Gold’s Gym shutting down
Gold’s Gym is closing pursuant to an order issued today by a bankruptcy court. The gym closed effective 1 p.m. today, according to a note on the door from Maureen “Mo” Suhadolnik, the gym’s executive director. She declined an interview request. “I am so very sorry…this has been like a family for all these years,”…
Mautino slated for next auditor general
Rep. Frank Mautino, D-Spring Valley A bipartisan legislative panel will recommend a fellow lawmaker as Illinois’ next auditor general. The panel met today in Springfield and narrowed a field of four candidates down to one: longtime Democratic Rep. Frank Mautino, D-Spring Valley. Mautino topped 13 other candidates, including another Democratic representative and a Republican favorite…
This Saturday: The Pharmacy presents Pharmaid
Art by Janet Sgro The artists of The Pharmacy Gallery & Art Space will be hosting Pharm Aid this Saturday, October 3, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.. It is the nonprofit group’s second annual fundraising event with all proceeds benefiting The Pharmacy, which is in the process of applying for 501c3 status. Money raised will…
Ghost writers
Home of Edgar Lee Masters in Petersburg. PHOTO BY KENROSSALEX VIA WIKIPEDIA.ORG The only class of people less happy to confront dead writers than high school sophomores are probably mayors. Dead writers cause more trouble in their hometowns than even the most factious of them ever do when they are alive. Over in Petersburg, I…
Poll, speech heighten partisan divide
PHOTO BY ALAN SOLOMON/TNS A poll and a speech may have hardened positions even further on both sides of the highly partisan and bitter state government impasse. The speech, by Chicago Archbishop Blase Cupich, you likely already know about. The survey, taken by Gov. Bruce Rauner’s pollster, you probably don’t. So, let’s start with the…
Letters to the Editor 10/1/15
Local automotive dealer Todd Green has expressed an interest in purchasing Piper Glen, a financially troubled golf course in Chatham that was foreclosed on in August by Illinois National Bank. PHOTO BY BRUCE RUSHTON GREENING THE COURSEI live out at Piper Glen and was very thrilled that Walters Golf Management is now on site…
Film introduces new effort for race unity
How did the racial stereotypes that permeate our society come into being? What are the most effective ways to get beyond these stereotypes and build a society worthy of our national motto – E Pluribus Unum? Is our nation becoming more unified or polarized on issues of race? These are important questions that are addressed…
Wilkommen! Bier!
This Saturday, the Jacksonville Rotary Club’s annual Oktoberfest celebration celebrates a fifth year of fun, heritage and, of course, bier. Modeled after the 205-year-old Oktoberfest celebration of Munich, Germany, the event kicks off with a traditional Wilkommen (welcome) ceremony and Tapping of the Kegs at noon. The rest of day is jam-packed with entertainment. Enjoy…
New Salem at night
PHOTO BY NEW SALEM STATE HISTORIC SITE Enjoy the rich history of Lincoln’s New Salem State Historic Site during the annual Candlelit Walk Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, from 7-9 p.m. The village will be illuminated with campfires, fireplaces, lanterns and glow sticks during the only annual opportunity to see the historic village at night.…
Wed blanket
PHOTO COURTESY AMY ALKON Amy Alkon I’m very attracted to my co-worker – a self-described “happily married man.” We are “friends,” but he always has a warm hug, an interesting YouTube video or a poem or short story he’s written to share with me. He has taken me to lunch and has done work for…
Planes, trains and trucks
Illustration by David Hine. It all began with a napkin. The international food-processing company Archer Daniels Midland was paying $250 per shipping container to transfer its goods between two railroads in Decatur, and they were looking for a way to cut that cost. Scott Fredericksen, ADM’s president of transportation, and Mark Schweitzer, then the company’s…
Illinois Symphony’s Russian blockbuster
Alexander Toradze PHOTO COURTESY ILLINOIS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Maestro Alastair Willis will conclude his tenure as musical director of the Illinois Symphony Orchestra at the end of the 2015-2016 season. The infectiously energetic conductor has asked to be released from his five-year contract early to accommodate an increasingly demanding international performance schedule. But that doesn’t mean…
