Cover Story
On target
Ben Thompson grew up on a farm near Buffalo, 15 miles east of Springfield, and graduated from Tri-City High School in 2001. He was a farm boy who knew how to use a gun and a bow and enjoyed all kinds of sports. A talented multisport athlete, he participated in soccer, basketball and track. However,…
Springfield Art Association
One-nighters have returned to the Springfield Art Association (SAA). One-nighters are a series of one-night art classes that provide a fun, carefree introduction to a particular medium and offer more experienced attendees opportunities to develop their skills with the medium. Attendees are welcome to bring their own beverages and snacks to the studio, however alcoholic…
Winter is for baking
I’ve always felt that a frigid February afternoon with no engagements on the calendar is one of life’s greatest joys. I truly love winter, even moreso after the frenetic pace of the holidays has subsided. I’m finally able to set right the deluge of disorganized chaos that flowed from lazy summer days right into Thanksgiving…
“New power” is taking over the world
This fascinating book explains the shift from old power to new power and how this is impacting politics, business and everyday life. Jeremy Heimans and Henry Timms describe “new power” as open, participatory, bottom-up and peer-driven. With new power, there is a belief in the wisdom of the crowd, transparency and a more open decision-making…
Rhythm Section woefully out of tune
The great filmmaker Howard Hawks once said that one of the keys to making a successful movie is to make sure each scene moves the story along. When looking at the director’s works, whether it be Bringing Up Baby, His Girl Friday or Red River, you see this principle in action. His narratives move, sometimes…
Fun-filled February
Welcome to the first full weekend of February in 2020, and it’s chock full of fun fantastically formed to fulfill your most fabulous, not at all fallacious, fantasies of a fine time. Let’s get right to it as we have lots to cover. Thursday gives us a couple of stellar Springfield acts that surely set…
Lawmakers hear calls for ethics reform
What’s a conflict of interest? That’s what Rep. Greg Harris, D-Chicago, asked last week during a hearing of the legislature’s Joint Commission on Ethics and Lobbying Reform. The question came one day after Gov. J.B. Pritzker called for an end to corruption in his state of the state address. That same day, police, apparently unable…
MAKE EDUCATION GREAT AGAIN
Sacred Heart-Griffin High School has banned students from engaging in political displays at school events following an episode at the recent city basketball tournament, when Griffin students in the stands unfurled a Re-Elect Trump banner during a game against Lanphier High School. Ward 2 Ald. Shawn Gregory says he’s heard from constituents as well as…
SAM I am
Nearly 30 Springfield School District 186 employees celebrated Groundhog Day Eve at a beachside resort on Marco Island in Florida. They were among hundreds of educators from around the nation who flocked to the 13th Annual National SAMs Conference to listen to motivational speakers, consultants and book authors talk about leadership and management. Past conferences…
He walked again. This time the victim was America.
Scoot down the bench, ladies, and make room for one more. You know how it goes and how it feels. He walked again, all the while calling his accusers contriving liars. It’s not for lack of trying. Here are the last 15 seconds of Democrats’ 21-plus hours pressing for the president’s impeachment from the well…
Sandoval shakedowns come to light
“It’s hard for me to swallow how [people] make so much off of you. Right? And I gotta do the work.” That’s from the July 31, 2018 federal surveillance of now-former state Sen. Martin Sandoval (D-Chicago) complaining, according to media reports, to one of the founders of the red-light camera company SafeSpeed. Sandoval was bemoaning…
Letters to the Editor 02-06-20
LINCOLN’S CLOCK? Bruce Rushton is muddying the waters more than clearing them (“Tick Tock: ALPM issues go beyond hat,” Jan. 23). He may have a voicemail from me saying one thing, but I returned his call one night at my first chance to do so – he never again attempted to reach me – to…
voyage poem #1
over a hundred years ago shackleton rowed 800 miles over antarctic winter seas in an open boat to get help he made it back months later saved all the sailors left behind on a few black rocks they were down to their last penguin for fare that voyage is now famed in history nova nat…
The Pleiades
A fairly new band in length of existence (they just got together a few months ago), this quartet comes complete with the attitude and ambition of a group that’s been around for awhile. Each of The Pleiades, Carter Kelso (lead vocals, guitar), Trey Tholen (lead guitar), Eli Trimpe (bass, vocals) and Jake McNamara (drums, percussion),…
Museum Play Date
What do the Ugly Duckling, Little Red Riding Hood and Anansi the Spider have in common? They are all characters in folktales. Folklorist Mike Anderson will host a special Museum Play Date where you will hear stories from around the world mixed with songs and activities. Drawing on his talents as a storyteller and musician,…
