Took the wind out of her zales
Around Valentine’s Day, my beloved boyfriend of a year kept hinting about a big surprise. He’d been talking about moving in with me, and I was expecting a proposal and a ring. I got a fondue pot. I have two children and, apparently, the idea that a man should put a ring on a woman’s…
HELP FOR THE HOLIDAY
Winter seems to have come early this year, which means higher heating bills and less money for the holidays. City Water, Light and Power offers a way to help those in need through its Project Relief program. Starting its 30th year on Dec. 2, Project Relief allows CWLP customers to donate a dollar or more…
Turkey tales
“The heavenly aroma still hung in the house. But it was gone, all gone! No turkey! No turkey sandwiches! No turkey salad! No turkey gravy! Turkey hash! Turkey à la king! Or gallons of turkey soup! Gone, all gone!” – Ralphie Parker in the movie A Christmas Story When the Bumpuses’ dogs sneaked in and…
Hat trick
There is no bigger fan of Brad Paisley in Springfield than 7-year-old Timmy Lynch. Who else donned a cowboy hat and Wranglers on Halloween to go trick-or-treating as one the biggest stars in country music? When tickets went on sale for Paisley’s concert last week at the Prairie Capital Convention Center, Andrea Lynch, Timmy’s mother,…
Thanks for Thanksgiving
Juke House plays the Craft Beer Rhythm & Blues Fest, Donnie’s Homespun, Sat. Nov. 30, 7:30 p.m. opening for blues legend, the Ernie Peniston Band. The one thing we often forget to be thankful for at Thanksgiving is the holiday itself. That may sound silly or redundant, but that one little day on the fourth…
Catching Fire a welcome improvement in Hunger series
A vast improvement over Gary Ross’ The Hunger Games, part two in this series, Catching Fire, comes to the screen with style and purpose, both of which were sorely lacking in the first, which looks more and more like a slipshod affair when held up to Francis Lawrence’s work here. There also seems to be…
2013 game critics’ award winners
Each summer, the top video-game media name the best gaming titles of the year. Here are their picks for the best of the 2013. Titanfall Best of ShowBest Original GameBest Console GameBest PC GameBest Action GameBest Online MultiplayerPC, Xbox 360, Xbox One$59.95 Watch DogsBest Action/Adventure GamePC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii-U $59.95 TearawayBest…
Holiday hymn
The Blessed Sacrament choirs will present an Advent Concert on Sunday, Dec. 1, at 4 p.m. The concert will include all of the Blessed Sacrament choirs, professional woman’s ensemble Seraphim (pictured) and other singers from the community. The orchestra will include several members of the Illinois Symphony Orchestra. The featured oratorio is Vivaldi’s “Magnificat.” Tickets may…
Abraham Lincoln, the father of Thanksgiving
The first Thanksgiving is often associated with the Pilgrims. More than two centuries later, President Abraham Lincoln was the first to make it official. This year marks 150 years since Lincoln’s designation of Thanksgiving as a national holiday. The official designation is the most lasting of the nine proclamations for a day of thanks issued…
Unions mull endorsement options
Illinois union leaders are reportedly mulling several options about what to do in the governor’s race. But the only thing the leaders appear to agree on so far is that anti-union Republican gazillionaire Bruce Rauner cannot be allowed to win. Some union honchos are looking at endorsing a candidate in the Republican primary. State Sen.…
An art guide to Indy
Matisse paintings such as “Purple Robe with Anemones” reveal his love of color and his emotions. Indianapolis is known for the Pacers, the Colts and the Indy 500, but this heartland city has much more to offer. Indy has a wonderful mix of cultural treasures such as the Indianapolis Museum of Art, now hosting a…
Whiskey Medicine
Ready for a shot of good music that will knock you for a loop like a good blast of decent whiskey? Welcome the high-energy sounds of Whiskey Medicine to the Springfield scene as band mates Heather Mundhenke, Mike Webb, Tim Bahn, Kevin Mundhenke, Eric Tinsley and Brian Earleywine bring a blend of established musicians all…
McDonald’s: Low-Paid Workers, High-Flying Execs
