“Big Hero 6” Can’t Break the Mold
I’m not sure who’s going to conquer the world first – Disney or Apple. (If they ever merge and begin calling themselves Skynet then we’re all doomed.) The Mouse House’s latest attempt to be all things to all viewers is Big Hero 6, an animated film based on a Marvel Comic that has a Pixar…
The political geography of Sangamon County
Selected results of the 2014 general election are represented in the map below. Because the county is divided into several districts, voters in some precincts did not have the option of voting in races which weren’t statewide or countywide, such as the 13th Congressional district race. Precincts are shaded red (Republican) or blue (Democrat) based…
Consider your family’s oral health
On Nov. 15, the open enrollment period will begin under the Affordable Care Act, giving Illinois residents an opportunity to shop for health care coverage that could have a major impact on their physical and financial health in 2015. Whether you are already covered or are looking for the first time, it is important to…
Fired deputy under pressure
Sangamon County judge John Madonia A Sangamon County judge has signaled that he won’t let stand the decision of an arbitrator who ordered a county sheriff’s deputy reinstated after she pleaded guilty to shoplifting and stood trial for stealing plants. Sherry Waldron was fired in 2012 after a surveillance camera captured her taking potted plants…
A two-faced race
Some of you will read this column before the election, and some of you will read it after. I suppose I could’ve written two columns, but I’ve been kinda busy, so let’s talk about one of the weirdest things that happened this campaign season. Earlier this year, ultraconservative activist Jack Roeser told me that his…
Scold Rush
I try to be direct, but my girlfriend often sees this as meanness. For example, when we’re out to dinner, she sometimes takes forever to order when the server is standing right there. I’ll call her out on this – tell her she was rude to keep the guy waiting. Personally, I think it’s unhealthy…
Political mudslinging in Springfield
Stephen A. Douglas (left) and John T. Stuart’s (right) fight for Congress turned physical at a debate in Springfield during the summer of 1838. After enduring the barrage of political ads spewed forth during the recently concluded election campaign, one starts to wonder if the tone of the political debate could sink any lower, and…
Beatlemania returns
PHOTO COURTESY CENTER STAGE ARTISTS Yesterday, the famed Beatles tribute show band, makes a stop at the Hoogland Center for the Arts for one night only, this Saturday, Nov. 8, at 8 p.m. Formed by Lennon impersonator Don Bellezzo, this tribute band has held long-term gigs in Vegas, Reno, Atlantic City and Branson, Missouri –…
It’s all about Murray in St. Vincent
Bill Murray as Vincent and Jaeden Lieberher Oliver in St. Vincent. PHOTO COURTESY THE WEINSTEIN COMPANY I’ve never been a member of the cult of Murray – Bill, that is. I know he has a very devoted following that thinks the sun rises and sets on his every move, marveling at the masterful way he…
Royal Son of a Guns
PHOTO COURTESY ROYAL SON OF a GUNS Hailing and railing from Chicago, while curtailing nothing pertaining to righteousness and proper behavior, this trio describes themselves as “barstool smashing miscreants” ready and willing to “take Americana on a psycho-cathartic hayride through the thorny nettles of the American roots music underbelly,” – and they mean it, folks.…
THE SCOFFLAW STATE
The Open Meetings Act is pretty simple when it comes to the Internet: Public bodies are required to post on their websites notice of upcoming meetings, agendas for meetings and minutes of meetings. How hard can that be? Pretty hard, apparently, if you run a school district, township or municipality. The Citizens Advocacy Center and…
remembering summer #5
50 degrees when I swimthis early sunny augustmorn a stiff north windbut these choppy wavesare the same temperatureas yesterday and last week while I dry off on the hillI am gladdened to seebefore a rotting log asentinel stand of purewhite indian pipes they’vesprung up in the night notgrown in that spot before
Film fanatic fun
Independent films will be shown in Springfield this weekend at the 13th annual Route 66 Film Festival. This Friday, Nov. 7, from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m., and Saturday, Nov. 8, from 10 a.m. to 1 a.m., relax in front of the big screen for a film festival of international proportions. The Route 66 Film…
Letters to the Editor 11/6/14
