Kudos to the kids
Most of my distinct memories from elementary school have stuck with me purely because I was impressed that someone else didn’t cry – that girl who stapled her finger, the boy who knocked out his two front teeth, or my big sister with a face full of gravel after a misguided jungle gym move. But…
Sangamon Valley Roots Revival turns 10
The first wise guy in this old world to see the truth in the saw, “if you want something done, do it yourself” latched on to a key precept in human endeavors. Another seriously silly saying like, “every great journey begins with a step,” carries a good deal of folk wisdom as well. When the…
Kids find joy in gardening at the governor’s mansion
Fried okra, collard greens and fresh salsa have become favorite food dishes of junior gardeners from the 21st Century Program, Graham Elementary School. This summer these students nurtured a 484-square-foot vegetable garden at the Illinois Executive Mansion. The garden was started on April 22 by six youth and nine Master Gardener volunteers. The students were…
Wall Street 2: Take it to the bank
The surprising thing about Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps isn’t that Michael Douglas’ role is really a supporting one, but that Shia La Beouf in the lead carries the film. The young actor finally sheds the burden of his adolescent persona here as Jake Moore, a young wannabe Wall Street mover and shaker who, like…
United Way grants to help Sangamon County’s needy
Two grants announced Sept. 14 will help supply computers and medical care for Springfield citizens in need. The United Way of Central Illinois gave the two grants totaling $46,000 to Springfield-based charities Computer Banc and the Sangamon County Medical Society to support new programs at both organizations as part of the United Way’s “Venture Funds”…
Mouthwatering meze
Seems as if tapas are everywhere these days, and deservedly so. But Spain isn’t the only country specializing in small plates meant to be shared in bars and informal restaurants. Greece and other countries in the Eastern Mediterranean have a similar, yet deliciously unique tradition: meze. I’ve been thinking about meze (pronounced MEHD-zuh) a lot…
Letters to the Editor 09/23/10
CITY’S BAD ATTITUDERegarding “Storm over sewers,” by Rachel Wells, Sept. 16: I have fought this battle with the city public works department for about a year and I can tell the poor people who are having this problem what they will hear from Mr. Norris: “Plug your drain and pump your sewage to the sanitary…
In Memoriam: Damaris Jackson
in england after my first child was bornI wrote my parents about the baby blueshow I felt totally skinless as thoughevery nerve was outside exposedpaining stinging maybe it was explainedhormonally even then but my theory amidpain was one I’d never heard before therealization that along with incredible joy I’d also brought death into the world…
Bedbugs are back – in Springfield
Once nearly eradicated, bedbugs are back in full force and not just in cities like New York and Chicago – Springfield’s got ’em too. The flat, brown, oval-shaped critters are about a quarter of an inch long and like to feed on human blood as we sleep. They’ve re-emerged in developed countries after a population…
To reform the Illinois House, change the rules
Have you ever wondered why the Illinois House of Representatives has never had a vote on common-sense proposals such as allowing voters to recall state public officials or a measure that would restrict everyone’s campaign contributions in the general election? The reason is a rule in the Illinois House that allows a single member to…
Skordalia
“Skordalia holds the heart of Greece,” says anthropologist Susanna Hoffman in her Greek cookbook, The Olive and the Caper. “It is loved like mashed potatoes, remembered like warm cookies, dreamed of like a good steak – it’s everyone’s comfort food.… In any café you can order it by the plateful. In every household it welcomes…
Hunger Challenge Days 4 & 5: Pols and parties
I’m not hungry today. The challenge has been pretty easy lately, which is completely the opposite of what I expected. I am definitely learning a lot about the cost of food, though. A lot of my favorite things, like hummus, cost a ton of money for ingredients that are relatively cheap, which signals to me…
Congolese march shines light on genocide
Some 30 former citizens of the Democratic Republic of Congo now living in Illinois cities walked quietly through downtown Springfield on Friday, Sept. 17, to call attention to the genocide and mass rape happening in their former country. “Our country is known today as the World Capital of Rape,” Pappy Bakungola of Springfield said. Tens…
Court denies pig farm’s damage claims
A Sangamon County judge has denied nearly $300,000 in damages for a local pig farmer who says an opposition group crippled his finances. Sangamon County circuit judge Leslie Graves ruled on Sept. 7 that Buckhart farmer Robert Young was entitled to $500 in damages from the Rochester Buckhart Action Group (RBAG), which temporarily halted the…
Hot shots
