Cover Story
Photographing history
The date was Jan. 29, 2009, and Pat Quinn was sitting at his desk in the lieutenant governor’s office, writing notes for what would become his inaugural speech as governor while the state Senate, one floor above, considered voting to remove Rod Blagojevich from office. A few feet away, camera in hand, was Springfield resident…
Intricate Minds promotes harm reduction as a road to recovery
It may be the only place in Springfield where a person can get a haircut and a meth pipe for free. Intricate Minds provides free hypodermic needles and pipes to those struggling with addiction as part of a harm-reduction strategy designed to reduce the spread of disease. “We provide clean syringes and pipes. We have…
Home alone
The swimming pool drowning death of Barrett Koches, 7, who police say was left at his foster home without adult supervision, has launched investigations by local detectives and state child protection investigators. Barrett, his brother Ryder, 4, and an unrelated 10-year-old boy were alone at a home on Winnebago Drive in Springfield March 16 when…
Grass is good for land, livestock and livelihoods.
This economical process makes healthier soil, which makes healthier plants, which makes healthier animals, which makes healthier consumers. So why haven’t more livestock farmers adopted the practice of regenerative grazing? “The answer is really very simple, lack of knowledge and awareness,” said Allen Williams, a founding partner of Understanding Ag LLC. “You can’t implement what…
Don’t be fooled by fear tactics. Eliminating money bond is working.
A person’s freedom should not depend on how much cash they have. Illinois understands this tenet of fairness, and became the first state to eliminate money bond. The step follows the lead of other jurisdictions who successfully reduced the use of money bond. But rather than celebrating, the move away from money bond has come…
Editor’s note 3/28/24
When it comes to working for change, it’s always hard to decide whether to go small or large, simple or systemic. We face the starfish dilemma; we can’t save them all so we save one by one. Which is fine, if we don’t spend so much time throwing starfish back in the sea that we…
Liam Neeson shines in Saints and Sinners, You’ll Never Find Me an effective thriller
Redemption elusive in Sinners People build legacies in different ways. Some have a large family. Some pour their energy into their work. Others devote their lives to the church. Then there are those who spend all their time doing charitable works. Finbar Murphy’s legacy is something quite different. In a remote part of a forest…
Schedule
In early days a milk route man would help milk, take a route out, go to the milkhouse on the farm – put in a full day’s work: pitch hay, detassel corn, saw wood, spud potatoes. My dad hired Seventh Day Adventists who would work on Sunday without complaint. One reminisces: “As I think back,…
Letters to the editor 3/28/24
We welcome letters. Please include your full name, address and telephone number. We edit all letters. Send them to editor@illinoistimes.com. —- PRESERVE THE HISTORY I would like to give a big thank you to David Blanchette and Illinois Times for the wonderful and comprehensive coverage of the history and upcoming closure of Armbruster Manufacturing (“The…
A cheese-based dessert for Easter
Though I don’t have any Slavic or Orthodox Christian roots, my family has been making a rich cheese-based dessert called paskha every Easter for decades. Paskha is a traditional Eastern Orthodox dish resembling a crustless cheesecake. It is served after the “breaking of the fast” at the end of Lent. We first read about paskha…
Eastertime music
Happy upcoming Easter weekend and with the big holiday celebration comes the usual, slightly diminished calendar of live music events. But even a smaller number of gigs in our scene is still “perty darn good” so let’s get hoppin’ to see what’s shakin’ over the next few days of entertainment time. Starting with our usual…
PILLSBURIED: Art, artifacts and curiosities from the former Pillsbury site
For a unique and immersive experience, head downtown to 413 E. Adams St. from 6-9 p.m. March 28 or 29 and see a one-of-a-kind, massive art installation inspired by the rich history and subsequent decay of the Pillsbury Mills site. Over two tons of artifacts, building remnants and other curiosities from the former Pillsbury site…
Dinner event, program to focus on Frank Lloyd Wright
In this dinner event and program, master storyteller Timothy Totten “will weave a tale of love, loss and the emperor of Japan” as he recounts the triumphs and tragedies of famed American architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Totten, of Eustis, Florida, has been studying the life and works of Wright – the designer of Springfield’s Dana-Thomas…