Sometimes it pays just to go away. You could ask Jim Skinner about that. He was CEO of the hamburger behemoth, McDonald’s, pulling down a hefty $8.8 million in pay. Last year, though, Skinner retired, and, rather than getting a gold watch, he was given a load of gold – so large that even a…
PlayStation & Xbox: The next generation
Among the billions of gifts Santa sifts through this holiday season may be millions of the latest eighth-generation video game consoles: PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Sony’s PS4 teases innovative game portability and simple social sharing. Microsoft’s Xbox One has the potential to replace your remote control. Both consoles promise next-level gaming and entertainment experiences,…
Man fails to deliver
I was sucked in by the advertisements for Delivery Man. This comedy about a man who, through the negligence of a sperm bank, finds out that he’s the biological father of over 500 children appeared to be a sweet, heartfelt comedy that would warm the cockles of my heart (I looked up “cockles” after writing…
Put on a happy face
Curses, foiled againAssistant manager Ariel Sinclair, 23, stole nearly $6,000 from a drug store’s lottery machine after using its fingerprint-recognition feature to unlock it, according to police in Virginia Beach, Va. “If you’re providing your fingerprint to access this machine, I have no idea how, in your mind, you’re thinking you’re going to get away…
Select seasonal sounds
The stunning harmony of California ensemble Venice comes to The Legacy Theater Thursday, Dec. 5. Mixing the sounds of 70s rock ’n’ roll with the storytelling of James Taylor and harmonies reminiscent of the Eagles, this guy group will move you with their Christmas music and some of their own music, including material from their…
What they had to do
Illinois in the War of 1812 by Gillum Ferguson. University of Illinois Press, 2012. 333 pages, $34.95. Thanksgiving is the time of year when some white people serve up a heapin’ dish of guilt. The season reminds us all of the circumstances of the founding of the nation, when it was the white people who…
McConaughey, Leto shine
Jared Leto as Rayon and Matthew McConaughey as Ron Woodroof in Dallas Buyers Club PHOTO COURTESY FOCUS FEATURES Very little was known about HIV or AIDS in 1985 when Ron Woodroof was diagnosed as having contracted the virus. Research was underway in order to find out how the spread of this scourge could be arrested…
Elevate their photo game
There’s an old cliche in photography circles: The best camera is the one you have with you. For many of us, that’s our smartphone. For everyday use, smartphones are tough to beat. They have full-featured cameras, large, high-resolution displays, and fun apps for editing and sharing photos. In fact, sales of point-and-shoot cameras have been…
EQUALITY CITY
With same-sex marriage becoming law in Illinois on June 1, 2014, LGBT folks in Illinois have had a good year. But a recent report from the Human Rights Campaign shows plenty of work remains to be done at the local level in the name of equality. HRC published its nationwide Municipal Equality Index last week,…
Downtown adornment
Downtown Springfield, Inc. presents its Old Capitol Holiday Walks on Thursdays through Christmas, plus a kickoff date on Wednesday, Dec. 4. Mayor Mike Houston will light the holiday tree at 5:30 p.m. on the Old State Capitol Plaza at the corner of Sixth and Adams streets and there will be holiday music. What is not…
Own it
PHOTO OF ART BY ERIN HAYDEN COURTESY OF UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS SPRINGFIELD VISUAL ARTS GALLERY University of Illinois Springfield Visual Arts Gallery will hold its annual Silent Auction Benefit Dec. 2-12. This is a great opportunity to support art programming at UIS while acquiring extraordinary art for a steal of a price. Local, regional and…
Clash over fracking rules
Illinois state Rep. John Bradley, D-Marion, testifies in support of his bill to regulate fracking before a legislative committee in May. The bill became law and is currently being implemented by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. PHOTO BY PATRICK YEAGLE Illinois is preparing to allow the use of a controversial method of extracting oil…
thanksgiving poem #7
