Remembering George Colin
Almost two years ago, George Colin was the reason for my visit to Salisbury, Illinois. I was collecting info to write an Illinois Times article about a new book featuring Vachel Lindsay’s poem “The Little Turtle.” Colin was the book’s illustrator. This was going to be an adventure. Artists are the water of the world.…
Autopilots
The social impacts of the cyber revolution are beyond the brief of a columnist specializing in weedy parking lots and aldermanic antics. But, like the current Republican gubernatorial candidate, I have opinions about many things beyond my field of endeavor. One is that computer systems, more specifically our reliance on them, is making us stupid.…
Differing opinions
A former Adams County prosecutor and University of Illinois football star now facing murder charges walked free more than eight years ago after an autopsy on his wife failed to determine a cause of death. Dr. Jessica Bowman, so discredited in Sangamon County that prosecutors won’t use her as a witness, performed the autopsy on…
Who was Jacob David George
Ironside Photography LLC Jacob David George Today by chance, I read about a young man who died recently. Jacob David George…
Cut your energy bill with a home energy audit
A professional blower door test provides readings on air leaks into a home. Most people don’t turn to Gary Hurley until it’s too late. Hurley is energy services manager for Springfield City Water, Light and Power, and he oversees the utility’s home energy audit program. Hurley says CWLP has conducted about 110 energy audits so…
Intelligent design
Edwards Place Fine Art Fair For 25 years, Springfield Art Association has hosted its popular Edwards Place Fine Art Fair in the fall. In its 26th year, the weekend soirée features more than 80 artists and their work, Sept. 20-21. The fair will kick off with a rendition of the “Star Spangled Banner” by a…
They’re all just guys with their hands out
I have met Barack Obama twice. And I must say, I expected greater things. I have shaken hands with every president from Harry Truman to Obama. Some were memorable, some inspiring, some just guys hustling for votes. And I met them at different stages in their lives. Truman was a feisty old man, here to…
suicide poem #6
suicide poem #6 royce by pulling that trigger you’ve spared yourself my grandkids’ growing up their school and sports successes their loves and losses and given them instead a burden they’ll never outgrow though its present pain may recede in time ©2014 Jacqueline Jackson
Building a toll road to nowhere?
Plans for a proposed toll road between Illinois and Indiana appear to be moving forward, despite a lack of funding and environmental concerns. The Illiana Expressway, which would connect Interstate 55 south of Chicago with Interstate 65 in northwestern Indiana, is one of Gov. Pat Quinn’s top priorities, but critics say the road is unnecessary…
The outside is in
A curb appeal-boosting outdoor amenity that fell out of favor for years in new single-family home construction appears to be on the rebound. It’s the front porch, and it’s in greater demand today than it has been in years. In fact, the U.S. Census Bureau revealed in June of this year that nearly two-thirds of…
Pioneer past
Clayville Fall Festival Step into the past at the Clayville Fall Festival, Sept. 20-21. Families will have an entertaining and educational time at this old pioneer village that was once a stage coach stop for central Illinois. Kids can learn to make candles, churn butter and try their hand at tin punch art. Artisans will demonstrate…
New York, New York
It is natural in this season to think of New York City, but this year I have been thinking of it in a happier light than the 9/11 anniversary casts on it. I had reason to read the interview that banker George W. Bunn, Jr. did before he died in 1973. The Bunn family in…
Drop fails to live up to Hardy’s fine work
James Gandolfini stars as Cousin Marv and Tom Hardy stars as Bob Saginowski in Fox Searchlight Pictures’ The Drop. Michael Roskam’s The Drop is a movie I wanted to like more than I did. I kept looking among the many positive things in the film for just one more great moment, one more clever turn…
Help wash formaldehyde out of baby’s hair
In the U.S. alone, the cosmetics industry pulls in some $70 billion a year in sales of what’s commonly called “makeup.” But lipstick, blush, mascara, etc. are not the only kind of makeup the cosmetic giants are peddling. For years, their lobbyists, lawyers and PR agents have been making up facts, stories, half-truths and whole…
The early campaigner gets the numbers
The Illinois House Democrats launched their direct mail and TV program weeks earlier than the House Republicans in an attempt to knock the GOP candidates down before they even had a chance to stand up. The mail started going out not long after the mid-August Illinois State Fair. Four years ago, during a national Republican…
African rhythm
Kilimanjaro Rumble Here’s something a little different from the normal musical selections around town. Kilimanjaro Rumble, master drummers from Central African Republic, Liberia, Congo, Togo and Nigeria, will be drumming at Southwind Park under the arches on Saturday night Sept. 20. Enjoy the percussion sounds, dancing, light African refreshments and storytelling. Bring a chair or…
Successful home security
