Illinois approves same-sex marriage
The “score board” in the House shows votes on SB10, the same-sex marriage bill that passed the House today. Patrick Yeagle Gay and lesbian couples in Illinois will soon have the right to be married, following the passage today of a highly contentious bill that was years in the making. House sponsor Rep. Greg Harris,…
Route 66 Film Fest 2013
The Route 66 Film Fest wrapped up its 12th year at the Capital City Bar and Grill City Lights Theater. Mark your calendars for next year’s festival on Nov. 7-8, 2014. People’s Choice awards for this year went to the top four vote getters. The number one choice was “The Interviewer” (Genevieve Clay – Australia). Second was…
Free Halloween Film Screening (and costume party) Tonight
Get into the Halloween spirit tonight at 7 with a free screening of the horror comedy They Will Outlive Us All tonight at ZBistro (220 S. Sixth St.). The film takes place in New York City in the year 2016 and concerns a pair of horror film-loving roommates forced to deal with the fallout from a series of…
State retirees anxious about health benefit changes
Janice Bonneville with CMS answers questions from a crowd of retirees regarding health benefit changes. Patrick Yeagle Hundreds of state retirees packed a meeting in Springfield on Friday to get information on pending changes to retiree health care benefits. The cost-saving measure faces a court challenge that could invalidate the agreement, but substantial work has…
Best of Springfield – Part II
PHOTO BY DAVID HINE BEST GAY/LESBIAN BAR, BEST DANCE CLUBClub Station House306 East Washington St., 525-0438If you’re looking to cut a rug, Club Station House is the place to be. (In most circles, people just call it “Station House” for short.) Clean, welcoming, and with a well-stocked bar, Club Station House offers hip, four-on-the-floor…
Cutting edge funny
Back by popular demand, Second City returns for two shows to the Hoogland Center for the Arts on Saturday, Nov. 2. Drawing on classic material from The Second City archives as well as scenes ripped from the morning headlines, The Second City’s Happily Ever Laughter is your chance to see stars in the making in…
This “Best of” business
The Blue Gs captured our Best of Springfield award for Americana/Folk group for 2013. Long before I wrote for Illinois Times, for a couple of years I was up very early every Thursday to deliver thousands of freshly pressed papers to make an extra buck or two. The Best of Springfield delivery days always demonstrated…
Mouse ado about nothing
I’ve tried to be open-minded, but I’ve decided that men are givers and women are takers. I study at my local coffeehouse. I am interested in this woman who comes in and often unplug my computer and offer to let her use the outlet. Two weeks ago, I decided to make my interest clearer by…
Independent flicks
Nov. 1-2, independent films from 14 different countries will be shown at this year’s Route 66 Film Fest, Springfield’s own version of the infamous Sundance Film Festival. Included in the lot to be screened at Capital City Bar and Grill which has a room with an oversized screen, theater and café seating: animation, comedy, drama,…
Letters to the Editor 10/31/13
FILM FEST BACKGROUND I was excited and pleased to see your article in the Illinois Times about the Route 66 Film Festival [Nov. 1 and 2 at Capital City Bar and Grill. Go to illinoistimes.com for the schedule]. The original idea of having a film festival for Springfield was mine. Back in 2002, I was…
Carrie a worthy, emotional update
While it might not be Citizen Kane, Brian De Palma’s 1976 version of Carrie is a film that many fans view as a landmark work where horror films are concerned. Not only was it the first big screen adaptation of a Stephen King novel but that it had such a strong female protagonist was, at…
On the shoulders of giants
Joining the Downtown First Fridays lineup is the Illinois State Museum. Nov. 1, Springfield’s unsung gem will stay open past hours and present an array of activities. In the lobby, you can watch the assembly of a huge sculpture by Michael Ferris Jr. named Rusty Finnegan. Staff will begin putting together at 5:30 p.m. the…
A poem for All Hallow’s Eve
1 all hallows eve sequence how to cope with that word halloweena time before the day beforea time for welcoming a healthy hoursomething wholesome a pleasing scentlike bread baking in the oven someone with flour on her handsor her forehead where she brushed the hairaway from her brown eyes a healing for a bruised body…
Monsanto buys a food prize
As Lily Tomlin has noted, “No matter how cynical you get, it’s almost impossible to keep up.” For example, imagine if a prestigious group announced that this year’s “World Environmental Prize” is being awarded to BP, for its unique contribution to the ecology of the Gulf of Mexico. No way, you say? Too absurd? Right,…
Cannibalism in Illinois
As sponsors try to get the General Assembly to once again consider the issue of expanding riverboat casino gambling, there is growing concern about cannibalism in Illinois. New young casinos like to eat old established casinos, while Missouri casinos eat Illinois casinos and Illinois casinos eat Indiana casinos. Legislators don’t know how to keep gambling…
Studebaker John
Young John Grimaldi was born and raised in an Italian-American neighborhood in Chicago. His first taste of music came in the form of a harmonica at age 7. Soon he visited the famed Maxwell Street area, home to Chicago blues and became a lifelong disciple of the blues. After seeing a particularly exciting and exhilarating…
Logic and romance clash in Time
Rachel McAdams stars as Mary and Domhnall Gleeson stars as Tim in About Time. PHOTO COURTESY Universal Pictures As written and directed by the man who gave us Love Actually, it comes as no surprise that Richard Curtis’ new film, About Time, is long on charm and romance. Actually has seen a cult following grow…
Best of Springfield – Part I
Welcome to BOSIllinois Times presents to you, proudly, one more time, the Best of Springfield, as determined by our readers and the friends BOS wannabes recruit to vote for them. We had more than 12,000 votes this year – the largest turnout ever – and 140 categories, a third more than ever before. Thanks…
Gunning for legislation
Back when Richard M. Daley was Chicago’s mayor, hizzoner would hold a big, splashy press conference every year with cops and prosecutors and crime victims to unveil his new state gun control legislation. The Chicago media poobahs would shout their huzzahs, the NRA would fume and raise tons of money from angry members and then…
Never forget
Curses, foiled againPolice accused three men of breaking into a home near Palatka, Fla., photographing its contents and then posting the pictures on Facebook, offering to sell any and all pictured items. When a potential buyer asked about a refrigerator, the men said to meet them at the house. A suspicious neighbor saw the men…
weedseed poem #1
weedseed poem #1 going through old farm stuff I finda folder called wis crop improvementass’n it holds a 1965 program for anarea meet that includes a workshop on weed seed identification and ends BE SURE TO BRING YOUR GLASSESSINCE WE WILL BE LOOKING ATWEED SEEDS there follows a list and descriptions starting with quackgrass: “about…
