Cover Story
The end of an era
A 149-year-old family manufacturing business in Chatham is closing its doors in early June and an unrelated, but well-known, national franchise business will move into its space along Interstate 55. Armbruster Manufacturing Company will close and its 33,000-square-foot facility will be the new home of the central Illinois Roto-Rooter franchise. The sale of the legacy…
Career fairs: Fantastic opportunities and future planning
Who doesn’t love a fair? While career fairs aren’t the kind where you’re likely to find cotton candy or Ferris wheels, they hold even better opportunities. They are great ways to network, explore job opportunities and plan for the future. Lincoln Land Community College is committed to strengthening our communities. This includes fostering success for…
Some state primary ads go negative
“The woke left is coming after me for peeing on a tree during my college days,” state Rep. Adam Niemerg, R-Dietrich, told me not long ago. I’ve told you about this race before. The 102nd Illinois House District is one of a handful of southeastern and southern Illinois Republican primaries that might slow or intensify…
A history of the Armbruster Manufacturing Company
Rudolph Herman “R.H.” Armbruster was born in 1852 in Baden, Germany. He emigrated with his parents to the United States before the Civil War and the family settled in Springfield in 1855. In 1875, R.H. Armbruster broke away from his family’s prominent Springfield jewelry business to open an awning and upholstery store. His first shop…
“There’s a magic about this place.”
Several Armbruster Manufacturing Company employees have worked for the 149-year-old firm for approximately one-third of its history. What keeps the employees coming to work at the same place for decades? “It’s been a fun job. I’ve been to England four times and to Norway,” said Jim Wiggins, who has worked for 51 years at Armbruster.…
The Carole King musical is beautiful. And fun.
Music brings people together. I was in high school when Carole King’s Tapestry was released in 1971, and my chorus teacher, Pam Perry, took a group of us to see King in concert at the Arie Crowne Theater in Chicago. Almost 50 years later, Patricia Freeman and I saw King and James Taylor in concert…
Portraits of Peace
In partnership with the Springfield and Central Illinois African American History Museum, Westminster Presbyterian Church presents “Portraits of Peace,” a program featuring both music and drama celebrating the lives of civil rights leaders Rosa Parks and the Rev. Dr. C. T. Vivian. Dr. Sharon J. Willis of Atlanta, Georgia, a composer, playwright and actress, will…
Indian food recipes adapted for Instant Pot
Every morning when I wake up, the first thing I do is check the weather app on my phone, and then I scan my emails. I had to do a double-take recently when I opened an email newsletter from Anupy Singla, one of my favorite cookbook authors. Her post began: “This week, I launched my…
St. Pat’s party up
Welcome to that most wonderful time of the year when the true “March Madness” occurs. And, yes, I’m talking about St. Patrick’s Day happenings in Springfield, Illinois. Granted, St. Patty’s Day partying happens all over the U.S. – and other parts of the world for that matter – but around our town we’ve always shown…
Murder mystery a witty, nostalgic romp through 2003
Springfield writer and director Courtney Wick’s hilarious murder mystery, Nightmare at the Hot Mess Salon, which debuts Friday, is a sequel to her successful previous effort during the 2021-2022 Springfield Theatre Centre season. And like its predecessor, Nightmare at the Sweet Dreams Inn, which was set in 1997, the new play (set in 2003) promises…
Editors note 3/14/24
A group that has organized 103 annual banquets can be expected to know how to manage conflict with understanding and forgiveness. At its event Sunday, the Springfield branch of the NAACP kept its program moving while its usually vocal local director, Teresa Haley, sat quietly at a front table. Nobody said anything about her having…
Limited capacity in juvenile detention centers statewide
The temporary closure of the Sangamon County Juvenile Detention Center almost six months ago and a shortage of staffed beds in detention facilities statewide could affect public safety, Springfield’s police chief says. “It’s stuff like this that contributes to the increase in crime stats,” Chief Kenneth Scarlette told Illinois Times. The Springfield Police Department highlighted…
Zone of Interest looks at the callousness of evil, Michael Keaton shines in Knox Goes Away and Neon Highway a solid effort
Zone a powerful examination of the callousness of evil The Hoss household is very much like yours and mine. The mother, Hedwig, worries about her children, has to make sure that meals are prepared on time, the garden is tended to and is preparing for a visit from her mother. Her husband, Rudolf, is consumed…
Local food measures, student teacher pay advance at Statehouse
Although Illinois is one of the nation’s leading agricultural states, it can still be a challenge for consumers here to shop for food that comes from local farms, dairies and ranches. The Senate Agriculture Committee heard testimony March 7 on two bills that seek to make Illinois-grown food more accessible to the state’s consumers. Senate…
Found in a 1954 letter
Found in a 1954 letter from my mother at my first daughter’s birth: Mom used to sing it to us when we too were babes – I recall it. “I love small uncivilized things, Babies, and rabbits, and birds that carry around in their eyes strange little thoughts without words” I also recall her singing…
Letters to the editor 3/14/24
We welcome letters. Please include your full name, address and telephone number. We edit all letters. Send them to editor@illinoistimes.com. —- DISTRICT 186 WAS SOLD A STORY I highly recommend everybody listen to “Sold a Story,” the podcast mentioned in the cover story (“When kids can’t read,” Feb. 29). I couldn’t believe schools were still…