Stand-alone camera systems with video recording and remote monitoring are an alternative to security system-integrated video surveillance. PHOTO BY DIANNE CROWN For Michelle Tjelmeland, a good home security system is about personal safety. Various zones in her Springfield home are wired and monitored with door chimes, motion sensors, sirens and flashing lights set to signal…
Blaze of glory
The author’s watch-pug stands guard over a fire of manageable size. PHOTO BY BRUCE RUSHTON Nothing is more cozy come fall – and winter – than a nice roaring fire. Gas fireplaces can’t compete with the snap-crackle-pop of real wood burning within a hearth turned wonderfully warm by glowing embers of oak, hickory and maple.…
A MESSAGE TO MINORS
Knowledge is power, and a pretty solid way for kids to get knowledge is staying in school. That’s why the Springfield-based Faith Coalition for the Common Good is partnering with Springfield Public Schools to make sure students know someone cares about their attendance. In School and On Time is a program meant to set an…
ALPLM panel to convene peace talks
Members of an advisory board to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library have agreed to sit on a panel designed to explore governance issues that erupted last spring when the board’s chairman pushed legislation to divorce the institution from the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. Steven Beckett, a University Illinois law professor who chairs the advisory board,…
Unclear on the concept
Curses, foiled againShantoria Valentine, 23, robbed a bank in Omaha, Neb., but while fleeing, she collapsed after only a few blocks, according to police. One witness noticed the suspect would “shuffle a little bit, run a little bit, walk a little bit, shuffle a little bit.” After she ran up a hill, “she was pretty…
Home and garden events calendar
Demonstration garden programSep 18, 5:30-6pm, Free program, “Creating a Prairie Garden Demo.” University of Illinois Extension Sangamon-Menard Unit, 2501 N. Eighth St., Illinois State Fairgrounds, Bldg. #30. 217-782-4617. Springfield Audubon SocietySep 18, 7pm, Arvin Pierce, ACBees Apiaries, talks about joys and challenges of keeping honeybees. View an observation hive with live bees. Adams Wildlife Sanctuary,…
Letters to the Editor 9/18/14
Recycled Records at 625 E. Adams Street in downtown Springfield boasts a set of benches painted by local artist Mike Mayosky. PHOTO BY DAVID HINE IN MY EXPERIENCEThere is no denying that Michael Mayosky is a very talented artist. He painted the benches in front of Recycled Records and did a great job, although it…
Barbecue nation
PHOTO BY BILL HOGAN/MCT “Geez, I’m so sorry, but I can’t do it this year,” I told Jeff Ball. “I haven’t been able to visit my grandson in Brooklyn for ages. And I haven’t seen my son, Robb, since he moved to Vermont last November. Unfortunately the week of Blues and BBQs is the only…
Doody-bound
You printed a letter from a guy who doesn’t want to be a father and wanted to know how to be sure his girlfriend is on birth control. You said, “The single worst form of birth control is trusting that a woman … longing for a baby” is taking hers (with whether she’s ethical being…
Johnnie, Johns, Jerry
Blackberry Smoke fires up the stage at Boondocks on Fri., Sept. 19 with guests Matt Poss Band. Saddle up for a September romp through the wilds of Springfield’s music entertainment scene. Never a dull moment here, but plenty of sharp sounding shows, for sure. Johnnie Owens, designated in this column a few weeks ago as…
Hope Institute rebounds with innovations for better care
KAREN PHOTO BY Terry Farmer, AMANDA PHOTO COURTESY The Hope Institute Karen G. Foley and Amanda Brott A Springfield school for children with developmental disabilities is making big changes following two incidents of abuse in November 2013. The Hope Institute for Children and Families was already planning changes before the isolated abuse came to light,…
A.D. Carson makes a stir down south
Decatur native A. D. Carson has been making headlines for his activism in South Carolina, bringing attention to the racist legacy of Clemson University, where he is working on his Ph.D. in English. Carson, one time writer-in-residence at Benedictine University and English teacher at Springfield High School as well as a published author and recording…
Editor’s Note 9/18/14
Voters are turning out in record numbers for this year’s Best of Springfield survey. The ballot, beginning on p. 28, appears in the print edition for the last time this week, but online voting continues till midnight on Monday, Sept. 29, at www.illinoistimes.com, or on the Best of Springfield app from the iTunes store. To…
Create a warm and cozy space outdoors
More and more people are staying at home to entertain rather than heading out for a night on the town. The trend of staying at home has sparked many homeowners to invest in their backyards, with outdoor kitchens and patios. But, with the crisp fall air, homeowners have to look at how to extend the…
Jukebox Casanova
Jukebox Casanova Any telling of the story of this band comes drenched in sadness with the recent loss of founding member Ben Underwood (mandolin, vocals, occasional drums). But as co-founder Bernie Flesch (vocals, guitar) says better than anyone could, “We continue on as that’s what he would have wanted without a doubt.” And indeed they…
Cops clam up
Larry Willis, publisher and co-owner of the County Journal in Percy, about 140 miles south of Springfield, was just doing what journalists do last July when he asked Illinois State Police for a report on a traffic accident. The wreck was nothing earth shattering. There were no celebrities involved or giant fireballs of death or…
