Cover Story
The missing moderates
Illinoisans are passionately moderate. For a quarter century, that was the contention of the Republican governors who led the state from 1977 to 2003. Governors Jim Edgar, James R. Thompson and George Ryan governed from the middle, sought consensus and coated whatever they did with a heavy layer of pragmatism. Edgar and Thompson supported abortion…
Springfield’s own Nutcracker
The Nutcracker Ballet is as Christmassy as you can get, right up there with fir trees, twinkling lights and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. All over the globe, ballet companies vie to create the perfect Nutcracker, and families everywhere line up for tickets. This weekend, on the grand stage at UIS-PAC, as it has every year…
Meet the new Chamber CEO
Mike Murphy is the new CEO of the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce, effective Dec. 1. He resigned his elected position of state representative to take on this role. Murphy says he is excited about his new position and looks forward to working with local government to help local businesses prosper. Murphy was born in…
conjecture poem # 2
charlotte, emily, ann, branwell: well-known names – three for famous works one for debauchery – but there were six bronte progeny – two older daughters unsung but from their deaths from pneumonia in the drafty ice wet boarding school they attended (read of its grisly details in jane eyre written long after by the now-eldest…
Letters to the Editor 12/9/21
We welcome letters. Please include your full name, address and telephone number. We edit all letters. Send them to editor@illinoistimes.com. —- NOTHING NEW Sangamon County has long been in congressional, state Senate and state House districts that are so overwhelmingly Republican that Democrats rarely run, leaving the Republican unopposed (“Rigged elections?” Dec. 2). So excuse…
When you’re a wannabe
The Kyle Rittenhouse trial and verdict is a bit like those ink blot tests psychologists sometimes have patients examine. A half-dozen folks can look at the same thing and see something different. I’ve heard Rittenhouse described as a “hero” by right-wingers and as a “criminal” by those on the left. But when I look at…
Bring back the city education liaison
In November 2003 I became the city of Springfield’s first (and so far, only) education liaison, a cabinet-level position reporting directly to Mayor Tim Davlin, who by his selection of me fulfilled a popular campaign promise. I created the office using resources from the National League of Cities’ Mayors’ Education Policy Advisors Network. This is…
Jesse Sullivan is well-funded, but does he have a chance?
He’s handsome, articulate and driven. His pretty wife and four adorable children appear to have come right out of central casting. When Jesse Sullivan launched his campaign in September, he already had raised $11 million, several times more than all of his Republican opponents combined. In fact, not that long ago – before billionaires and…
Yuletide tipples
Warm and cozy cocktails are an ideal way to spread holiday cheer even as temperatures drop. Most cocktails were in fact hot drinks until refrigeration became a reality, given how difficult it was to procure ice outside of winter months. What we think of today as a hot toddy likely originated in 16th century Scotland,…
‘Tis the season
As the holidays come closer, we all know how much music is a part of the celebration from Rudolph to Bethlehem, Santa to jingle bells and herald angels to your two front teeth. Songs about the “most wonderful time of the year” are ubiquitous, ever-present and undeniable. So get out there and enjoy it all…
A seasonal ensemble repertoire for tuba and euphonium
Need a new family holiday tradition? Check out TubaChristmas at White Oaks Mall on Saturday, Dec. 11. This year marks the 48th anniversary of the TubaChristmas concerts which are presented throughout the world. The event was conceived in 1974 by Harvey Phillips as a tribute to his tuba teacher and mentor, William J. Bell, who…
Experience the magic
Illinois Times scored an exclusive interview with Santa Claus just in time for his upcoming virtual appearance at The Muni, and boy, did we get the scoop on the old guy. Did you know that, although he says he feels pretty lucky with his job of flying around the world delivering cheer, his first job…
More groups claim new maps violate federal Voting Rights Act
One of the things that I most certainly did not have on my 2021 legislative bingo card last January was that an Oak Park liberal Democratic Senate President and the state’s first Black House Speaker would be fighting multiple legal claims that their new state legislative district maps deprive protected minorities of their constitutional rights.…
Editors note 12/9/21
The Republican Party in Illinois needs to be taken seriously, because in the land of Lincoln Republicans know deep down they have to steer their party away from the ridiculous Donald Trump. That’s what party leaders mean when they call for “moderation” in their platforms and candidates, but that’s too boring to take them far.…
Sandra Bullock saves Unforgiveable, pointed Champions, heartfelt C’mon
Bullock, strong cast nearly save Unforgiveable There’s an almost-not-quite quality to Nora Fingscheidt’s The Unforgivable, an adaptation of an English television series. Sandra Bullock is Ruth Slater, who’s just served a 20-year sentence for killing a police officer. Upon release, she finds it hard to pick up the threads of her life, though she finds…
Bus driver shortages
As schools brought students back into the classroom at the start of the semester under new COVID-19 pandemic protocols, they were met with a shortage of bus drivers. As the semester winds down, Springfield School District 186 reports fewer delays, but an ongoing shortage of drivers that sometimes results in doubled-up routes when drivers call…
New round of rental assistance opens
The application portal is now open for another $297 million of rental assistance for Illinoisans who lost income due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Illinois Rental Payment Program, or ILRPP, money comes from the federal American Rescue Plan Act signed into law by President Joe Biden in March. It will be administered by the Illinois…