Springfield photographers are the focus of Access 4 Producers Group’s next fundraiser United for the Arts. View and buy the work of exhibitors: Sarah Chatham of New Beginnings Photography, Jake Lieberman, Jennifer Burke-Davis, Ginny Lee, John Muchow, Felicia Olin, Jim Edgecomb, J.R. Bye, Michael LaFrance, Deb Perschbacher, Tony Moyer, Laura Coffey, Mandy Magill (pictured, left),…
Exporting jobs, importing workers
Maybe you’re one of the thousands of young lawyers in America working in some low-skill, part-time job because law firms have cut so many of the starting positions you were educated to take. If so, I have good news: Jobs for young lawyers are now mushrooming in companies that provide legal services to U.S. corporations.…
AFSCME decides to sit out House Democrats’ campaigns
The union that represents thousands of state and local government employees, AFSCME, was one of the bigger Democratic campaign contributors in the final six months of the 2008 campaign. But this year the union will be sitting out almost all of the Illinois House Democrats’ top races. The union met in Springfield several days ago…
DRUG DROP
Prescription drugs are like fire: they can be useful tools if used appropriately, but they can cause terrible damage when abused. According to the Partnership for a Drug-Free America, one in five teens have used prescription drugs to get high, and each day 2,500 teenagers use a prescription drug to get high for the first…
Fennel and Orange Marinated Olives
Outdoor markets throughout the Mediterranean have stalls with a staggering, even bewildering, variety of olives – different types, sizes, cures and marinades. This is a favorite. 3 c. olives: Kalamata, other black olives 1 1/2 c.0 thinly sliced red onion 1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, divided 1/2 tsp. cracked peppercorns, or more to taste…
Country songster
Country songster Gary Allan performs in Springfield this weekend, one stop on the road in his “Get off the Pain” tour, also the title of his latest album. He’s a Nashville singer/songwriter with gold and platinum songs and albums that inched and inked their way up the charts including three songs that reached the top,…
Watermelon and Feta Salad
The idea of pairing sweet watermelon and salty/sharp feta might seem unlikely. But the two compliment each other perfectly, as Greeks have known for ages. 1c. thinly sliced red onion 2 tsp. salt, preferably kosher or sea 4 c. chilled watermelon, seeds removed if present, cut into one-inch cubes 1 c. (approximately 4 oz.) feta,…
HUDDLE HOUSE HONORS
One of only three of its kind in Illinois, Williamsville’s 24-hour Huddle House earned the restaurant franchise’s top honor last month at the chain’s annual convention in Georgia. Lynne and Dan Harbin, who have owned and operated the Williamsville Huddle House for four years, this year took first place in the chain’s “Best of the…
Remnants from the Roots saga
Along with the privilege of writing this week’s IT cover story on Sean and Jamie Burns’ legacy with the Sangamon Valley Roots Revival came many personal recollections unable to fit into the professional, journalistic tack I took (or at least attempted to) with the story. I presented the lighter and brighter side of the saga,…
Celtic celebration
Pack a chair or blanket in your car and head out to Washington Park for the Celtic sounds of local bands Exorna, Elks Pipes and Drums and The Emerald Underground as the Springfield Park District and Foundation presents a free afternoon of music. Some concessions are available. Music in the ParkSunday, Sept. 26, 4-7pmWashington Park…
Remarkable rides
The International Route 66 Mother Road Festival rolls out three days of cool cars, food, music and car-related activities in downtown Springfield. Bands play classic hits on the Hot Rod Stage, there’s a poker run, a marketplace for restoration enthusiasts, a commemorative exhibit to the late Route 66 artist Bob Waldmire, including his cars and…
Intriguing characters populate The Town
Taking a cue from the classic Warner Brothers’ gangster films of the ’30s and ’40s, The Town contains themes that are part and parcel of the genre – precarious familial bonds, divided loyalties and a thief yearning for a fresh start. Directing for the second time, Ben Affleck gives these elements a hard-edged modern quality…
Tret Fure
In an amazing career that spans four decades, Tret Fure began singing professionally at 16, worked with Spencer Davis at 19, soon after signed with MCA/UNI Records and released her major label debut in 1973, produced by none other than legendary Little Feat founder, the late Lowell George. After several years in the industry as…
Putting your name above the door
On Sept. 11 a grateful Springfield learned that Tony Kerasotes, head of that family’s movie house chain, had made a gift of $2 million to the YMCA building fund. It is a generous gift, graciously given as a “thank you” to the city that had helped his family’s rise. Every town of any size…
CEVAPCICI (Grilled Balkan sausages)
Cevapcici aren’t Greek, but they’re ubiquitous in every Balkan nation, including Croatia, homeland of our house concert guitarist, Goran Ivanovic. That’s one reason I’m putting them on our meze table. The other is that they’re absolutely delicious. There are as many cevapcici variations in the Balkans as there are of meatloaf in America, but all…
