Cover Story
The Pet Issue
Come downtown for the First Friday pet parade on Friday, June 2,. Plus, plenty of downtown businesses are pet-friendly year round. This year’s pet issue also includes questions to ask when considering dog boarding or day care, what to do when you find a stray kitten and how to deal with the odors pets leave…
Dealing with divisive topics
An often bitter, loud and racially divisive debate played out before, during and after last week’s Chicago city council meeting where members voted to pass a temporary funding package to shelter asylum-seekers. The debate pitted mostly older Black alderpersons and moderate-to-conservative whites against Latinos and progressives of all stripes. Much of the division also fell…
Spreading fear about transgender people
YMCA of Springfield officials say “untrue statements” have been made online that a child was inappropriately exposed to male genitalia in a Y locker room by either a transgender female or a man pretending to be transgender. “These statements are false,” the nonprofit organization said in a news release June 2. “Any report of this…
Little Mermaid remake falls short, Shooting Stars showcases team effort
Mermaid’s world not new enough In the eternal pursuit of a healthy bottom line, Disney has never learned to leave well enough alone. “More is better” is the mantra when it comes to generating profit as well as its approach to rebooting properties. The profits generated by the live-action remakes of their animated classics seem…
Letters to the editor 06-01-23
IT FITS As the Division Chief of Operations for the Springfield Fire Department, I worked closely with the apparatus committee and oversaw the project to purchase new equipment, including the firetruck that is supposedly too tall to fit under the viaduct near the main fire station (“A controversial purchase,” May 18). There are always two…
Life with vets
Folks often ask me, “What’s it like to be married to a veterinarian?” My response: “Well, not all that different from being the son of one.” You see, I’ve been blessed with two veterinarians in my life – my father and my wife. I was reflecting on this familiar anomaly as I recently watched the…
Leave those kittens alone . . . at least for a while
What is it about finding young kittens that makes people want to do something right away? Maybe it’s because we know not to leave helpless, human babies alone. But kittens aren’t humans, and their mothers, though absent when you spy the kittens, may be taking excellent care of them. Stepping in and scooping up the…
Come downtown and bring your pets
If you’re a pet owner, you know life is a little sweeter when shared with your favorite friend from the animal kingdom, especially when you’re heading to downtown Springfield in the beautiful summer weather to shop, dine al fresco, or grab a beer and take in the sunset. Doug Mayol, owner of The Cardologist Card…
A blast of June music
A blast of June music NOW PLAYING | Tom Irwin Hello to June of 20 and 23 as the sixth month of the year is coming in hot, weather-wise and otherwise. With outdoor temps more akin to late summertime, things certainly feel like we’ve jumped into the fire, and the schedule of music happenings is…
City of Springfield cited for refusal to cover gender-affirming care
After being denied health coverage for hormone treatments to support her identity as a transgender woman, a former Lincoln Library manager says she is happy to work for a Chicago-area library where her employer’s plan pays for gender-affirming care. “I’m celebrated and accepted where I am now,” Katherine Holt told Illinois Times on May 30.…
Editor’s note 06-01-23
“What’s happening to the local news?” is the question posed to the three of us on the panel at the Citizens Club May 26. It led to a generally gloomy discussion, moderated by Randy Eccles, NPR Illinois general manager, about the changing media environment in Springfield and across the nation. Social media, polarization and misinformation…
Court rules against man filing serial lawsuits
A 32-year-old Springfield man identified by authorities as an anti-government “sovereign citizen” lost his appeal to overturn a lower-court decision Sangamon County prosecutors obtained in 2022 to stop his alleged harassment of them. The unanimous May 2 decision from a three-member panel of Illinois Appellate Court judges dismissing Derick L. Turner’s appeal affirmed an Aug.…
It’s time you tried boba tea
Born in Taiwan in the 1980s, boba tea has experienced a surge in popularity. The “bubbles” are known as “boba” – chewy little tapioca balls about a centimeter in diameter. Boba tea is essentially a fusion of a tea drink popular in 1980s Taiwan in which green or black tea was shaken with ice and…
How to deal with pet odor
ust because we consider our pets part of our family does not mean that people who come over to our home or live there next will be as fond of them, especially if they leave behind any lingering odors. Whether you are hoping to sell your house soon or just want to freshen things up,…
Questions to ask when considering dog boarding or day care
One of the many considerations when welcoming a dog into your life is what to do when you’re away, whether at work or for longer stretches of time. The concept of boarding kennels has been around for decades, but doggie day care has become an increasingly popular choice for dog owners. Sending a dog to…
Resurrecting Billy Sunday
Part commemoration, part reenactment and part revival, the Billy Sunday 1909 Celebration: “Six Weeks that Saved the Soul of Springfield” (A Trilogy, Part 1) blew through the capital city like a Pentecostal whirlwind May 28, inspiring and energizing a faithful crowd of about 300 at the Bank of Springfield (BOS) Center. Sponsored by the Ministerial…
New laws provide more benefitsfor noncitizens
Illinois’ immigrant community was the subject of two measures decided by the General Assembly this legislative session. If the bills are signed by Gov. JB Pritzker, noncitizens will become eligible to obtain standard driver’s licenses and will be allowed to become peace officers. House Bill 3882 passed May 24 along party lines and would make…