thanksgiving poem #7 one of the happiest events at our university has occurred yearly since ’77 the international festival last week was no exception colorful native dress and design tasty native foods familiar and unfamiliar tongues the variety of games music and oh the dancing cheered on by the appreciative crowd irish scottish with bagpipes…
Grocery stores galore
At first glance, it should be a matter of simple mathematics. If there are x number of mouths to feed in any given city, then that city should support y number of grocery stores. The industry rule of thumb, according to David Livingston, a Milwaukee-based grocery store consultant, is one store for every 10,000 people.…
Letters to the Editor 11/28/13
Artist’s rendering of the Kidzeum, to occupy now-empty buildings on Adams Street in downtown Springfield. RENDERING COURTESY KIDZEUM OF HEALTH AND SCIENCE CHILDREN’S MUSEUM MORE THAN JUST PLAY A column on Springfield’s coming Kidzeum (“Having fun saving the world,” James Krohe Jr., Nov. 7) challenged the premise that play museums are a learning experience. Sure,…
The path not taken
Crain’s Chicago Business recently took its own look at why the State of Illinois failed to set up its own state-run exchange under the Affordable Care Act. The result is that uninsured Illinoisans who wish to purchase insurance are forced to rely on the glitchy federal website to shop for policies. The short version of…
Bachrach comes to mall
Today, White Oaks Mall welcomes Bachrach, the newest retailer to hit the mall’s changing landscape over the past year. The Bachrach brand is a menswear brand based upon European aesthetics. Bachrach offers fashionable men’s apparel including dress shirts, blazers, ties, shoes and sweaters, amongst other must-have wardrobe items. Bachrach is located on the lower level…
Paisley delivers gem
Brad Paisley is not the greatest singer in country music. His range is narrow, and his voice can sometimes be overwhelmed by his band. That was occasionally the case during Thursday’s performance at the Prairie Capital Convention Center, particularly early in the show during “Southern Comfort Zone” and “Mud on the Tires.” It did not…
Gone but not forgotten
Saturday, Nov. 23, friends, family members, colleagues, neighbors, anyone who is struggling to make sense of their loss from suicide, is invited to a light lunch and Day of Healing for Bereavement After Suicide. Survivors of suicide loss will gather around the United States and world in healing conferences and online. You’ll hear from others…
There’s no place like home for dinner
In her first book, The Dorm Room Diet (William Morrow, 2010), certified chef and integrative nutritionist Daphne Oz helped college students tackle dorm living. In her second book, Relish: An Adventure in Food, Style, and Everyday Fun (William Morrow, 2013), the daughter of author and TV personality Dr. Mehmet Oz shares her tips on delicious,…
Batting a thousand
UIS athletic director Kim Pate (right) congratulates student-athletes who made the Dean’s List at a basketball double-header against the University of Missouri-St. Louis in February. PHOTO COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT SPRINGFIELD Three years ago, the athletic department at the University of Illinois Springfield faced criticism from several angles. Scandals large and small hinted at…
Recent numbers on governor’s race
Back in mid-August, near the end of his summertime TV advertising blitz, Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner scored 14 percent in a Capitol Fax/We Ask America poll of likely GOP primary voters. That was up a tick from the 12 percent he got in a June 20 poll by the same firm. His campaign has…
Roasting turkey
Since I first wrote about them in 2009, I’ve had several requests for two techniques I use when preparing roast turkey and dressing: brining and an unusual method of cutting up the turkey prior to roasting. By popular request here they are again. For many home cooks, preparing roast turkey and dressing is the most…
The story of the Gettysburg Address
A July sunset over South Mountain. Controlling the high ridge was crucial to the Union victory. PHOTO BY ROBERT SHAW A Day Long to Be Remembered: Lincoln in Gettysburg, by Michael Burlingame with photography by Robert Shaw. Published by Firelight Publishing, Heyworth, Ill., in association with John Warner IV, 2013. 220 pages. $34. Photographer Robert…
Help for demolishing abandoned homes?
