Cover Story
Bringing back working-class Democrats
Larry Acton was once a Democrat but today, like many rural, working-class voters, the Springfield man supports Republicans. “The party changed – not me. The Democratic Party has become elitist and focused on issues that have nothing to do with how I live my life,” the 61-year-old livestock feed salesman said. Acton reflects a national…
Illinois to keep public health dollars while red states lose out
After the Trump administration slashed billions in state and local public health funding from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention earlier this year, the eventual impact on states split sharply along political lines. Democratic-led states that sued to block the cuts – including Illinois – kept much of their funding, while Republican-led states lost the…
Meyers “Taco John” Everitt
It is with profound love and the deepest sense of loss that we announce the passing of baby Meyers “Taco John” Everitt. Meyers, named after his great-grandpa Ronald Meyers, was born on Nov. 27, 2024, in Springfield, Illinois, and left our world far too soon on Sept. 4, 2025, in the same loving community where…
Rockballet: Storytellers
Dive into a night of electrifying performances with Rockballet: Storytellers, featuring music by Billy Joel and Stevie Nicks. This is a high-energy fusion of classical dance and iconic rock music performed live by local group Downstate. Don’t miss this unique celebration of art and sound that brings together the energy of rock and the elegance…
High and Low overstays its welcome, star power makes Murder Club
Lee, Washington tackle the great divide in Highest Using the Akira Kurosawa classic High and Low as a starting point, Spike Lee delivers a searing examination of the ever-expanding class divide in Highest 2 Lowest, his fifth collaboration with Denzel Washington. Like so many of the director’s films, he casts a wide net regarding the…
Editor’s note
On March 5, 1770, British troops were patrolling the streets of Boston, where colonists resented the presence of armed men in their city uninvited. Rocks and verbal abuse were thrown at the soldiers, whose tempers flared and military weapons were fired, resulting in deaths of civilians. The event became known as the Boston Massacre, which…
Revenge
We lived on the home farm when we were small My brother and I found a nearby ditch piled with trash and garbage. Daddy sent out a farm hand to clean it up. We watched while Ed shoveled the mess into the back of a pickup. “Aha!” he cried finding several empty envelopes. We drove…
Trump’s trans ban affects Chatham resident
To Dahlia Dahl, President Donald Trump’s ban on transgender people serving in the military – more expansive than the one that eventually took effect during the Republican’s first term – is unfair and unwise. Dahl, 22, a Chatham resident and the daughter of Dave and Corrina Dahl, enlisted in the Illinois Army National Guard in…
Learning trades and theology
A new college began classes Sept. 2 in Springfield with 24 students from across the nation learning building trades – and theology. The motto of San Damiano College for the Trades is “Rebuild my church,” which can be interpreted in a variety of ways, from the physical rebuilding of religious edifices to the spiritual rebuilding…
U of I to begin drilling test well this winter
Dr. Kathleen Campbell spoke in front of the Springfield City Council in June to express opposition to plans for drilling of a test well by University of Illinois Urbana Champaign’s Prairie Research Institute in partnership with City Water, Light and Power. Campbell, an emeritus professor at SIU School of Medicine and a Glenarm resident, lives…
Chefs solve perishable produce problem
At Prairie Fruits Farm and Creamery’s Caprae Restaurant in Champaign, we have developed close relationships with our farmers. It’s truly a two-way street. Being a farm-to-table restaurant, our menu is driven by what our farmers can provide for us. Often, they go out of their way to accommodate our needs. In return, if they have…
September songs sung
Hello fellow travelers in the local music scene. As we ramble on, we’re still taking it to the streets, keeping it real, begging the question, searching for answers and making it happen everywhere there is to go. Thursday is the first night in our music listings, so we like to begin our adventures here. I…
Not the usual rally crowd
The breadth of invited attendees at the event organized last week by Gov. JB Pritzker really stood out for me. The event along the Chicago River was designed to publicly warn President Donald Trump not to send National Guard or regular military troops into the city. The usual collection of Democratic politicians, union leaders and…
A compassionate kind of care
For the second year in a row, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine resident physicians and medical students spent a few hours experiencing some of the nonclinical challenges associated with being a patient in poverty. Roughly 14,000 people live below the federal poverty line in Springfield, according to the most recent census data. Almost 60…
