Buzz about art
Buzz Spector Buzz Spector is a St. Louis-based visual artist, internationally recognized for his work in a wide range of mediums including sculpture, photography, printmaking, book arts and installation. Core themes in Spector’s work are the use of the book as subject and object and the relationships between public history, individual memory and perception. Spector is a…
Winner of $21 million verdict speaks out
Eight days after being hit in the head by an errant sliding door aboard a luxury cruise ship in 2011 and after suffering a seizure, James Hausman, owner of The Gold Center in Springfield, says a doctor at a San Diego hospital gave him instructions. Take it easy. Don’t do anything for six months. “The…
Local businessman awarded $21 million
James Hausman, owner of The Gold Center in Springfield, has been awarded $21 million by a federal jury in Seattle after suing a cruise ship line for injuries sustained when he was struck in the head by an errant automatic sliding door. Hausman, his wife Carol and their daughter were near the end of a…
“Burnt” Can’t Spice Up Familiar Recipe
Much like its main character, John Wells’ Burnt dares you to like it. Composed of familiar plot points and revolving around a truly unsympathetic character, this briskly paced film initially keeps the viewer off balance as it plunges into its examination of self-destructive behavior without a handshake or a “how do you do?” This is…
Questions that need asking
Horseshoe sandwiches have been in the news lately, which reminded me — would a kiddy shoe with fish be half-soled?
Let the Pilgrims land again
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin PHOTO BY HARRY E. WALKER /TNS The United States should accept 100,000 refugees from the ghastly violence in Syria, said U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin recently. More than half of that nation’s people have been driven from their homes and to date at least 250,000 have been killed – the equivalent of…
My pick for the next Speaker of the House
Jim Hightower PHOTO BY LARRY D. MOORE If it were under the big top, it would be a hilarious clown show – with pratfalls, wild posturing, tumbling, juggling and a cacophony of comic chaos. But alas, it’s under the Capitol dome, so it’s just the Republican congressional caucus – bumbling, stumbling and crashing into each…
Republicans ‘winning,’ according to Rauner
PHOTO BY ALAN SOLOMON/TNS Gov. Bruce Rauner took it on the chin for several days in a row this month. The Paul Simon Public Policy Institute’s recent poll of southern Illinoisans showed Rauner’s approval rating absolutely tanking in a region he swept last year. Just 37 percent of voters in 18 southern counties approved of…
Letters to the Editor 10/29/15
PICKING ON POLICE I am a resident, taxpayer and voter for the city of Springfield. I noticed that Britt likes to take cheap shots at the public safety folks (“Cartoon,” Chris Britt, Oct. 15). Where are the librarians, public works, CWLP employees… ? I am beginning to wonder why Britt always singles them out. Did…
Editor’s note 10/29/15
In a day when politicians and officeholders are often scorned, it was good to see the outpouring of honor and respect for Ossie Langfelder, the former mayor, at his funeral. Now political experience is considered a negative by many voters; Langfelder rose through the ranks before becoming mayor. Today’s politicians dust off dubious religion credentials…
Before reform, the legislature worked
“Three for me says Allen T.” That mantra guided Democratic voters in Sangamon and Menard Counties as they cast their votes for state representative in the ’50s and ’60s. And the man jokingly quoted, Allen T. Lucas, spent many years in the Illinois House of Representatives because his fellow Democrats usually marked their ballots to…
Halloween at the Hoogland
PHOTO BY METRO CREATIVE CONNECTION Here’s a Halloween party the whole family can enjoy: The Halloween Family Carnival, hosted by the Hoogland Kids, Teens and Juniors. The carnival features booths complete with candy and prizes, your favorite Halloween songs as performed by the Hoogland Kids, Teens and Juniors, a “not-so-scary” haunted house designed to appeal…
A Hallows Eve double feature
This Saturday, join the Boo Crew Haunted House crew at the Prairie Capital Convention Center’s Bank of Springfield plaza for an unforgettable evening combining film, fun and food. Bring your chairs and blankets (no outside coolers) and enjoy two terrifying films outdoors on the big screen: the original Friday the 13th and Zombieland. Both films…
A spooky, sensory performance
This Halloween, experience a spooky, sensory concert performed by Christopher Holman on the First Presbyterian Church’s Brombaugh Pipe Organ. Musical selections include “Toccata in D-Minor” by J.S. Bach, pieces by composers Dieterich Buxtehude, César Franck and more. Other musical guests include a string ensemble and organist from the Illinois Symphony. Dramatic lighting and interpretative movement…
The alone ranger
PHOTO COURTESY AMY ALKON Amy Alkon Sometimes when my boyfriend is upset he wants comforting, just like I would. He’ll vent or lay his head in my lap, and I stroke his hair. But sometimes he just sits on the couch and says nothing. How do I know what he needs, and how do I…
Stories of people on the margins getting by
On the Rez and Other Stories by Barbara Wyatt Olson. AuthorHouse Publishing, 2015. Springfield author Barbara Wyatt Olson has completed her first short fiction collection. On the Rez and Other Stories is an anthology populated with ordinary people whose struggles stay with you long after you’ve finished reading about them. Previous to this latest work,…
CHECK THE CLOSET
On Oct. 19, we made a simple records request: What is Gov. Bruce Rauner’s email address? Instead of revealing how folks might reach His Raunerness, the governor’s staff this week told Illinois Times that the governor needs an additional five business days to disclose the governor’s email address. The state Freedom of Information Act, after…
