Pritzker names ALPLM board members
Gov. J.B. Pritzker has named five appointees, including former U.S. Rep. Ray LaHood, to a board charged with overseeing the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. The appointments announced today come one week after Pritzker terminated Alan Lowe as the institution’s director. Lowe, hired in 2016, was the fourth director of the institution – not…
Pay ’em what they’re worth
Most every job has certain rewards – ditch diggers, for example, develop tans and physiques for which the well-heeled pay plenty in the form of gym memberships and liposuction. Still, there are some occupations that most of us cannot imagine doing for any amount of money. Who among us can run into burning buildings to…
Cannabis and casinos are hot topics for Lightfoot
Whatever else you may believe, you have to commend Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot for trying to live up to her campaign promise of making sure that new economic development isn’t concentrated in her city’s downtown business district. Her city casino proposal didn’t include a downtown location because she said she wanted the development benefits to…
Letters to the Editor 9/29/19
TIME FOR CHANGE“We can no longer save the world by playing by the rules because the rules have to be changed. We need a system change, rather than individual change, but you cannot have one without the other. And so I ask you to please wake up and make the changes required possible. To do…
Editor’s note 9/26/19
Some of us worry that the distracter-in-chief has done it again, fooling us into worrying about high crimes and misdemeanors while ignoring this administration’s policy failures (see Britt, p. 4). But some leaders are getting ready for a post-Trump world. U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has followed her Green New Deal initiative with an expansive package…
American values and struggles grew up together
I was part of a recent panel discussion of democracy at Lincoln Land Community College, sponsored by the Academy of Lifelong Learning. Our discussion celebrated the beginning of self-government, of “democracy” in the New World, in the Virginia colony on Aug. 30, 1619. We did begin a form of self-government in August 1619, and we…
Dana-Thomas House Foundation
Susan Lawrence Dana (portrayed by Linda Schneider) invites you to her 157th birthday. Held at Maldaner’s Restaurant, Springfield’s oldest restaurant where Susan often dined, you can enjoy a gourmet dinner, music by the Virgil Rhodes Trio, a tour of the rooftop garden and readings from Susan’s letters. Tickets are $125 and include beer and wine.…
Hope
Hope is a leader in the development of new methods to educate, treat and care for children with autism spectrum disorders and other developmental disabilities. Through its programs it aspires to provide state-of-the-art services in the most inclusive environment to encourage them to fulfill their individual potential through evidence-based treatment, advocacy and community education. On…
Listen to the dead
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, cemeteries were the first public parks. Women strolling with parasols and families spread out on blankets enjoying a picnic would be a common site. The living paid respect to their loved ones and celebrated their own lives. Oak Ridge Cemetery, no doubt, would have been a popular…
This zoo is becoming a whole different animal
Things are looking up at the Henson Robinson Zoo. Built in the late 1960s and opening in 1970, Henson Robinson has been the area’s top attraction in central Illinois for those hoping to see rare and beautiful animals. Jeff Mitchell, general curator at Henson Robinson, has been with the zoo for a year and a…
A Bears tale
This year marks the centennial celebration of the Chicago Bears, an iconic founding franchise of the National Football League. While the team’s roots are found in next-door Decatur, where they first played as the Staleys, it was only after their relocation to Chicago that they became identified as a cornerstone franchise of the NFL. Over…
Trees come down in Poplar-less Place
In one respect, at least, Poplar Place, a crumbling collection of duplex townhouses on the city’s east side, is beginning to resemble new west-side subdivisions where trees are just beginning to sprout from converted cornfields. Dozens of mature shade trees lining streets in Poplar Place have been cut down. Where leaves and branches once offered…
COMPASS KIDS WIN AGAIN
Compass for Kids, the after-school program and summer learning camp for Springfield homeless and low-income children, has been awarded a $25,000 grant from State Farm insurance. The Springfield nonprofit is one of 40 groups nationwide awarded $25,000 grants from State Farm’s Neighborhood Assist program. This is the third year Compass has won the grant, awarded…
WANTED: GOOD COPS
After long maintaining that deputies should have college experience, Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell says applicants will no longer need college classes to get jobs. He says he’s already done that for would-be correctional officers at the county jail. He acknowledges reluctance at dropping the standard that mandated either college degrees or a combination of…
Ponderous Astra a worthy exercise
Is there more to James Grey’s Ad Astra than meets the eye? Or is there less? It’s something I’ve been turning over and over in my mind since seeing it a week ago. I suppose the fact that I am still thinking about it, when so many movies are forgotten by the time I get…
So long September
As we wing our way through the last weekend in September, look for more fun in the sun for a bit longer as we transition from the beer gardens gigs and few remaining outdoor festivals back into the more intimate spaces to be seen inside the bar scene. Brace yourself as the 18th annual International…
Shonen Knife
From humble beginnings in their hometown of Osaka, Japan, as a DIY, punk-pop-rock band back in 1981, this group of two sisters, Naoko (vocals, guitar) and Atsuko (bass, vocals), along with Risa (drums, vocals) is still going strong in 2019. With a new album, Sweet Candy Power, out this summer, supported by a current two-month…
Apple goodness in every bite
Over the years I’ve made a lot of pie. I grew up with multiple generations of pie bakers, all of whom had very high standards, especially where crust was concerned. I still use my great grandmother’s recipes, though as I’ve gotten older and more confident I’ve had the audacity to tweak them slightly. It was…
extinction poem # 9
extinction poem # 9 did you hear her words last monday? 16 year old greta thunberg of the youth led climate strike at the UN? “you have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words” “I want you to feel the fear I feel every day – and then I want you to…
