Questioning Statehouse statues
The Martin Luther King Jr. statue in Springfield is no stranger to controversy. “The placement is a complete insult to his legacy. The way it’s maintained has been completely demeaning,” said Dominic Watson, head of the Springfield Black Chamber of Commerce. The statue sits across the street from the Capitol, shaded under a tree. As Confederate…
The chef has left the building
Augie Mrozowski was at an awards ceremony when the announcer described a chef who was the son of immigrant parents and who began his storied career as a 14-year-old. Huh, he thought. Sounds familiar. To his surprise, within moments, hundreds stood to applaud him. Winning a Downtown Springfield, Inc. lifetime achievement award earlier this year…
Reinventing police
On one hand, the status quo looks good. The federal court docket in Springfield shows few lawsuits alleging police brutality. Crime has gone down during the past decade, according to federal databases compiled with data supplied by local police departments. The number of misdemeanor and traffic cases filed by the state’s attorney’s office has plummeted…
After Lincoln left Springfield
On Feb. 11, 1861, when Abraham Lincoln stepped onto the train in Springfield for what would be a 13-day journey to the nation’s capital, America was “on the verge of a precipice,” as a French visitor observed. Ted Widmer tells the story of the grueling and dangerous journey in his masterful book, Lincoln on the…
Savory kimchi pancakes
We’ve been living in our converted school bus for two months and I have to confess it’s been quite a challenge trying to figure out how a family of two adults and a Jack Russell can live a rich and full life in a downsized minimalist environment. When we began the journey I had grand…
Bacon salvages Left
Kevin Bacon has been around quite a while, so much so that we take him for granted. His solid, understated approach, a “don’t just do something, stand there” technique that makes him a worthy successor to Clint Eastwood in that regard, is one that is often overlooked. Never nominated for an Oscar, he’s right there…
Celebrate carefully
Welcome to July 2020, and more specifically, the Independence Day holiday weekend. What a shame that when July 4 actually falls on a Saturday, we happen to be in the midst of a global pandemic disrupting our scheduled fun-in-the-sun daily lives. But that seems to be the norm for this year and the least of…
Letters to the Editor 07-02-20
Still Privileged I was given a 30-year prison sentence and over $200,000 in fines for nonviolent cannabis offenses. I was a young white male, hauled off to prison to serve nearly 15 years before being released in 2016. I am currently at Stanford University, making use of my second chance, and many have used my situation…
Of crises and fireworks
On the cusp of Independence Day, have we ever feared fear, as Franklin Roosevelt might say, more than now? Prior pandemics soon were forgotten – why worry about 800,000 or so lives lost to flu when we won the war in 1918 and roared into affluence, the Klan’s resurgence notwithstanding? From challenges come triumph, that’s…
Editor’s note 07-02-20
Rahm Emanuel has many of us wondering what big good could come out of all this disease, economic disruption and racial unrest. The former Chicago mayor and President Obama’s chief of staff may not have been the first to say it, but he says it often enough that many attribute the quote to him: “Never…
What whites in Springfield can do for racial justice
What whites in Springfield can do for racial justice GUESTWORK | Mike Lang Enough is enough. This familiar refrain from African Americans, who for generations have lamented the repeated deaths of their brethren at the hands of law enforcement personnel, have been joined in recent weeks by a diverse chorus of mostly young people across…
Dark money super PAC attacks Pritzker
Illinois Rising Action, a dark money super PAC, is running a TV ad against Gov. JB Pritzker. The group is reportedly putting $1 million behind the spot on both cable and broadcast over two weeks. Called “Failed,” the ad heaps criticism on the governor for the toilet scandal, increased gas taxes, increased taxes on cars…
Lincoln poem #43
abe at the park corner by the museum his molded coat blowing can view the giant abe talking to a giant kid – word is that statue is due to move on – some people like it – at the fifth st corner abe sits on a bench his metal paper reads “with malice toward…
The 1 1/2-story Lincoln home to be rebuilt
The original cottage where Abraham Lincoln and his family lived before it was expanded into what we now call the Lincoln Home will be reconstructed and opened to visitors under an initiative announced today by The Abraham Lincoln Association. The association has launched a $400,000 fund drive to acquire land in the 600 block of…
