Low prices, but be careful
PHOTO BY BRUCE RUSHTON Walmart needs to address accidents at the intersection of Sam’s Place and North Dirksen Parkway, near the Walmart store in northeast Springfield, says a lawyer who is suing the company for wrongful death. “You have a duty, when your invitees are, again and again, involved in or causing accidents, to do…
Tonight: Matt Rasmussen
Poet Matt Rasmussen will read tonight at 7 p.m. in the Lincoln Residence Hall Great Room at UIS. His poetry collection, Black Aperture, was selected by Jane Hirshfield as the winner of the 2012 Walt Whitman Award from the Academy of American Poets and was published by Louisiana State University Press in May 2013.
‘Green’ moves beyond recycling
Forget about recycling for a minute. Being “green” is more than just keeping glass out of the landfill. That was one message of the 10th Annual Green Symposium, a conference held in Springfield last week to promote sustainable business practices. Hosted by the American Institute of Architects and Resource One office furnishings of Springfield, speakers…
Howard fires on all cylinders with impressive Rush
Chris Hemsworth as James Hunt and Daniel Bruhl as Niki Lauda in Rush. PHOTO COURTESY UNIVERSAL PICTURES Who could have predicted that the director of Grand Theft Auto (1977) would one day be at the helm of the greatest auto racing film ever made? Ron Howard, who cut his teeth on low-budget flicks like Auto…
CANCER KILLERS
A new treatment for kidney cancer may someday come from research being done right now in Springfield. Dr. Andrew Wilber, a research scientist and assistant professor at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine in Springfield, last week received a three-year federal grant of $375,180 from the National Cancer Institute to study natural “killer cells” in…
Sally paints by music
Sally Weisenberg poses with a painting (and a pond) for her art show opening reception Sat., Oct. 5, 6 to 8 p.m. at Prairie House Custom Frames and Gallery. PHOTO COURTESY SALLY WEISENBERG Say, “Sally Weisenburg” to a local music friend, fiend or fan and I can nearly guarantee an excited reaction commenting on her…
HAIL OCTOBER: IT’S SAUSAGE TIME
Just in time for the World Series and a government shutdown comes National Sausage Month, a cherished time of year in capital cities across the land where legislators, like so many sausage makers, create things billed as pure and good for you, no matter how distasteful the process. The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council,…
Letters to the Editor 10/3/13
Though the plans for Springfield’s railroad consolidation on the 10th Street corridor are set, funding is still uncertain and the community is still divided. PHOTO BY PATRICK YEAGLE MOVE THAT TRAIN Read “Engineered to succeed” by Patrick Yeagle (Sept. 26). The only problem, no funding. Hanson has cashed their check. You see Hanson knows…
Jujobee café
Tuyen and Hau Nguyen have brought authentic Vietnamese banh mi to Springfield. PHOTO BY JOE COPLEY It’s taking America by storm. The banh mi, essentially a Vietnamese submarine, inspires articles like “Are banh mi becoming America’s favorite sandwich?” in major food publications. The New York Times prints a piece rating NYC’s best banh mi shops…
Rodney Davis warns of disaster
13th District congressman Rodney Davis. PHOTO COURTESY US GOVERNMENT Usually, when I read Mad-Hatteresque pronouncements from members of the Republican caucus of the U.S. House, I am reminded of the works of Lewis Carroll. Reading the remarks by 13th District congressman Rodney Davis during his recent campaign announcement tour, I thought instead of James Fenimore…
Fictional familiar territory
Identical, by Scott Turow, Grand Central Publishing. $16.80. Chicago attorney Scott Turow strives to be an intellectual cut above his fellow courtroom fiction writers. His nine best-selling fiction novels have a literary quality that is lacking in many novels of this genre. The level of writing is not surprising given Turow’s continued practice of law…
Cloudy 2 an undercooked concoction
After being pleasantly surprised with 2009’s Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, I was hoping that the same sense of invention and humor that made the first entry in this series so charming, would be present in the follow-up. Alas, it was not to be. This undercooked sequel plays like a cake that hasn’t been…
Rolling on the river
