Burglary ring busted, but some escape punishment
A local burglary ring responsible for numerous break-ins during the past several months has been busted, but several people implicated in the crimes remain free. On July 23, the Springfield Police Department announced the arrest of five young men who were allegedly responsible for around 100 instances of theft from homes and cars in Springfield…
Best of Springfield 2010
Food and dining May we serve you? Arts and entertainment People and places Biz Bests Off the grid
Onion soup gratinée (French onion soup)
Most recipes for this classic use beef stock or broth. This version, however, uses only water – the intense flavor of the caramelized onions provides more than enough depth of flavor for vegetarians and meat-eaters alike. And it comes from a genuine French cook, a professor of French literature at the University of Illinois, U-C.…
To sweet or not to sweet?
Q. It seems like you always say to not use super-sweet onions in your recipes. Do you just not like them, or is there another reason? -Joyce C. Actually, I like super-sweet onions such as Vidalias, Mauis, or Walla Wallas a lot. They’re perfect for salads, sliced or chopped for sandwiches – in any preparation…
Green is as green does
A while back I remarked that Mayor Tim Davlin has his work cut out for him if he wants to see Springfield ranked as the top environmental city in the U.S. (“Greener than thou,” Sept. 16) Installing LED traffic lights reduces a municipal energy budget the way that ordering a Diet Coke with your double…
Springfield’s Mature Mob is back
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that members of The Mature Mob – Springfield’s over 50 singing and dancing troupe – are a little more “hip” than average senior citizens. The unpaid group whose annual production benefits Senior Services of Central Illinois (SSOCI) is now in its 19th year. Randy Roller, who co-directs this year’s…
Documentary targets toxic chemicals
Biologist Dr. Sandra Steingraber describes her 1997 book, Living Downstream, as a sort of love story between her and Pekin, the place she grew up and where she lived when she learned in her early 20s that she had bladder cancer. The book, throughout which Steingraber threads her personal story, examines evidence linking cancer to…
Conflicting stories in fight with county board member
A recent fight involving a county board member at Grand Valley Village in Springfield left one young man hospitalized and in police custody, but the youth’s parents say the police got the story wrong. On Oct. 10, Sangamon County Board member William “Bill” Moss, a Republican, got into a fight with a 16-year-old Grand Valley…
Keyboard classics
Organist Timothy Spelbring plays Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, Webber’s Phantom of the Opera overture and other pieces that lend a seasonal spice to the evening. Spelbring is an accomplished organist and doctoral candidate in organ performance at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He is also a Yale School of Music and…
Voters to decide on sales tax for schools
If voters next week approve a referendum raising Sangamon County’s sales tax rate from 8 percent to a maximum of 9 percent, it would reaffirm a philosophical shift in school funding already begun by the Illinois state legislature, says David Root, superintendent of Williamsville schools. Without sales tax revenue, school funding in Illinois is based…
Food and dining
BEST OUTDOOR DININGPanera3019 S. Dirksen Pkwy., 529-6200 3101 W. White Oaks Dr., 726-5070With more than a handful of restaurants offering outdoor dining experiences, we were initially a bit surprised to see Panera Bread come out on top. Then we took a drive to the Dirksen store and immediately agreed with our voters. In the middle…
May we serve you?
Brewhaus617 E. Washington St., 525-6399 BEST BARTENDERBrewhaus owner Mike Parkes, a perennial favorite in the best bartender category, seems to have trained his bar staff well. This count boiled down to a contest about which Brewhaus bartender would get the most votes and collectively the crew raced far ahead of the nearest competition, so we…
Creamy five lilies soup
Here’s a creamy soup that delivers a rich satisfying mouth feel without any cream. Onions are members of the lily family, which gives the soup its name. It can be made up to several days ahead. 4 c. sliced yellow or white onions, NOT super-sweet 1/2 c. sliced shallots 12 cloves garlic, sliced 6 T.…
Off the grid
More than 2,300 individuals participated in this year’s BEST OF survey, significantly more than in any prior year. We hope some of that interest came from a desire to answer the few curve-ball questions we added in the “off the grid” category. We were hoping to dig a little deeper into the psyche of the…
Biz Bests
BEST BANK OR CREDIT UNIONHeartland Credit Union2213 W. White Oaks Drive, 726-8877720 S. Grand Ave. West, 726-88772717 Sangamon Ave., 726-8877701 N. First St., Room C18, 726-8877Bank like you own the place? OK, will do, our Best of Springfield voters said in picking their favorite financial institution, Heartland Credit Union. Like the rest of the top…
Hereafter a profound meditation on death and life
Pensive, thoughtful and moving, Clint Eastwood’s Hereafter is a meditation on the unknown and a fervent declaration of hope. Telling three stories that ultimately converge, the film seeks to examine not so much what we think might happen after we die but rather the sense of blind faith we adhere to in order to live.…
Every month is Breast Cancer Awareness month
Each year approximately 180,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States and 40,000 women die as a result of their illness. In Illinois, nearly 10,000 cases of breast cancer are diagnosed annually. Virtually everyone has been touched in some way by breast cancer – whether it’s a mother, sister or friend. Thousands…
Bilingual book
UIS Associate Professor of Liberal and Integrative Studies, Rosina Neginsky introduces her newest book of poetry, Juggler, to the Springfield community via a performance of readings from the publication with the assistance of UIS Assistant Professor of Theatre Missy Thibodeaux-Thompson. The book is translated in both English and Russian. A reception and book signing follow…
After the bloodbath, who will pull us together?