Illinois State Museum closes to public
Illinois State Museum PHOTO BY DAVID HINE The Illinois State Museum was scheduled to close to the public after Wednesday, but staff whose layoffs have been postponed by a lawsuit are still expected to work. The closure to the public is a prelude to closing the museum system entirely, a highly controversial move pursued by…
CWLP rate plan on fast track
PHOTO BY KURT STRAZDINS/TNS A City Water, Light and Power plan to restructure electrical rates is a recipe for wastefulness, critics say. The utility has proposed raising fixed meter charges while lowering usage rates as a means of stabilizing finances that can swing significantly with the weather. Residential meter charges would zoom from $5.76 per…
Suing the governor
Gov. Bruce Rauner PHOTO BY TERRENCE ANTONIO JAMES /TNS It’s a quote that can’t be repeated often enough as Gov. Bruce Rauner builds a reputation for secrecy at all costs – so long as he isn’t the one paying the bills. “I want to make Illinois government the most efficient, transparent (state government) in America,”…
JUST IN TIME FOR LGBT HISTORY MONTH
What do Leonardo da Vinci, Freda Kahlo and George Washington Carver have in common? All were either gay or bisexual, and the world would be a lesser place if they’d never lived. To honor them and dozens of other artists, intellects, academicians, politicians and others more famous for their accomplishments than their sexual orientation, the…
LAND FOR THE LAKE
Springfield’s decades-old proposal to build a second lake remains a distant prospect, but the city is moving ahead with land acquisitions nonetheless. On Aug. 18, the Springfield City Council approved the purchase of a plot of land owned by Carl Tega of Springfield. The land is on the projected shoreline of where Hunter Lake would…
Intern delivers exactly what you expect
Robert De Niro as Ben Whittaker and Anne Hathaway as Jules Ostin in The Intern. PHOTO COURTESY Warner Bros. Pictures I knew exactly what to expect with Nancy Myers’ The Intern and while there can be some comfort in having your expectations met (the idea they might be exceeded should never enter your mind with…
Blues, BBQ and other news
Blues Expressions plays the Old Capitol Blues & BBQ Festival in downtown Springfield on Sat., Oct. 3, 8:30 p.m. PHOTO BY PERFECT CONCEPT PHOTOGRAPHY Let’s enjoy our lovely October while we can, shall we? After last year’s blistering heat fest during the end of August, the Downtown Springfield, Inc. folks decided to bring the Old…
Jeff Cordes
Jeff Cordes With a winning smile and a pocketful of songs, Springfield-based singer-songwriter-entertainer Jeff Cordes brings on the music. Born in the capital city, raised in Lincoln and a graduate of Illinois College with a degree in philosophy, the introspective songsmith spent plenty of time elsewhere traveling and learning, but credits a mysterious “small town…
Editor’s note 10/1/15
It is a relief that Gov. Bruce Rauner has, at least for now, backed off from his bad decision to lay off the staff of the Illinois State Museum, but it’s crazy that he hasn’t backed off his bad decision to close the museum to the public. (See Patrick Yeagle’s report, “Illinois State Museum closes…
Bigger, better than before
PHOTO BY DAVID CAIN/UMEDIA There’s something for everyone at the 17th Annual Old Capitol Blues and BBQ Festival, hosted by Downtown Springfield Inc. The food lineup is mouthwatering, with vendors offering everything from ribs, pulled pork, brisket, chicken wings, potato salad, fried green tomatoes, BBQ nachos, kabobs, desserts and more. Winners of the BBQ competitions…
Crying Boehner
CARTOON BY CHRIS BRITT
Midwest supper clubs
Supper clubs. They’re a blast from the past that are struggling to compete with national chain restaurants even as they’re experiencing a renaissance with a resurgence of customers that love their retro-cool. They’re an iconic Midwestern tradition. Supper clubs share certain characteristics. However, each is uniquely individual, a reflection of its location, local owners’ taste…
Grassroots democracy building in Iowa
Jim Hightower PHOTO BY LARRY D. MOORE As Henrik Ibsen said: “You should never wear your best trousers when you go out to fight for freedom and truth.” Democracy is never given to us, but has to be won through constant struggle against the elites who keep scheming to siphon ever more of society’s money…
midaugust vermont poem
50 degrees when I swimthis early sunny mid 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
