A haunted outdoor attraction
2017 marks 25 years of haunting for Terror on the Square, and they have truly outdone themselves with Terror in the Graveyard, their most intense show yet! Located just one mile north of Petersburg, at the Menard County Fairgrounds, Terror in the Graveyard is a haunted outdoor attraction where attendees stroll through an abandoned cemetery…
City set to close Third Street rail crossings
Springfield will take a step toward becoming a quieter place as the city gets set to close railroad crossings at five intersections on Third Street. The Illinois Commerce Commission has approved the closures, Ward 2 Ald. Herman Senor announced Thursday at a ward meeting in Central Baptist Church. Public works director Mark Mahoney said the…
Police union prevails on residency question
A panel of arbitrators has decided to side with the Springfield police union over the question of a residency requirement for city police officers. A written decision has not yet been issued, but multiple sources have told Illinois Times that the city did not prevail in its quest to require police officers to live within…
Lincoln wins again
Abraham LIncoln has long engaged our historians and public intellectuals. Of late he has stimulated our artists as well. The winner of the 2017 Man Booker Prize for Fiction, Britain’s most prestigious, was Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders, which imaginatively recreates the night the grief-stricken president visited the crypt holding his beloved 11-year-old…
Chan, Brosnan Drive Smart “Foreigner”
There’s no question that Jackie Chan has lost a step or three. Yet, he’s able to do things no normal 63 year-old man should. You need no computer-generated effects in a Jackie Chan movie. He’s his own special effect. None of the scenes from his latest, The Foreigner, will make the actor’s highlight reel, as…
What Columbus Day means to us
In my youth, Springfield’s Roman Cultural Society held an essay contest every year in which grade school kids were invited to address the topic, “What Columbus Day Means To Me.” I never entered then – I hadn’t yet learned how to spell “imperialist exploitation” – so here is my essay, 50 years late. Illinois and…
We are Luddites
Today’s proliferation of industrial robots is an advanced generation of powerful, autonomous machines driven by artificial intelligence. The profiteers and techies propelling us into the deep unknown of a robot economy concede that the fast-evolving machines will be radically disruptive, not just in the workplace, but throughout society. Those who question the establishment’s mantra…
What goes around, comes around
Last week, Gov. Bruce Rauner’s campaign fund transferred $4.45 million to the Illinois Republican Party to bankroll a new effort to focus voters’ attention on House Speaker Michael Madigan. The state party unveiled its “2018 Madigan Retirement Plan,” which it claimed was designed to “specifically target members of the Illinois House and Senate who empower…
Letters to the editor 10/19/17
TAKING A TOLL ON ME On July 27, I didn’t have the necessary change for tolls, but knew I could pay for them online. Law requires payment of tolls within seven days. After checking online for several days, I was finally able to pay my toll charges that were posted on Aug. 2. This past…
Editor’s Note 10/19/17
It’s fun for a reporter to catch a candidate early in her political career, while she’s still feeling her way, wanting to say the right thing and not offend, while still conveying that she has substance. This week’s cover story by veteran journalist Scott Reeder is one of the first in-depth profiles of Erika Harold,…
What went wrong in Vietnam?
The opening statement in the Burns-Novick TV documentary series is accurate. The U.S. was overconfident, its policy was based on a fateful misunderstanding of the Vietnam conflict and the U.S. found it easier to muddle on than to face the truth that it was unwinnable. This 10-episode story of the Vietnam War shown recently on…
Pinky and his martini came to Springfield 45 years ago
Pinky, the glasses-wearing, martini-drinking, giant pink elephant on wheels, is celebrating his 45th year of residence here in Springfield. “It’s really kind of a crazy story,” said the elephant’s owner, Doug Kent. The story, Kent goes on to tell, began around 1972 with his father, Bob Kent Sr., a well-known businessman and Shriners Club member…
HOLIDAY HAPPENINGS | Seriously scary
The Boo Crew Haunted House ranks on many lists as one of the scariest haunted houses in Illinois. On Saturday, Oct. 21, from 3-6 p.m., the Boo Crew Haunted House will host a children’s matinee where attendees can tour a scaled-back, less-intimidating version of the high-tech haunt where lights will be off, no scare-actors will…
While you were sweeping
My boyfriend unplugs my laptop when it’s charging and plugs the charger into his, despite knowing that I need my computer charged for work. This is actually part of a pattern – a general lack of consideration, from constantly being late to always leaving messes for me to clean up to knocking the shower door…
The GOP’s fresh face
It’s not unusual for Illinois politicians to end up in prison, but usually it happens after they are elected, not before. For Erika Harold, the only Republican running for Illinois attorney general, prison is a place she visits often as part of her ministry with Prison Fellowship. With last month’s surprise announcement by Attorney General…
HOLIDAY HAPPENINGS | Costumes, candy and creatures
Don’t miss Zoolie Ghoulie, an annual trick-or-treating event hosted by the Springfield Park District at Henson Robinson Zoo. The fun spans three days, from 4-8 p.m. Friday and 1-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. This special Halloween happening costs $4 per attendee and includes your zoo visit plus trick-or-treating and other festive activities. Costume contests will…
Brave an unexpectedly powerful testament to heroism
On June 28, 2013, a lightning strike occurred outside Yarnell, Arizona. Unfortunately, conditions were perfect for the fire to spread rapidly, which it did, threatening the town nearby. Highways were shut down, citizens were evacuated, and extra men were brought in to help contain the disaster. Among them was the Granite Mountain Hotshots based out…
Emotional music gamut
This week we have sad news, happy times, good benefits, and, apparently, lovely weather to top off an odd and peculiar few weeks of early autumn. Our hearts go out to the family of guitarist Alex Borisov, who passed away unexpectedly last week. A kind soul and a soulful musician through the years, Alex has…
BAND SPOTLIGHT | Jacob Lyda
An accomplished and successful Nashville songwriter, Jacob Lyda has had cuts by artists such as Blake Shelton (“Doin’ it to Country Songs,” 2016) and Uncle Si from “Duck Dynasty.” The Stevenson, Alabama, native came on strong with a solo career in the late 90s, spending quite a bit of time playing in Europe. He took…
londonpoem #2
londonpoem #2 with my sister or my cousin or myselfI have wandered through a number offamous galleries louvre uffizzi hermitagevatican viewed medieval and renaissancepaintings galore noted the favorite pinupof the times the blue robed gentle motherand her naked chubby child sometimessaint john is alongside being babysatI think I wrote about it once washday ingalilee the…
Giving eggs their due
Eggs have had a tumultuous history in American cuisine. Much maligned in years past by well-meaning health professionals due to their high cholesterol content, eggs are now making a comeback. For years, we were warned against eating foods like eggs that are rich in cholesterol. Now, a large body of research is showing that dietary…
