In the black
Untitled Document Neither of Springfield’s two black newspaper owners was lured into the business by the potential for a large profit margin. In 1983, T.C. Christian participated as a member of a group called People United for Rights and Equality, which protested the lack of black entertainers booked for local performances. The group forced a…
People’s Poetry
Untitled Document octoberend poem # 1 shredding day today said my neighbor so I spend the morning gleaning his garden got a peck of green peppers even more tomatoes just when you think you have them all you spy another cluster of emerald globes hiding in the foliage well maybe that’s it nothing left…
Fruitcake: the sequel
Untitled Document Last week, I shared details for macerating dried fruit in a boozy bath as step one of my inaugural fruitcake-making adventure. As I had hoped, the fruit transformed into a proper “mash” that tickled both the nose and the tongue. At last, it was time to make cake. Other than the aforementioned fruit…
Thanksgiving on the side
Untitled Document Thanksgiving has really crept up on me this year. Partly it’s because of the weather; I can’t ever remember a year when we haven’t had a hard freeze by Halloween. Just a couple of days ago, I opened the windows in our family room. Several times lately I’ve even turned on the air…
Recall Blagojevich?
Untitled Document A new statewide poll shows that, given the opportunity, a majority of Illinoisans would vote to recall Gov. Rod Blagojevich. But don’t get your hopes up. In the poll of 600 registered Illinois voters, taken Nov. 1-3 by the Glengariff Group, 51.9 percent of registered voters said they would vote to recall Blagojevich…
The state of the State Journal-Register
Untitled Document Almost as if on display, Sue Schmitt and Barry Locher — publisher and editor, respectively, of the State Journal-Register — were seated in the front of a Crowne Plaza ballroom at this year’s Illinois Press Association “Best of the Press” awards luncheon in September. The event’s theme was “News on the Edge: Riding the…
Deceptive labeling
Untitled Document The good news is that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has created a new label to help consumers know when grass-fed meat actually comes from animals that, you know, were raised on grass. The bad news is that this is George W. Bush’s Department of Agriculture — where business always comes first and…
Letters to the Editor
Untitled Document We welcome letters. Please include your full name, address, and telephone number. We edit all letters. Send them to Letters, Illinois Times, P.O. Box 5256, Springfield, IL 62705; fax 217-753-3958; e-mail editor@illinoistimes.com. BUSINESS AS USUAL AT SPD Still one more clearly well-researched article by Dusty Rhodes [“Opt out,” Nov. 8]. A very interesting…
Circle and Jam relocate
Untitled Document Ever since the Underground City Tavern closed, the Thursday-night Bluegrass Jam and the Wednesday Songwriters Circle have been homeless orphans, but there’s good news to report: Both of the weekly acoustic jams have relocated and are functioning again. Guitarist Luke Turasky and friends (Jeff Cunningham on double bass, Josh Parr on fiddle, Shane…
Blood, guts, and pixels
Untitled Document There’s no denying that some of the visual effects used by filmmaker Robert Zemeckis in Beowulf are spectacular, but the technology unfortunately distracts from an otherwise compelling story. Essentially Zemeckis uses the same motion-capture animation process he last employed in The Polar Express, making his actors don bland blue outfits on green stages…
On the cheap
After years of reporting the daily ins and outs of such cities as Rockford, Ill.; Mobile, Ala.; and Kansas City, Mo., former WICS (Channel 20) reporter/anchor Mark Thoma says, he cracked in Cleveland. One night, just like any other on the job, Thoma received word that a house was burning out of control in a…
Award winners
Untitled Document For the past 37 years, Diana Braun and Kathy Conour have been inseparable. Braun, who has Down syndrome, and Conour, who has cerebral palsy, decided more than three decades ago that they were not meant for an institution. Instead, the pair built a house in Springfield, moved in together, and have been fighting…
Klutzo’s resume
Paul Carlock is something of a renaissance man. The alleged pedophile has worked as a corrections officer, a minister, a police officer, a state employee, and a clown, and two years ago he even tried his hand at reporting for Illinois Times. Carlock, referring to himself a freelance writer and photographer, submitted a full résumé…
Mahogany’s night
Untitled Document It was the moment Mahogany Knight had been dreaming about and working toward for almost 20 years: She was onstage at San Antonio’s legendary Saint show club, performing before a packed house and a panel of prestigious judges. But when she ducked behind the curtain for a quickie costume change — the seemingly…
Refuge
Untitled Document Rich Bradley, news director of WUIS (91.9 FM), fulfilled a lifelong dream when he built Springfield’s only public radio station from the ground up in 1975. Not only was he given free rein to develop a broadcast model focused primarily on news and cultural programming, but he was also relieved to leave his…
Cover story
Untitled Document Glossy paper used by most magazines is bad for the environment, yet most publishers still use it, even the outdoors and environmental titles. What’s the scoop? It’s no secret that glossy coatings on magazine covers make pictures really “pop” and attract the eye, thus helping publications compete for attention on ever more crowded…
Opt out
Like any rookie Springfield police officer, Tara Holder Borders spent her first few weeks on the streets learning to navigate unfamiliar neighborhoods, communicate by way of 10-code and alphabet soup, and juggle both her radio and mobile data terminal while driving a police cruiser. She had to master the mechanics of report writing, figure out…
