New mayor makes appointments
The department heads selected this week by Springfield Mayor Misty Buscher include Republicans, Democrats, holdovers and new faces. “It’s extremely important to me that the community knows that diversity does matter to me. I have to fix that so that our equity scorecard looks better. And I’m passionate about doing that,” said Buscher. Buscher said…
Women coach women on leadership
Twelve new graduates of the Illinois Women’s Institute for Leadership Training Academy met with legislators at the Capitol April 19. Graduates of the program who went on to election to the General Assembly gave the group advice on how to be more effective leaders and urged them to consider using their new skills in public…
How baseball got its start in Illinois
Long before the designated hitter, November World Series night games and $30 million salaries there was a game of baseball that many fans would probably recognize in its rudimentary form. Here in Springfield, we might not recognize the Capital, Lone Star, or Dexter Base Ball Clubs but they were all teams from our community that…
Make a meringue for Mom
Made with just four simple ingredients and a few careful techniques, meringue is an elegant dessert shape shifter. Naturally gluten-free and dairy-free and relatively low in calories, meringues are a good choice when entertaining a group with dietary restrictions. They can be made several days in advance. Meringue is made by vigorously whipping egg whites…
May music arrives
Cheers to the merry month of May, one filled with possibilities, or maybe not. But most assuredly there is plenty of live music happening around town as our bountiful beer gardens, wonderful wineries and other fresh air venues continue to open and thrive. Let’s see what’s happening out there so you can get an idea…
A new way to explore Illinois’ capital city
Springfield is an historic place with interesting people of the past who helped shape not only the physical city around us, but also our culture as it has evolved since the early 1800s, and our response to and participation in national events. We don’t have to look far to find the places that are keeping…
Mayor Misty Buscher announces department directors
In her first full day of office, May 8, Mayor Misty Buscher has announced City of Springfield department directors and staff as follows: Police Chief – Chief Ken Scarlette, current Springfield Police Department Chief, who has been with the department since 1998. Fire Chief – Ed Canny, current Springfield Fire Department Division Chief and Captain, serving since…
Senate passes several controversial bills
The Illinois Senate debated and passed several bills last Thursday dealing with what the news media likes to call “culture war” issues. Perhaps the least controversial (there was almost no debate) was House Bill 1591, which deletes some anti-miscegenation laws still on the books since 1915. Even so, nine Republicans voted against the bill. A…
Peter Pan a worthy update, Beau a dark tale of the mind, What’s Love is meandering
Pan a surprisingly effective update One of the year’s best films, David Lowery’s Peter Pan and Wendy provides a more adult, melancholy take on J.M. Barrie’s seminal tale, a brilliant reinvention that looks at the deceptive allure of childhood, the resistance to maturity and the cost of responsibility with an unflinching eye. The plot is…
Editors note 5/4/23
At last week’s meeting of the Citizens Club of Springfield, Illinois Supreme Court Justice Lisa Holder White was asked: Does the absence of ethical standards for the U.S. Supreme Court lead to a decline in public trust for the court? “The justices of the U.S. Supreme Court have a lifetime appointment,” she answered. “That probably…
Ambulance arguments
A recent decision by the Illinois Labor Relations Board siding with the Springfield firefighters’ union will give the union an opportunity to advance its proposal for a city-operated ambulance service to supplement private ambulances, the union’s president says. Kainan Rinaberger, president of Springfield Fire Fighters Local 37, said the ruling will allow its members with…
New solar farms proposed for Sangamon County
Steve Jones wants residents of his rural subdivision five miles east of Springfield to tell the Sangamon County Board May 9 they don’t want a solar farm a half-mile or less from their homes. “I’m not against alternative energy,” the retired union sheet-metal worker told Illinois Times. “The big thing we’re worried about is taking…
Training police to avoid wrongful convictions
The Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board has made the state the first in the nation to mandate wrongful conviction awareness and avoidance training at all seven police training academies in the state. The Illinois Innocence Project (IIP) at University of Illinois Springfield will continue to manage the training, which until now had only…
Noncitizen driver’s licenses
The Illinois House has passed a bill to make it possible for noncitizen residents to receive a standard driver’s license. Currently, such persons may only obtain a Temporary Visitor Driver’s License, which may not be used as identification. As of May 1 the bill was awaiting a final vote in the Senate. The legislation would…
Ron Dougan to his kids 9/10/1959
I found a baby squirrel on a hot parking lot, took it back to the office, fed it some crackers and milk and bedded it down in the secretary’s desk drawer. When Helen opened the drawer she saw his tail and took off like a rocket. It really shouldn’t bother her for she does run…
Letters 5/4/23
We welcome letters. Please include your full name, address and telephone number. We edit all letters. Send them to editor@illinoistimes.com. —- BETTER SOLUTION? As the owner of a farm in Christian County, I have been watching closely the carbon capture debate (“A pause on the pipeline,” April 27). Carbon capture is somewhat of an unknown,…
The myth of May Day
A lot of the “history” we were taught in school was nothing more than fables. Christopher Columbus didn’t prove the world was round. George Washington’s teeth weren’t made of wood. Abraham Lincoln didn’t write the Gettysburg address on the back of an envelope. The Liberty Bell didn’t crack on July 4, 1776. Benjamin Franklin almost…
The micropantry movement
It all began three years ago in the midst of a global pandemic and it is responsible for feeding thousands of hungry Sangamon County families, but no one is quite sure how it all got started. More than three dozen micropantries, or blessing boxes, have been created in Springfield neighborhoods and nearby communities. Folks with…