Workers Jorge Palma, left, and Ricardo Gonzalez Bernal harvest oysters in Samish Bay, Washington, at low tide. Scientists have found that the rising acidity of the oceans is preventing the protective shells of some Pacific oysters from developing. PHOTO BY LIZ O. BAYLEN/TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE MORE ON OUR OCEANSThank you for the article about the top…
Oatmeal
Oatmeal scones. PHOTO BY PETER GLATZ I’ve always despised cold cereal, even as a child. Occasionally I’d be seduced by cheery cartoon characters on commercials and nag my mother into buying Fruit Loops or Rice Krispies. But after I’d eaten a couple spoonfuls and fished out the bananas, the soggy stuff lost its appeal. Oatmeal…
Circus capers
This Friday through Sunday, Nov. 7-9, the Royal Hanneford Circus descends on the Prairie Capital Convention Center to offer six dazzling circus performances, presented by the Springfield Ansar Shrine. The Royal Hanneford Circus is the country’s second largest touring circus, which means there is sure to be something for everyone, adults and children alike. From…
Dog tales
ILLUSTRATION BY TRIBUNE MEDiA SERVICE A dog attack last summer has helped prompt an overhaul of the Sangamon County Citizens Advisory Committee on Animal Control. The county board last month voted to dissolve the board and reconstitute it with 11 new members. Previously, membership on the board had hinged on politics, with members being named…
Charity cases
ILLUSTRATION BY TRIBUNE MEDiA SERVICE The debate that Illinois ought to be having about government finance is not how much property owners should pay in taxes, but which property owners should pay. Large quasi-corporate nonprofit corporations such as private hospitals and universities behave like their profit-making cousins, and are among the biggest land-owners in many…
In Big Beer we do not trust
OK, that’s it – no more Mr. Nice Guy from me when covering the avarice and arrogance of corporate power! The monopolistic grabfest has now turned personal. It’s about beer, the nourishing nectar of a civilized society. From my teen years forward, I’ve done extensive and intensive consumer research on the brewer’s art, from the…
And the winner is…
CARTOON BY CHRIS BRITT
Rhonda and the rest
Rhonda Vincent and The Rage perform Sat. during the 28th Annual Greater Downstate Indoor Bluegrass Festival at the Crowne Plaza, Nov. 7, 8 and 9. The first full weekend in November comes roaring in like it has nothing to do but impress us with an exciting and full plate of entertainment goodies to drop in…
Editor’s note 11/6/14
Many of us are hoping that Bruce Rauner won’t be as bad as we think he’s going to be. Even some of his supporters are secretly pleased that Mike Madigan is still in control to shield the state from Rauner’s more radical ideas. It is up to the governor-elect to set the tone. Will he…
Gloomy days for CWLP
City Water, Light and Power in Springfield faces a fiscal storm caused mainly by debt and unfortunate timing. PHOTO BY PATRICK YEAGLE Eric Hobbie calls it “a perfect storm.” One of the biggest squalls in the history of Springfield City Water, Light and Power looms large while Hobbie, chief utility engineer at CWLP, tries to…
A crime, a cop, a judge and some oddballs
Widow, by Martha Miller. Bold Strokes Press, 2014. With Widow, her sixth book, Springfield novelist Martha Miller has created a page-turning mystery, suspenseful and moving. When Judge Bertha Brannon’s significant other, Toni, a police officer, is murdered in a shootout, Bertha must deal not only with her grief, but with a growing number of questions.…
PANEL TAPS SMITHSONIAN VET
An ad hoc committee wrestling with governance questions at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum has retained the former director of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History to help sort out the dicey question of who, exactly, is in charge – or, at least, who should be in charge – of Springfield’s biggest…
Another day, another hearing
A bankruptcy judge last week levied a judgment of more than $2.2 million against embattled entrepreneur Jeffrey Parsons, above, who didn’t show up for court. PHOTO BY PATRICK YEAGLE The fortunes of Jeffrey Parsons rose and fell on the vagaries of precious metal markets, according to a testimony last week in federal bankruptcy court. And…
Ebolamania
Curses, foiled again• After police seeking Monica Hargrove, 34, for aggravated robbery in Columbus, Ohio, posted her photo on the department’s Facebook page, the suspect called and demanded the photo be removed because she considered it unflattering. “Come on in and we’ll talk about it,” the detective she spoke with told her. She did, public…