I joked to a Democrat last week that I seriously doubted state Rep. Kevin McCarthy (D-Orland Park) would ever vote for a legislative pay raise again after getting whacked so hard by the Republicans for his pay hike votes this fall. McCarthy has been brutalized for those votes and he’s had to work harder on…
Tasty treats
City of Springfield trick-or-treat hours are 4:30-8 p.m. on Oct. 31, but there’s more Halloween fun for kids before this date. The Lincoln Home offers free Safe Trick-or-Treat on Friday, Oct. 29, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 30, head downtown at 10 a.m. to the Farmers Market where moms.org holds a Halloween at the Market…
ROCKET TRIKE STOPS IN SPRINGFIELD
Solar panels and pedal power are all one man needs in his latest effort to change the way the U.S. gets its energy. Tom Weis, an activist and former wind energy consultant, stopped his “rocket trike” in Springfield for a day this week on a ride from Boulder, Colo., to Washington, D.C. Weis is collecting…
Bluesmattic
Established as one of the finest pure blues bands in central Illinois, Bluesmattic built a reputation by persevering through fine playing and good performing. The rocking blues trio of Robert Beam (guitar), Greg Campbell (bass) and Scott Henrikson (drums) began as a unit in 2006 combining decades of previous experience from different areas. Beam came…
Halloween happening here
Knock knock.Who’s there? Boo!! Boo!! Who?Don’t start crying, Halloween is here. The most glorious, ridiculous, fabulous, guilt-free, inspiring, creative, fun holiday we offer in modern American society comes to town this weekend. With the actual date of Oct. 31 falling on Sunday those of bar-going age get a Saturday night to party on, while an…
Corporate Corruptistan
The teabag forces are out front in today’s politics, noisily trying to oust Democrats and install a new Congress that they think will end “business-as-usual” in Washington. Nice political rhetoric, but peek behind the curtain. While the rise of the tea parties was fueled by the legitimate fury of thousands of outsiders, the rank-and-file troops…
Monster-size musical
Dress in costume, buy a $5 prop bag from the folks at the Hoogland, and you’re set to be bedazzled and entertained past your wildest dreams by ADHD Productions’ Rocky Horror Show, the popular, interactive cult classic rock musical. Ralph Shank (pictured) plays the Transylvanian transvestite, Frank, while Katie Rasmussen and Patrick Russell take on…
Tall Dark Stranger is vintage Woody Allen
If you were to say that Woody Allen is in a rut, it would seem that the facts are on your side. For more than 30 years his films have explored not only the dynamics of romantic relationships but also our tendency towards self-destructive behavior and how ultimately we are nothing but fate’s playthings. However,…
Letters to the Editor 10/28/10
SPRINGFIELD’S FUTURE Your article on Sen. Bill Brady [see “The cost of Brady’s plan,” by Patrick Yeagle, Oct. 28] hammers at budget cuts Springfield might suffer if he is elected. The budget is out of control, period. Illinois, including Springfield, needs to cut its budget like families and businesses do when money is scarce. I…
POSITIVE PAINTING
Until earlier this month, when passersby looked up at the overpass on Dodge Street between Third and Fourth streets, the message they saw was quite the downer. The words “trash can” were written across the overpass in black spray paint. A simple fix, however, is now in place after Enos Park Neighborhood Improvement Association member…
Arts and entertainment
BEST DOWNTOWN FESTIVALOld Capitol Blues and BBQs5th and Washington streetsAnn Frescura, Downtown Springfield, Inc.’s promotion and event director believes changes introduced to the sixth annual event, held Aug. 28, contributed to its popularity. “It has grown leaps and bounds over the years, thanks in part to its location,” she said. “We were off to a…
People and places
BEST REAL-LIFE SUPERHEROTracey Sims – TurnOut Movement Art Studio6100 S Second St., Suite C, 816-3888It’s no surprise that voters named Abe Lincoln “best real-life superhero” in this year’s poll. We get it; Lincoln was pretty great. After Abe, voters chose “military men and women” as the next-best real-life superheroes, but that’s not exclusive to Springfield.…
