Cover Story
Regan Deering takes on Nikki Budzinski
In a congressional district drawn to favor Democrats, Republicans believe they have reason for optimism. But just how much optimism is justified remains a bit of an open question for the Illinois 13th Congressional District, which pits Republican Regan Deering against Democrat Nikki Budzinski. Deering, 46, and Budzinski, 45, are both seeking political office for…
An optimistic outlook
Despite the time commitment and pressure he faces every day as a leader in the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Sameer Vohra says he has no regrets after two-and-a-half months as director of the Illinois Department of Public Health. Vohra, 39, a primary care pediatrician who earned a medical degree from Springfield’s Southern…
Letters to the editor 10/20/22
We welcome letters. Please include your full name, address and telephone number. We edit all letters. Send them to editor@illinoistimes.com. —- NEED MORE VETS Amen to the Illinois Times cover story, “Not enough vets for pets,” (Oct. 6). I rescued an African grey parrot who was not socialized – he has calmed down a great…
Grampa’s Wisdom
In a letter to me from my Iowa cousin I have found these words: “When we visited the farm I had long talks with Uncle Wes, your grandfather. I had to write my part on account of his deafness. He asked me once if I knew what was an educated man. I confessed I did…
Stopping school shootings
There was no menace left in the school shooter who sat across from me in the prison’s visitor room. Clad in a blue chambray shirt and a tired expression, he told me about that fateful day in 1989 when he entered a day care center in League City, Texas, and started shooting. A bullet ripped…
Animal Control needs to address underlying issues
It’s not fixed. Changes have been made, but Sangamon County Animal Control is not fixed. Low-hanging fruit has been addressed. Now a doubling down on the more complicated issues that have vexed the operation for years is needed. Overall operational changes have not been made. Sangamon County finally posted the operation director’s position on Oct.…
A well-rounded musical feast
What promises to be an exciting, transitional season for the Illinois Symphony Orchestra got underway Friday at the UIS Performing Arts Center with Maestro Rei Hotoda presiding over an exciting and ambitious evening of music, crowned by a towering performance from guest soloist Itamar Zorman. Hotoda is the first of several guest conductors this season,…
Taste for the Homeless comes to Springfield Oct. 22
Local activists Shymeka Kerr-Gregory, Ron Doyle and Sadie Davis are bringing a “Taste for the Homeless” to Springfield on Oct. 22. The Chicago-based nonprofit was founded by Chicago native, Michael Airhart. A self-described “kid-chef,” Airhart started cooking when he was just 8 years old growing up in Altgeld Gardens Project on the South Side. “A…
Democrats outspend GOP in a big way leading up to elections
House Speaker Chris Welch reported raising a whopping $14 million in the third quarter, with almost half of that, $6 million, coming from Gov. JB Pritzker. That gives Welch a huge cash advantage for the home stretch over his Republican counterpart. Welch’s personal campaign committee reported raising $7 million between July 1 and Sept. 30…
Solid performances salvage Ray’s faulty script
As written and directed by Rodrigo Garcia, Raymond & Ray is a story about revelations, those we discover about others, and those we realize about ourselves. This, of course, is one of the basic tenants of any drama. And while each story requires its share of surprises and switchbacks, Garcia leans on this narrative device…
Ready to pop?
Popcorn may not be what comes to mind when most folks think of healthy food, but I’ve found a renewed love for the crunchy snack in recent years. Some time ago a friend who specialized in integrative medicine suggested that I try giving up gluten in an attempt to reduce inflammation. I was suffering from…
Ladies and gents, and those who have yet to make up their minds…
Don’t be fooled by the title. While Kinky Boots might sound a little…well…kinky, the show is really a touching story about two unlikely friends who team up to help save a failing business and, along the way, come to terms with each other’s complicated relationship with their fathers. Told through the book by Harvey Fierstein…
Music for 10-20
Do you remember the old CB radio craze days and how we learned to say things like “10-4, good buddy,” and “breaker breaker”? Well, I couldn’t pass on the “What’s your 10-20?” phrase since it matched this Thursday’s date, so here we go with a bunch of locations (the 10-20 code meaning) for live music…
Publisher’s note 10/20/22
Next week we’ll take a break from all the politics and news and instead devote the entire issue to the Best of Springfield results. Our annual poll asking our readers to vote for their favorite people, places and things in the Springfield area only continues to get more popular, with a record number of people…
A play within a play
The Murder at Haversham Manor, a 1920s murder-mystery play, is the creative product of fictitious playwright Susie H. K. Brideswell. The Play That Goes Wrong, written in 2012 by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields, depicts what happens when the fictitious Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society stage a production of Brideswell’s play. At least the…
Downtown UIS Innovation Center becoming a reality
University of Illinois officials hope to close in late October or early November on the $950,000 acquisition of a downtown Springfield building at 401 E. Washington St. that will house the UIS Innovation Center. “I’m very confident it will help grow our economy significantly,” said Bruce Sommer, University of Illinois Springfield’s director of economic development…
Joe Miller’s 487-mile bikepacking race
Springfield ultramarathoner Joe Miller (see “Springfield runner wins 100-mile race,” IT, May 26) wanted a new adventure. He opted for his first bike race, the 486.63-mile bikepacking Arkansas High Country Race. Participants must be self-supported, which means packing all their gear on their bike, getting food and water at the few convenience stores along the…