A VICIOUS YARN ATTACK
An unscrupulous band of thugs has attacked Springfield with a most cruel and barbarous weapon: yarn. Their first vicious attack can be witnessed where the 600 block of Myrtle Street meets South Sixth Street, just south of Laurel Avenue. There, a utility pole has been ensnared in a brightly colored web of crocheted destruction. It’s…
Kasbah fails to rock
Bill Murray in Rock the Kasbah. PHOTO COURTESY OPEN ROAD FILMS It’s never a good sign when, while watching a movie, your mind becomes preoccupied with questions like “I wonder at what point in the production process this went wrong?” and “Didn’t they realize they were making a colossal turd?” or “Do I need to…
Happy Halloweeners
The Screamin Vatos play their final gig with a reunion celebration at the Curve Inn on Friday, Oct. 30, 6 to 10 p.m. Always a big night for music, Halloween weekend 2015 seems extra special as All Hallow’s Eve lands on a Saturday. There will be plenty of parties, costumes, prizes, music and merrymaking in…
A Thousand Horses
A real rock-country music band that’s having chart success while claiming influences from a “hybrid of English rock, country, American rock, soul and blues.” Michael Hobby (lead vocals), Bill Satcher (lead guitar), Zach Brown (guitar, vocals) and Graham Deloach (bass, vocals) hail from South Carolina and came together as a group in 2010. Now based…
BEST LOCAL BEAUTY, HEALTH & FITNESS
BEST CROSSFIT GYMCapital City CrossFit1615 W. Jefferson, 726-3817On its Facebook page, the sole self-description of Capital City CrossFit (C3 to its friends) is “forging elite fitness.” While CrossFit is a proprietary brand (read: franchise) of “physical exercise, philosophy and competitive fitness sport” (Wikipedia), not all CrossFit gyms are created equal. “C3 has done what no…
BEST PLACES TO SHOP LOCAL
BEST BANKUnited Community Bank1900 West Iles Ave., 787-3000700 Stevenson Drive, 529-3000617 Bruns Lane, 787-3001A bank is a bank is a bank is a bank, right? Wrong. United Community Bank, as the name implies, really is a community bank, and they prove it with the number of branches in communities throughout central Illinois. There are more…
BEST LOCAL PEOPLE AND PLACES
BEST APARTMENT COMMUNITYLake Pointe Apartments1600 S. Toronto Road, 529-2900It’s sometimes difficult for renters to feel like they’re truly part of a community because they don’t own the place they live, and it’s often only a matter of time before they move again. The key to any community, however, is relationships. Voters chose Lake Pointe Apartments…
Was the State Fair illegal?
Fallout Boy got paid. So did Styx. So did The Fray and all of the other artists who performed at the Grandstand during the Illinois State Fair this year. How did that happen when Illinois isn’t paying social service providers for important functions like mental health treatment? The Illinois Department of Agriculture simply says the…
BEST LOCAL KIDS STUFF
BEST CHILDREN’S DANCE SCHOOLDance Creations Dance Studio1401 E. Cottonwood St., 529-TUTUDance Creations Dance Studio is a family-oriented dance studio offering a diverse menu of classes for all ages. Class options range from ballet, point, jazz, tap, hip-hop, lyrical dance, creative movement, move and groove, fitness, music classes, gymnastics and more. The studio also offers birthday…
Sheriff plans appeal
PHOTO BY PATRICK YEAGLE A confessed thief will remain off the force despite an arbitator’s ruling that she must be reinstated to her job as a Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy. In addition to reinstatement, Sherry Waldron, who pleaded guilty to shoplifting in 2013 shortly after being acquitted of theft charges for taking plants from a…
BEST LOCAL MUSIC & ENTERTAINMENT
BEST LIVE MUSIC VENUE (SMALL)BEST PLACE TO DANCEBoondocksSince not-so-humble beginnings in 2013, this popular venue continues to pack ’em in, concentrating on touring, contemporary country bands, often on the national music charts, to draw a crowd. The North Dirksen Parkway showplace once was a popular late night dance club, perhaps the reason folks claim it…
BEST LOCAL FOOD
BEST BAKERYBEST WEDDING CAKESIncredibly Delicious925 South Seventh St., 528-8548You no longer have to go to St. Louis or Chicago for good pastries and bread, and this year’s winner, Incredibly Delicious, is one of the main reasons why. The “all butter” handmade croissants (available in plain, raspberry, chocolate and almond cream) are melt-in-your-mouth delicious and the…
BEST LOCAL BARS AND NIGHTLIFE
BEST BLOODY MARYJP Kelly’s300 E. Adams St., 753-7933What goes into making a good Bloody Mary? JP Kelly’s likes to leave that up to the customer, which is surely one of the reasons they scored high marks in this category with our voters. A wide variety of choices are offered to Bloody Mary enthusiasts, which they…
Suing over pensions
Mayor Jim Langfelder With tens of millions of public dollars at stake, unions representing city of Springfield employees have sued the city seeking to overturn a city council decision ending a pension-fattening perk that municipal officials say is unique to the capital city. Since 2003, city workers have been allowed to accumulate, then cash out,…
flower poem # 2
flower poem # 2 tulip bulbs have comeit’s soon time to plant themheard a story once about aperson horticulturally challengedplanted her bulbs upside downthe tulips finally came up in julytheir stems all sinewy evidenceof their frantic effort I was alwaysas a child given a tulip on myearly may birthday one year Ithink I was three…
Slow Food Springfield St. Louis brewery tour
A batch of Pale Ale rolls off the line at the Schlafly Bottleworks brewery in Maplewood, MO. PHOTO BY HUY RICHARD MACH/TNS For as long as I can remember, St. Louis has been a beer town. And for most of that time, St. Louis was a one-brewery town. Anheuser-Busch ruled the roost; even sighting a…
