School board member under investigation
Springfield school board member Adam Lopez is under criminal investigation. “We have a report concerning Mr. Lopez, but we are not able to comment on it at this time,” said Lt. Brian Oakes of the Springfield Police Department. “It’s an open investigation.” Oakes declined to state the nature of the investigation into Lopez, who has…
In a box
A hat that purportedly by not provably belonged to Abraham Lincoln is off the display list at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum pending review of the artifact’s provenance that has been in question for years. The announcement by the museum that the hat, which is not on regular exhibition, won’t be taken out…
Phoning home
Panic hit at the border. For months, my father had prepared for this trip to Canada. At 84, he figured this might be his final return to the country where he had lived for his first three decades. He wanted to see the North Vancouver house of his childhood and the nearby stream where he…
Gentrification begets gentrification
Gentrification is a function of power, not natural law or economic inevitability. It occurs when wealthy, politically connected interests make decisions in closed-door meetings to take over the neighborhoods of people who have little money and power and thus no effective voice or recourse in the taking. Renters are worse off than longtime property owners,…
Most normal people practice daily wisdom
Gov. Bruce Rauner’s campaign-reset speech last week has been described as “contrite,” a “mea culpa” and even an “apology.” I actually do believe, as Rauner claimed, that he’s “grown” in office. He had to be dragged kicking and screaming into it, but he’s grown some. After losing the budget and tax hike veto battle last…
Letters to the Editor 9/20/18
REMEMBER THE CENTENNIAL Among other things, the State of Illinois Bicentennial represents a golden opportunity to look back and appreciate the state’s centennial celebration. Events were held throughout Illinois back then as well but, without question, the most significant was the commitment to build the Centennial Memorial Building. The cornerstone was laid Oct. 5, 1918.…
Editor’s note 9/20/18
This week’s cover story by Dusty Rhodes emphasizes one solution to the teacher shortage, but clearly many solutions are needed. The statewide report, “Strong Teachers, Strong Classrooms,” by the Illinois State Board of Education, discusses a decline in prestige for the teaching profession. “My grandmother said she was proud to say her daughter was a…
I too waited 40 years to report sexual assault
“Do most women wait 40 years to claim someone tried to rape them? Or is that just liberal women?” –A meme posted on my Facebook news feed by a high school friend. When I read those words, I sighed. Last December I wrote about being assaulted when I was 12. And it took me 40 years…
Illinois plants and animals
Visit the Illinois State Museum on Saturday, Sept. 22 for a fun family event that celebrates the plants and animals of Illinois via games, activities and crafts. Children ages 5 and up are invited to learn about famous women scientists, plant their own native plants, and take in two live animal presentations by Wildlife Prairie…
An ECCE Speaker Series presentation
On Tuesday, Sept. 25, take in a panel discussion regarding the Displaced Persons Act of 1948, an act that directly impacted the ethnic composition of Illinois with the influx of a large Lithuanian population in Chicago and Springfield. The panel features Robert Vitas, Sandy Baksys, Devin Hunter and Heather Bailey, and will examine the ways…
One answer to the teacher shortage
Like most states, Illinois is struggling with a severe teacher shortage. And, also like most states, that shortage is felt most profoundly in the area of special education. There is, however, an army of teacher assistants already on the job. Could they help relieve this shortage? Decades ago, when these assistants were known as teachers’…
Reflections on a lost highway
Timed to coincide with the 17th annual International Route 66 Mother Road Festival, the Pharmacy Gallery and Art Space’s most recent group exhibit is entitled “Mother Road.” It will feature many of the group’s member artists, along with guest sculptor Darren Miller, tackling themes both automotive and nostalgic. “We thought it would be a good…
Springfield’s World War I hero, Otis B. Duncan
One hundred years ago, after four long and brutal years, the end of the Great War was finally in sight. By late summer of 1918, Allies had pushed the German forces into retreat. Among the American forces in pursuit of the fleeing German army was the Third Battalion of the 370th Infantry Regiment. Its commander,…
Alleged prison rape prompt lawsuits
Officials at Logan Correctional Center in Lincoln have ignored sexual misconduct involving guards and other employees, according to three lawsuits filed since last November. Two of the lawsuits, including one filed this week, are buttressed by criminal charges filed against accused employees. Furthermore, in an apparently unrelated case, Jeffrey Dozier, a prison employee assigned to…
Young activists host advocacy summit at UIS
Glenwood High School senior Clare Farnsworth, 18, became interested in political activism after witnessing news reports of the shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, in February, where 17 were killed and several more injured. Taking her cue from the Parkland survivors who became high-profile activists for gun regulation, she got involved with…
NOMINATE GOOD FOOD
Got a favorite healthy local restaurant, chef or market? Now is the time to let the world know by nominating them for the coveted Snail of Approval. Since 2012, Slow Food Springfield has presented the coveted award, not for exemplary escargot but rather in recognition of “producers, purveyors and artisans who contribute to the quality,…
INDIA NIGHT BENEFITS HOMELESS
The Asian Indian Women’s Organization (AIWO) will host “a vibrant evening of music, dance, elegant Indian fashion and fine cuisine,” in the form of its 11th India Night, which will be Friday, Sept. 28, at the Crowne Plaza. Attractions will include a bazaar featuring ethnic items and a live auction. All proceeds from the event…
Favor a mixed bag of good intentions
I’m a fan of film noir and I’m not averse to a nice dark comedy. So Paul Feig’s A Simple Favor would seemingly be right up my alley, and, for the most part, it works. Simultaneously a parody of the genre as well as a fair-to-middlin’ example of it, the script written by Jessica Sharzer…
Makings of music
Let’s first pay our respects to a recently departed friend of the local music scene and fan of all the cool music out there. Keith Perks passed away a few weeks ago from natural causes due to recent health issues. We miss his smiling face and cordial company as well as his compelling interest in…
The Black Lillies
With a hometown base of Knoxville, Tennessee, this group of experienced musicians, hailing from all walks of the Americana landscape, puts out a new album (their fifth studio release) on Sept. 28 called Stranger to Me. Now stripped down to a rocking and focused quartet, much closer to the original 2009 band concept than the…
archival find #11: kid shenanigans
archival find #11: kid shenanigans (I didn’t publish this in round barn) from the back of a comic book my brotherordered a fake dog-poo my grama had anill-tempered rat terrier bounce none of us kids liked bounce though he did his job well craigput the item on a couch in the big house (we lived…
Hemp seed recipes
Last month Governor Rauner signed a bill that will allow Illinois farmers to begin growing and processing industrial hemp. This is exciting news for farmers like Chad Wallace of Oak Tree Organics, a small family farm in Ashland. Wallace sells pasture-raised pork and organic produce to local restaurants and at the Old State Capitol Farmers…
