Cover Story
Teaching LGBT history
Illinois’ public school students may soon learn about Jane Addams in a new light. “Illinoisan Jane Addams, the mother of social work, founder of the Hull House, and Nobel Peace Prize recipient, was in a committed 40-year relationship with her partner, Mary Rozet Smith,” read a statement from Equality Illinois during the debate over House…
Jeremy Pinnell
This Kentucky native, specifically from Burlington about 15 miles from the Ohio River town of Cincinnati, brings the country of his state to the forefront, making compelling music with a distinct sense of place as traveling through time. Jeremy Pinnell does what the folks are calling “hardscrabble honky-tonk” and keeps the country rough and ready…
HOLIDAY HACK TOURS
Stumped for a gift for a friend or family member? Do they live near or travel to Chicago, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, New York City or Los Angeles? If so, give them a Museum Hack gift certificate, and treat them to a fun and unconventional museum experience. This is not your grandma’s museum tour, but…
SANTA IS REAL
Santa’s elf at White Oaks Mall sent us this story: “Someone had given Santa an Xbox Switch to give to a child. Last week a boy came in with his parents. Santa asked him what he’d like for Christmas. He said he’d like for his mom not to work so hard. Santa asked if there…
Students are more than their ACT scores
Finally! Finally, some colleges and universities are forgoing the reliance on the ACT or SAT in selecting candidates for admission. In Illinois, Knox College led the way in 2005; next fall Monmouth College and Western Illinois University (WIU) will be adopting a “test optional” policy, the second Illinois public university to move to this practice…
Eastwood’s Jewell a portrait of naïve heroism
During his long acting career, Clint Eastwood employed the less-is-more approach whenever he appeared on screen. In many ways, he’s done the same where directing is concerned. Never one for needless camera movements, skewed angles, distracting lighting or any other attention-grabbing techniques, Eastwood’s best work is based on solid writing and dynamic performances, a classic,…
Intimate Marriage Story looks at all sides of divorce
As with so many relationships that end in divorce, a lack of communication is at the core of the troubles for the couple in Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story. Using his relationship with his ex-wife, Jennifer Jason Leigh, as a basis for the movie, there’s an intimacy to what we see that is at times uncomfortable…
City sidewalks dressed in holiday style
Enjoy shopping, dining and holiday cheer at downtown Springfield’s charming shops and restaurants during Saturday’s Old Capitol Holiday Walk. The 2019 holiday walks feature a 12-foot-tall Christmas tree sponsored by Ace Sign Co. and Butler Funeral Homes, complimentary horse-drawn carriage rides around the plaza, holiday lights and music in Union Park and a musical performance…
Christmas in the 19th Century
Volunteers have decked the halls of one of Springfield’s oldest homes, the Elijah Iles House, to help show how Christmas was celebrated in the 19th century and how it evolved from the 1840s through the 1890s. The open house will feature live readings of an 1866 Christmas story with Thomas Nast illustrations, live music by…
Just say whoa
William Ervin seems a decent sort. Married with children, he lives in Laketown. The lawn is mowed, the dishes are washed, the floors are swept, the laundry is done. He goes to church and looks like the kind of guy you want for a neighbor. Ervin acknowledges past problems with alcohol, but says he’s been…
Editor’s note
Chris Richmond, the retired former city fire marshal, was armed with facts, determination and confidence as he led reporters around the hulking ruins of the abandoned Pillsbury plant last Saturday. He’s working with the city to try to untie the “legal knot” involving a $2 million federal lien against the property, which prevents progress on…
Discover sherry and port, the winter wines
An elegant finish to a rich holiday meal, fortified wines like sherry and port are perfectly suited to the long, cold nights of winter. These wines are steeped in history and tradition and, after years of declining sales, these wines are becoming once again popular. Many younger drinkers are discovering the versatility and complexity of…
Madigan forms new alliances
The oddest political couple in the state’s Democratic Party is teaming up again. Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan is backing yet another young protégé of progressive US Rep. Chuy Garcia (D-Chicago) for the Illinois House at a time when other people appear to be distancing themselves from or even challenging the powerful House Speaker. Madigan…
Decembering doings
Welcome to the middle of December as the going gets going on into a wonderful world of music making in many forms. The holiday shows are still showing up with a bunch of the regulars hanging tough as well, plus a few artists passing through we may never see again. Thursday holds a wild and…
Letters to the Editor 12-12-19
FOCUS ON DAILY REALITIES Just before the 2016 election, Rodney Davis withdrew support (and presumably his vote) for Donald Trump, thereby suggesting that we do likewise. Now Davis cheerfully swears that he not only admires and trusts Trump to do well by us, but he also serves as an honorary 2020 election co-chair. What happened? …
second best poem #23
when my dad died and we dismantled the family homestead I laid claim to my father’s second best knife: a small sharp tool that just fit your hand it cut anything scaled fish removed burrs I trimmed my goat’s toenails with it my dad repeatedly said to any user “be careful of my second best…
Pot shop proprietor wants onsite consumption
Springfield’s only existing marijuana dispensary is seeking a permit to allow on-premises consumption of marijuana once pot becomes legal for recreational use on Jan. 1. Ascend Illinois, also, is asking for city permission to sell recreational marijuana on the 600 block of East Adams Street, where the company already operates a medical marijuana dispensary called…