A pile of trash sits covered by a tarp in front of the abandoned house at the corner of 12th and Cass streets. PHOTO BY PATRICK YEAGLE A state law aimed at helping municipalities deal with abandoned houses has generated nearly $4 million by taxing banks that foreclose on homes, but the slice of that…
Bon voyage
Hawaii. Las Vegas. Miami. San Francisco. Members of the Springfield Police Pension Board have a penchant for traveling, with the tab reaching into the six figures since 2007. State regulators raised concerns two years ago, but the travels haven’t stopped, with as many as four of the board’s five trustees traveling to resort cities to…
I was a 10-year-old on Nov. 22, 1963
I could walk you to within very few feet, perhaps inches, of the exact spot I was on at 12:30 p.m., Nov. 22, 1963. I was on the Butler Elementary School playground playing Artillery Ball after lunch. I was on the side facing the school, with Ray Davis across the line on the other side…
This year’s election circus
Election days can be dizzying – like trying to absorb a three-ring circus with all three acts going at once. In last week’s elections, the national media focused tightly on the center ring, where two gubernatorial contests and one mayoral race were spotlighted. The most interesting of these to me was the dazzling, out-of-nowhere, high-wire…
Telling good from bad
“Everything’s on the Web.” It’s laughably untrue, but there is still too much stuff for most of us to make sense of. Thus the debate now raging on the Internet – by which I mean a lot of people are talking out loud to themselves – about the rise of the online curator. Curators are…
from a great-grandkid poem #1
one hears family stories that arerevealed quite late sometimes onlyas conjecture for instance my friend’spaternal great-grandmother when themen in black pulled up in their blackhearse-like cars she shoved all herchildren under the dining room tableits cloth to the floor the men wentdown to her basement came up leftshe lifted her long skirt rolled a wadof…
Off the Wall
What do you call a bunch of Springfield musicians who’ve played in bands for years, who like to get a little crazy and who love to push the musical envelope? How about Off the Wall with the killer lineup of Kip Nelson on vocals, Steve Marvel on keyboards, Dereck Usher on bass, Jack Stege on…
Letters to the Editor 11/21/13
Legendary bluesman B.B. King performed at Sangamon Auditorium, UIS on Nov. 17. PHOTO BY KASRA GANJAVI VIA WIKIPEDIA.ORG KING OF BLUESI read the review in Illinois Times today about B.B. King at Sangamon Auditorium, UIS. (“The thrill is gone,” Bruce Rushton, Nov. 18, illinoistimes.com). I thought I would share a different perspective. For concertgoers coming…
Bough to bough
PHOTO COURTESY MEMORIAL FESTIVAL OF TREES One of the most beloved events of the season, Memorial’s Festival of Trees, starts Nov. 24 at the Illinois State Fairgrounds Orr Building and runs through Dec. 1. View more than 150 Christmas trees and wreaths decorated by members of the community and marvel at the amazing handcrafted gingerbread…
Food for feasting
Illinois Department of Agriculture, Illinois Stewardship Alliance, Illinois Grape Growers and Vintners Association, Slow Food Springfield and University of Illinois Extension sponsor a day at the market on Nov. 23. It’s not only a place to buy some great locally produced goods to make your Thanksgiving feast the tastiest ever, but you can learn more…
Moody call
Ten months ago, while studying abroad, I had one wonderful night with a girl. We kissed and danced the night away. She lives in Brazil, but we’ve communicated regularly via Skype and email. I’ve never felt such a strong connection. Recently, I asked what she wanted, and she said to be together in the same…
Opportunity knocks
Curses, foiled againInvestigators concluded that Lucas Burke, 21, and Ethan Keeler, 20, broke into a landscaping business in Hopkinton, N.H., and tried to open a locked safe with an acetylene cutting torch. The safe was full of fireworks. “The whole thing went up and blew their bodies apart,” owner Thomas Komisarek said. (New Hampshire Union…
Head count
Feeding yourself and your family is a cinch. Cooking for a large group? That’s another story. Whether you’re hosting a formal dinner party or having a backyard get-together, it can be tricky to figure out how much to buy and make. “You want to make sure no one leaves hungry, but you don’t end up…
A Wolfe, bells and the blues
The Todd Wolfe Band plays Coz’s Pizza, Thurs. Nov. 21. We’re closing in on Thanksgiving, and therefore Thanksgiving Eve, that best and biggest bar-party night of the year. The weekend before gives us pause to be thankful as well. Welcome to the diverse and devout Springfield music scene at its finest. Sometimes world-class music turns…
Ender’s Game a pointed tale of moral sacrifice
Asa Butterfield as Ender Wiggin and Harrison Ford as Colonel Hyrum Graff in Ender’s Game. PHOTO COURTESY SUMMIT ENTERTAINMENT Having never read Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game and assuming that it was just another piece of vapid tween fiction, I was unprepared for the thorny moral issues at its core. I had not anticipated thinking…
