commission has recommended that Illinois…
Moonlight and music in May
Won’t you join me in celebrating the middle of May by participating in the varied and diverse collection of exciting events offered to our community by various organizations and performers for your entertainment satisfaction. In other words, check this stuff out, dude! Once again the Moonlight Rhythm Rangers are galloping to the rescue of country…
Letters to the Editor
Shred Day Thank you, Illinois Times, for the opportunity to bring attention to protecting one’s identity to the community of Springfield. It was a wonderful experience explaining the process of Cintas Document Management with the folks who attended the Shred Day last Saturday. We estimate that we shredded around 6,500 pounds of paper on Saturday.…
A tale of heroism in the fight against Illinois corruption
Who among us would have thought of the little east central Illinois town of Paris as a major location for drug dealing and criminal activity? It is hard to believe Paris, Ill., is the site of the national Mafia Pizza Connection Case, in which Rudy Giuliani prosecuted Paris resident Joe Vitale and others. Paris is…
Orchestra hires interim executive director
Elizabeth Hare, 54, joined the Illinois Symphony Orchestra last month as interim executive director. Although she grew up playing piano, majored in music theory and music history at Rice University, and sang in the San Francisco Symphony Chorus for more than three years, Hare says she never thought of herself as a professional musician. “I…
BIKE IT. YOU MAY LIKE IT.
What’s the fun in just walking, running, or biking to work? The Springfield-Sangamon County Regional Planning Commission is making things interesting with the Curb Your Car on Bike to Work Day challenge on Friday, May 15. All workplaces that signed up previously receive recognition for participating, but the workplace with the highest percentage of workers…
How is Mary like Rod?
Here’s a conversation starter for you: What do Rod Blagojevich and Mary Lincoln have in common? (It’s not good hair.) The two are an incongruous pairing: an impeached former governor known for his wire-tapped expletives and a refined, widowed former first lady of the nation. The answer: narcissism, according to modern experts. People with narcissistic…
Give peas a chance
I’ve always loved peas. Those frozen peas available in grocery stores aren’t terrible. But they can’t begin to compare with new baby peas, tiny marbles of sweetness that are called English peas or Petit Pois (probably, respectively, by the English and French) that have just been harvested, untouched by machinery or processing that — however…
Attorney General gets tough with craigslist
Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan traveled to New York last week to deliver this message to craigslist chief executive officer Jim Buckmaster: remove your Web site’s erotic services section. Madigan, along with Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster and Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, notified craigslist’s lawyers that the online classifieds company breached an agreement made…
SAY A LITTLE PRAYER
Of Mack Strong, an ex-fullback who helped the Seattle Seahawks to a Super Bowl appearance in 2006, Seahawks QB Matt Hasselback once said, “Mack is a man of deep integrity. He’s like a moral compass for all of us.” Let’s pray Strong’s needle doesn’t break when he appears before a room filled with Illinois politicians…
Senate stomps Durbin’s bill to help strapped homeowners
Sam Rayburn, a longtime speaker of the U.S. House, once said, “Every now and then, a politician ought to do something just because it’s right.” Last week, 45 U.S. senators dodged an excellent chance to do just what Mr. Sam advised. At issue was a straightforward, common-sense amendment proposed by Dick Durbin, D-Ill. It would…
IT Picks
ART | Street fair with flair Three of Springfield’s downtown streets will be blocked off this weekend to make way for booths of art surrounding the Old Capitol building, featuring more than 150 artists. Their original works, in the form of jewelry, sculpture, photography, glassware, pottery, wood, metalwork, oils, watercolors and other media, are available…
