Pumpkin fever hits hard
America has been a bit obsessed with all things pumpkin since Starbucks debuted their Pumpkin Spice latte in 2003. Since then pumpkin spice flavor has found its way into everything from beer to Cheerios to flavored oatmeal. I too find myself getting swept up in the moment. This past weekend nothing was going to stand…
A little knowledge . . . . No. 9 in a series
The Paul Simon Public Policy Institute down Carbondale way continues to bravely explore the treacherous pathways of public opinion in Illinois. Among the 1,000 Illinois registered voters surveyed in a recent poll, 57 percent said they have at least a somewhat favorable view of labor unions. Those same people said they favored anti-union right-to-work or…
Where the redbuds are always in bloom
If its citizens struggle to see anything new in a landscape with which they have become too familiar, what is the poor landscape photographer to do? In Larry Kanfer’s case, he does nothing much at all, to judge from the evidence of his new collection of Midwestern landscape photographs, A Prairie State of Mind, from…
‘Our Revolution’ is on the move
Revolutions R Us! From the big one in 1776 that created our nation to Bernie Sanders’ 2016 political uprising against America’s new plutocratic elites, democratic change comes when workaday people start standing up to the bosses, bankers, big shots, bastards and BSers who are knocking us down. But wait, you say, Bernie lost. Where’s the…
If it ain’t broke…
A harsh new TV ad slams Rep. John Bradley (D-Marion) for supporting a convicted sex offender. It’s described by the Republicans as a form of payback for all the sex offender-related ads that the House Democrats have been using against Republicans this year and in years past. The ad begins with footage of a Chicago…
Letters to the Editor 10/13/16
THE ACTION OPTIONWhen she was unhappy with the outcome of an election my mother would harrumph “we get the politicians we deserve.” I think the truth Mom pointed to was this: our politicians are a symptom, not the disease that afflicts all of us. It is time for us to seek a cure together,…
Editor’s note 10/13/16
Americans discouraged by the presidential campaign should read President Barack Obama’s essay, “The way ahead,” in the latest issue of The Economist. “Why have some on the far left and even more on the rar right embraced a crude populism that promises a return to a past that is not possible to restore – and…
YWCA block: Are we looking for an answer?
Once again, the city of Springfield is planning to demolish the old YWCA building to get the site ready for some potential new development. I questioned the validity of the city’s previous efforts on this topic in a citizen editorial in the State Journal-Register last January. Since then, the city has received a development proposal…
Lincoln’s first film festival
Don’t miss the inaugural Lincoln Film Festival, the brainchild of co-founders Brenda Chapman, Oscar-winning director of Disney’s Brave, and David Lanternman, owner of the Lincoln Grand 8 Theatre. The fun kicks off Friday evening with a Grand Opening Gala. The gala features spirits and hors d’oeuvres along with a screening of Steven King’s Lincoln followed…
An aca-perfect concert
Artistic producer Deke Sharon, best known for his vocal direction on Pitch Perfect and Pitch Perfect 2 as well as his work on NBC’s hit a capella singing competition “The Sing Off” is hailed as “the father of contemporary a capella,” according to Entertainment Weekly. Catch the live concert experience curated by Deke, Vocalosity, on…
Pumpkin party
Show your support for the Thomas Rees Memorial Carillon and the Washington Park Botanical Gardens by attending the 2016 Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular. The annual pumpkin party showcases the 2,016 Jack-O-Lanterns that were carved in Washington Park the weekend prior. Admission is $7 for adults, $5 for children ages 4-11, and free to ages 3 and under.…
Wealth care crisis
A female friend of mine just broke up with her billionaire boyfriend. She told me she wasn’t happy. The guy is super picky about whether you put things back in exactly the right spot and doesn’t have the greatest sense of humor. Still, I think she’s making the biggest mistake of her life. Doesn’t she…
Here’s to you
This is not – repeat, not – a scientific exercise. Professional beer judges will, and do, say that discretion and restraint are necessary to properly judge ales, lagers, porters and so forth. They eschew mixing and matching: Today, we will sample only pale ales, tomorrow it will be stout. Nothing more substantive than unsalted water…
When Joseph Smith stood trial in Springfield
On Jan. 4, 1843, a throng of curious spectators packed the federal courtroom on the second floor of the Tinsley building in Springfield. Dozens of people – reportedly including newlywed Mary Lincoln – had turned out to catch a glimpse of the man at the center of the trial that day: Joseph Smith, the handsome,…
Feds say state home care rule may violate law
Tim Summer of Peoria doesn’t want a vacation from his son. Summer cares for his 22-year-old son, Seaver, who requires constant supervision because of his severe disabilities. That means Summer doesn’t get a break, but he doesn’t care. So when the Illinois Department of Human Services told Summer and thousands of other home care workers…
Springfield nursing home sued
A Springfield nursing home with a history of problems is facing a six-figure fine from the government and a lawsuit from the widow of a man who died after being thrown from a van’s faulty wheelchair lift. After sustaining a broken neck when his wheelchair was catapulted from the lift at Lewis Memorial Christian Village…
A case of misdirected mail
A candidate for Sangamon County circuit court judge has been accused of concealing a bankruptcy petition from a Springfield business owner. Ryan Bandy, owner of the Station House bar in downtown Springfield, says that his business and legal affairs would have gone more smoothly if he had known that a former business partner had declared…
EMMY FOR WSEC
A program produced in Springfield recently won a regional Emmy award. Mark McDonald produces Cardia, which explores issues of heart health facing both patients and doctors. The program on WSEC/PBS Springfield and Jacksonville has run for 15 years. At the NATAS Mid-America Emmy Awards in Branson, Missouri, on Sept. 30, McDonald and Dr. Gregory Mishkel…
CONTRACT, PLEASE
While officials with the state and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the biggest union of state employees, hurl accusations and insults at each other while contract negotiations go nowhere, the faculty at the University of Illinois Springfield have taken a less verbose approach as they attempt to get a labor contract…
Girl a bit too clever for its own good
Some movies make their intentions known from the start. Tate Taylor’s The Girl on the Train certainly falls in that category, as it sets out to keep the viewer back on its heels throughout most of its running time. That the film is based on a best-seller only complicates things for the director and screenwriter…
Open mics and stages
Take a look at all the good stuff going on around town in our Pub Crawl and calendar listings! It’s a dare to the senses to try and experience all the happenings. So instead of diving into all that, we are veering off to investigate some open mics and stages this week. For all the…
The Black Lillies
Roaring out of Knoxville, Tenn., in 2009, this award-winning, Americana-styled, country-flavored, sweet-rockin’ band hit the road hard, including shows at Bonnaroo, Ryman Auditorium, Grand Ole Opry and Four Corners Folk Festival. From the first record produced in his living room, founding member Cruz Contreras, the main songwriter and studio producer of the group, has kept…
Dim sum debacle
If you ever get into a food discussion with my children, ask them to tell you about the time their mother (and longtime Illinois Times food writer) Julianne took them to a dim sum restaurant and watch them roll their eyes. Years ago, my family had driven me up to O’Hare International Airport so I…
entertainment poem #4
now that I’m stented I use thetreadmill at the Y there are twoscreens to alleviate boredom oneatop the other today I could choosebetween walking in new zealandmassive rock formations pondsbosky dells or viewing a cop andscientist scooping half eaten bodyparts yes human from galvanizedtroughs of watery slop for hungrypigs (they must have been shooedaway their…
