Cover Story
Teaching Black history better
“Social studies has always been my least favorite subject,” state Sen. Kimberly Lightford told Illinois Times last October. That was back when hearings about the “Black Agenda” were ongoing. Lightford, a Democrat from the Chicago suburb Maywood, was the primary Senate sponsor of the education package that passed the General Assembly earlier this month. Lightford…
Sangamon County sheriff seeks armored vehicle
Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell wants an armored vehicle but fears that he may be out of luck. In September, the sheriff’s office paid someone to travel to Nevada to kick tires on an RG-31, a veritable subcompact in the world of surplus military vehicles that the Department of Defense sells to police departments for…
Smile, you’re on court cam
Years ago, I wanted to see the inside of Tamms, the downstate supermax prison that closed in 2013. The Illinois Department of Corrections said no. But Tamms had its own courtroom, where inmates accused of attacking guards were prosecuted and those who tore up bedsheets to hang themselves faced punishment for destruction of property. Open…
Editor’s note 2/4/21
Ask bureaucrats why they’re so slow getting seniors vaccinated and they’ll tell you we don’t know how to use computers, or get on the internet, or check multiple websites. They’ll say older folks are more familiar with telephones, bless their hearts, but there are already several people answering phones and adding more would be expensive.…
People don’t like being trickled on
We need to acknowledge the role of economic inequality in creating an environment where many citizens doubt if our democratic institutions are concerned about their plight. While America has always had problems with elites trying to control wealth and resources, there have been efforts to counter this. Unions formed to keep workers from being exploited,…
Speaker Welch puts together his team
Just a couple of weeks into a job that most people couldn’t imagine being held by anyone other than the guy who had it for decades, Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch is putting together a House that looks both familiar and different at the same time. Welch’s first week included a rollout of his new…
Aeneid poem # 1: a quilter’s afterlife
fitted to this space with some added words Virgil you had it wrong or at least incomplete with your rowdy wrestling warriors pitching javelins, spears – eternal olympic games in the fields elysian: for in that same sweet greensward dwell those who sew quilt weave humming singing as they throw needles, shuttles on frames looms…
Letters to the editor 2/4/21
We welcome letters. Please include your full name, address and telephone number. We edit all letters. Send them to letters@illinoistimes.com. —- VACCINE LOTTERIES The existing policy for COVID-19 vaccination appointments in Sangamon County is confusing at best (“Vaccination challenges,” Jan. 28). At worst, it is shortsighted and cumbersome. We could do better. I have family…
Criminal justice bill would overhaul officer certification
A criminal justice package that passed both chambers of the General Assembly last month contains provisions that would grant the state increased power over police discipline and standards of conduct starting in 2022. The omnibus package, which was backed by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, has not yet arrived at the desk of Gov. JB…
Growing from the inside
Springfield native Martha Miller, a retired composition instructor who taught at Lincoln Land, is a versatile writer. She has written several novels, as well as reviews, articles and a column about her life. Her book of short stories, Tales from the Levee, explores the gay and lesbian community in Springfield from the mid-1960s into the…
A delicious collaboration
On a snowy evening in late January, Chef Denise Perry of Copper Pot Cooking Studio was busy ladling plump meatballs onto swirls of freshly made spaghetti while containers of crisp salad and fudge brownies waited to be packed and made ready for pickup. Down the street at Maldaner’s Restaurant, Chef Michael Higgins had steaming containers…
Hits and misses
Wearing out their welcome There’s an undeniable energy in Sam Levinson’s Malcolm and Marie, much of it provided by its stars, John David Washington and Zendaya, as the titular troubled couple. With its crackling dialogue and crisp visual style, it’s easy to get swept into this domestic drama that takes place over the course of…
Phat February
Howdy folks. We’re in full swing for a fortunate February, with moments of frantic phases filing through as we continue to fight a full-scale pandemic in much of the world. Here in our neighborhood family, there are glimpses of normalcy, as we go forward to face the ferocious virus that has so forcefully upended our…
Vaccine hesitations and delays
CVS and Walgreens are situated to provide up to 7 million vaccines to long-term care facilities combined, according to AARP. But the federal program pairing pharmacies with long-term care providers has failed to meet initial benchmarks. Meanwhile, large percentages of staff at many nursing homes are refusing the vaccine. “With staff, we have seen a…
GANNETT ON A ROLL
Gannett, parent company of the State Journal-Register, got good news this week with refinancing of a loan used to close a 2019 deal that created the nation’s largest newspaper company – Gannett, formerly known as GateHouse Media, owns more than 260 publications, including 23 in Illinois. The $1.8 billion loan from Apollo Global Management, a…
NEW LIFE FOR OLD LIGHTS
During the holiday season BLH Computers installed drop boxes around the area for people to deposit their burned out Christmas lights to be recycled. A total of 738 pounds of old Christmas lights were collected: 300 pounds in Springfield, 220 pounds in Chatham, 132 pounds in Leland Grove and 86 pounds in Rochester. BLH Computers…