PHOTO BY DAN WILLIAMS Abe’s River Race, an American Canoe Association sanctioned six-mile canoe and kayak race put on by Lincoln Heritage Water Trail Association, will be held on Saturday, Oct. 5, on the Sangamon River in Menard County. Racing and recreational canoe and kayak divisions will leave from Gudeel Bridge Road and end at…
Employers bullish on economy
Employers at a Springfield job fair last week tried to fill hundreds of jobs, showing cautious optimism that the economy will continue its slow recovery. More than 30 businesses – some of them recruiting workers for other companies – attended the Job and Career Fair held Sept. 25 at the Crowne Plaza hotel by the…
suicide poem number what
suicide poem number what well it’s three years today sinceshe chose to leave us I shouldn’tfeel any different today since Ithink about her every day butsomehow your bones remind youmore strongly. I guess I have somethings to be thankful for that shedidn’t take a messy way out withshotgun or fatal jump an overdose anddrowning is…
News Quirks 10/3/13
Curses, foiled againNew Zealand authorities nabbed a Vietnamese man at the Auckland airport trying to smuggle tropical fish into the country after they noticed his bulging pants pockets were leaking. Ministry of Primary Industries official Craig Hughes said the man explained that he was carrying water from the plane because he was thirsty, but subsequent…
Office despot
I just started a new job. My boss and I were having a meeting, and he started asking me about my personal life – whether I have a boyfriend, who I live with. No biggie. He then began grilling me as to why I don’t have a boyfriend and whether I’ve ever had one. I…
‘Trading Places,’ the Illinois General Assembly edition
State legislators are too isolated in their districts. Isolation prevents elected officials from hearing views from a variety of different Illinoisans. I have a solution for this breakdown in communication. My idea will encourage elected officials to understand the impact of the legislation they propose. I propose requiring upstate legislators to trade places with downstate…
Why Quinn is appealing
A bipartisan chorus seemed to rise as one last week to urge Gov. Pat Quinn not to appeal a ruling by a Cook County judge. The judge ruled that the governor had violated the state Constitution when he vetoed lawmaker salaries last summer. Quinn said he vetoed the appropriations because he was tired of waiting…
Vistas and visions
PHOTO COURTESY ROSEMARY WILLIAMS An interesting installation called New Springfield, by Minnesota new media artist Rosemary Williams, is currently on display at University of Illinois Springfield UIS Visual Arts Gallery. The exhibit is literally about Springfield. The artist used as inspiration local poet Vachel Lindsay’s prediction of our 2018 capital city as a utopia (laid…
Disorderly conduct
Originally charged with five felonies, Joseph Langan pleaded guilty to a pair of misdemeanors and is still on the UIS payroll. Joseph Langan, an erstwhile Southern View police officer turned criminal, remains on the payroll at University of Illinois Springfield despite a $40,000 settlement reached between the village and a woman who claims that Langan…
Groundhog Day
PHOTO COURTESY GROUNDHOG DAY When bassist Brian Phillips (from Wonder Why) and lead guitarist Danny “The Kid” Schroeder (from the Outnumbered) were forming a new band, Phillips mentioned the process was just like band beginnings so many times before. Kid then referenced the film Groundhog Day, and the new band had a name. Joined by…
The sky’s the limit
Springfield nonprofit Lincoln Orbit Earth Science Society is hosting a Gem, Mineral and Fossil Show at the Illinois Building at the Illinois State Fairgrounds on Oct. 5-6. “Meteorites” is the theme of this year’s show and features guest Steve Arnold from the Science Channel’s show “Meteorite Man.” Arnold (pictured left) will have his own display…
Voice of morality says oppose ‘cult of money’
The bluebirds of happiness are chirping away in our nation’s treetops these days, for America is now in the fifth year of economic recovery. Let’s all sing “Happy Days Are Here Again,” for stock prices are reaching record highs, corporate profits are soaring, and even the unemployment numbers are on the mend. But wait, what’s…
Urban pioneers
Men from the Urban League’s Male Involvement Program are getting construction training while rehabbing this home on North Fifth Street in the Enos Park neighborhood. Back row, from left to right, are Joseph Yeley, Montrell Isom, Troy Sullivan and S PHOTO BY DAVID HINE In the 1000 block of North Fifth Street, a tall, former…
