Cover Story
Rent victims
LuAnn Atkins is 90 years old, she’s lived in her home for ten and a half years, and she’s mad as hell since learning her rent will be raised from $1,667 to $3,000 per month starting Oct. 1. “I’m furious. I’m very angry,” Atkins said. “They haven’t been forthright in getting us ready for this.…
Mayor working to salvage Wyndham deal
Mayor Jim Langfelder is working to salvage a proposed deal to convert the downtown Wyndham City Centre hotel into a combined hotel and market-rate apartment complex so the Springfield City Council will change course and approve a zoning variance for the project Aug. 3. A plan to convert most of the 30-story building’s more than…
Uptick in utility costs
Ameren Illinois electric customers saw their average monthly bills rise 55% in July, following a 40% increase in natural gas bills that began in March 2021. This bad news for consumers who already are dealing with record levels of inflation and higher prices for everything from groceries to gasoline is related to a variety of…
CAT’s Illinois departure erodes public trust
Like many Illinoisans, I was saddened to learn that Caterpillar Tractor Company is moving its world headquarters from our state to Texas. CAT has been an important company in Illinois. It has been especially vital to my hometown of Peoria, where its world headquarters were located for nearly nine decades. My dad was a civil engineer…
Fifth grade poem #3
In third grade I entered a “book” in the town-wide hobby show a collection of short bits mostly animal subjects, won a prize no other contestants of any age; in 4th grade ditto though “Bumpy and Billy Bones” had chapters; dog heroes having farm adventures we were not allowed; come 5th grade my book was…
Letters to the editor 7/21/22
We welcome letters. Please include your full name, address and telephone number. We edit all letters. Send them to editor@illinoistimes.com. —- NINTH STREET NEEDS HELP Your piece on Ninth Street and The Hub was very informative (“A new look for Ninth Street,” July 7). I am looking forward to integration with Amtrak, Springfield Mass Transit District…
Will a far-right top of ticket hurt other GOP races?
During a sometimes-fiery interview last week, House Speaker Chris Welch pledged to tie House Republican candidates to the far-right top of their ticket and called House Republican Leader Jim Durkin a “failed leader.” A Durkin spokesperson, in turn, called Welch “unhinged.” It started when I asked Welch if he thought gun law reform would play…
Horsing around
“If you eat horse meat, Daddy, I’m going to throw up right in front of you.” So decreed my 14-year-old daughter this month as we sat across from one another in a restaurant in Iceland. I’d never tasted horseflesh before. But over the years I’ve written quite a bit about the debate in the Illinois…
My One and Only tap dances into your heart
MILD SPOILER ALERT: Near the end of My One and Only, Captain Billy Buck Chandler bypasses fame and fortune to try and reunite with his true love, renowned ex-channel swimmer Edythe Herbert. When he does find her, the ever-optimistic Billy speaks a simple truth that has stuck with me ever since the first time I…
Lentils grow on you
Lentils, whose scientific name is Lens culinaris, are little legumes with lens-shaped seeds. One of our most ancient food crops, lentils were first cultivated 10,000 years ago in an area of the Middle East known as the Fertile Crescent. Lentils are an inexpensive source of high-quality protein and fiber and are becoming increasingly popular as…
Tooter, Van Orman and The Beatles
Away we go, searching for the music that matters and what matters in music, and what’s the matter with that, I ask? Why absolutely nothing, of course. Let’s see what this week holds for our collective consciousness of local live music. We’re going straight to Sunday when a spectacular collection of past and present Springfield…
Building a better community
Where better to spend the summer than at the park? The Springfield Park District has scheduled some basketball fun each Tuesday evening and family fun nights on Thursday evenings at Comer Cox Park through Aug. 11. The events are free and no pre-registration is required. The basketball nights include free Gatorade and water, while the…
Gray Man and Gone in the Night lack credibility, Murders in the Building solid performances
Gray entertaining, yet exhausting Too much is not enough in Anthony and Joe Russo’ The Gray Man, an action thriller that contains enough stunts for at least five similar films. Ryan Gosling is Six, a spy who’s sent in when no one else can get the job done. Yep, it’s that kind of movie. He…
Editors note 7/21/22
This isn’t summer school. Nor is it like other camps. Compass for Kids, the 10-year-old Springfield nonprofit, is partnering with Springfield public schools District 186 again this summer to bring Camp Compass to more than 600 low-income elementary school children. As this summer’s camp session wound down this week, Compass for Kids brought its adult…
Future doctors tour Springfield
As they drove around Springfield in tour buses, about 70 doctors-in-training saw distressed neighborhoods and an abundance of dollar stores. They also noticed a dearth of supermarkets, creating what are known as “food deserts” in certain parts of the community. The young doctors – smartly dressed, smiling, energetic and mostly slim – were about to…
Polishing diamonds
Irma Wallace-Cooper is an advocate, mother, longtime foster parent, coach, District 186 paraprofessional and evangelist who enjoys life. She is dedicated to pushing people to be their best. She founded the nonprofit Diamond in the Rough Outreach Inc. in 2021. She describes her purpose as being like a “doula” to help birth out boys and…
