Capital Cast
A roundup of the final week of the 2019 veto session in Illinois. Pension fund consolidation, ethics reform, a failed effort to pave the way for a Chicago casino, and a surprise announcement moments after lawmakers adjourned.
Evidence of huffing found in homeless man’s demise
A homeless man found dead a week ago had apparently been huffing, according to Springfield police reports. In September, Ahmad Basheer Verdell became the face of homelessness in Springfield as he urged the city council to approve an east side homeless center on 11th Street that would also include a detox unit and services for…
Metropolitan Opera magic comes to Springfield
It is a well-kept secret that you can watch a live performance of New York City’s Metropolitan Opera right here at our local AMC Springfield 12 movie theater. The Metropolitan Opera’s Live in HD series brings the magic of the Met to movie theaters in more than 70 countries worldwide, including here in Springfield. The…
November cometh
Here we go on into the fall season that felt much more like winter this week, but nothing stops the intrepid live music attendee from making the rounds to get the goods on good tunes. Our week ahead presents an assortment set to appease the most persnickety of audiences. Thursday grants us an interesting triad…
Living in the city
Outside the Southeast High School auditorium last week, while teachers discussed a contract offer from Springfield School District 186, I overheard a member of the Springfield Education Association explain why she was leaving early. “I have a half-hour drive to get home,” she told a fellow union member. A half-hour? Hmm. And so I obtained…
For the best Medicare model, look down under
The idea of insurance is simple: Knowing how often a bad event (emergency hospitalization) might occur in a large group of people, you can charge each person a premium to cover for those losses. The key is that it has to be an event that no one wants to have happen. If you begin providing…
Lobbyists become scapegoats amid ethics reforms
Bribery is a Class 2 felony in Illinois. It’s also a federal offense, punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Neither of those laws stopped former Rep. Luis Arroyo (D-Chicago) from allegedly attempting to bribe a state Senator who turned out to be an FBI mole. Arroyo’s alleged bribe was made on behalf of…
Letters to the Editor 11/14/19
EXPUNGEMENT SUMMIT HAD HELP Thank you for the great article about the recent expungement summit (“A Second Chance in Life,” Oct. 31). On behalf of the Sangamon County Bar Association (SCBA), who cosponsored the expungement summit with the Springfield Urban League, we would like to thank the many groups that came together to help people…
Ex gaming board chair sues
The former chairman of the Illinois Gaming Board has sued the state Executive Ethics Commission for finding that he engaged in unlawful political activity while a board member. Don Tracy, a Springfield attorney and contributor to Republican causes, says the executive inspector general’s office conducted a shoddy investigation and that his wife, not he, was…
FOR FREE CONCERTS, VOTE NOW
There’s only a few days left to vote for Springfield to win a grant from the Levitt Foundation for a second summer of free live music. Deadline is Nov. 20 for your keyboard to count toward Downtown Springfield, Inc.’s plan to activate the Y Block with weekly outdoor concerts and a better stage and sound…
BAM, BAM, BAMBI
Want to reduce crime? Consider extending deer hunting season. That’s an apt takeaway from a paper recently produced by Ball State University economist Paul Niekamp, who found that arrests for violent crime don’t go up and may decrease in some rural areas during firearm deer hunting seasons. On the other hand, firearm violations increase by…
Editor’s note
It’s good that District 186 teachers pushed for safety and security in the new contract, and good that the administration readily agreed. Figuring out how to deal with students who aren’t interested in learning, and compassionately keeping them from disrupting those who do, is a problem facing educators everywhere. Jobs would help. Volunteers in the…
How AND why to DIVERSIFY
Chances are good that if you serve on a nonprofit organization’s board, your fellow board members look and act a lot like you. That might be a problem, according to a Springfield-based initiative that is seeking to make those boards more reflective of the communities that they serve. The Building Board Diversity (BBD) initiative was…
This Week | Chris Britt
Britt cartoons are posted at illinoistimes.com. Comments are welcome about this and all features.
Billy Don Burns
From his origins as an extremely respected songwriter and performer in Nashville in the early 70s to his current stance as an indelible icon to a younger generation of “outlaw” country artists, this one-man force of nature continues to defy the odds by being relevant and rebellious for some 50 years in the country music…
The savory side of pumpkin spice
For warm, autumnal meals that manage to feel cozy while still staying light and fresh, look no further than your spice cabinet. Cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, ginger and cloves are the standard players in most pumpkin pie spice mixes, and while these sweet spices are standard additions to many of our favorite baking recipes, they…
Ford v Ferrari in the winner’s circle
With all of its meticulously rendered, in-your-face, just-a-bit-too-loud racing sequences, at its core Ford v Ferrari is really nothing more than a buddy movie. That’s not meant to be a backhanded compliment but speaks to the engine that drives this exceptionally engaging dive into automotive history, a look at how a personal slight led to…
3 items, Beloit Daily News, 11/10/1911
Otto Bredeson, a Spanish American war veteran who was thought to be dead, has returned to his family in Beloit after an absence of 12 years but plans only a brief visit before resuming his globe-circling adventures. Two Northwestern freight trains collided head-on in Clinton; an open switch resulted in the crash. Three hoboes were…
Fire breaks out at CWLP plant
A fire broke out last night at a City Water, Light and Power plant after a battery failure, and a generator remains shut down today. “There was a small turbine fire that was contained quickly by operations,” wrote Scott Rogers, CWLP superintendent of generation wrote in an email to Doug Brown, chief utility engineer. The…
Breasts, Viagra and hotel sex
An investigator with the inspector general’s office for the state Department of Human Services remains on the job despite findings that he has sexually harassed employees of agencies that hold DHS contracts. According to a report released last month by the state Executive Ethics Commission, Manuel “Manny” Zepeda told three women employed by Marcfirst, a…
