Cover Story
Thousand-Year Statehouse
David L. Finnigan, originally from Lincoln, now of Springfield, was a graduate student in architecture at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale in 2018 and was reading a book about English palaces. He says, “My first thought was that it is too bad we don’t have something like that here. Then, it dawned on me – we do.…
Rich drama about the Black experience
The late August Wilson (1945-2005) remains one of America’s most important playwrights, leaving behind enormously entertaining work that is a triumph of history and theatricality. The Springfield Theatre Centre’s production of Wilson’s Gem of the Ocean at the Hoogland – directed by Reggie Guyton – is a major event, a must-see for anyone who cares…
The story of Japanese curry rice
In Japan, kare raisu, or curry rice, is the equivalent of our beloved mac and cheese in the blue box. Kare raisu is a rich, velvety roux-based stew and is considered to be Japan’s national home-cooking dish. It’s consumed two to three times a month on average in Japanese households. Kare raisu is the number…
Dealing with dangerous ideas
The later 1960s are widely recognized as a period of intense upheaval in the United States. However, the unrest developed over time, as the two controversies discussed in Matthew C. Ehrlich’s Dangerous Ideas on Campus: Sex, Conspiracy, and Academic Freedom in the Age of JFK show (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2021, $24.95). The two…
IDOC makes plan to close units at Vandalia and Pontiac prisons
The Illinois Department of Corrections is making plans to downsize – plans that a major public employee union claims have not been shared with its members. With statewide inmate population dwindling to 28,000 and mounting maintenance bills on prison buildings at correctional centers across the state, DOC developed a plan which may include significant downsizing…
Music in town
As we go on meandering through the winter of 2022, with COVID maybe on the side of waning (again), the Super Bowl out of the way (with more talk about the halftime show than the game) and a blast of cold weather on the way, allow me to possibly brighten your day with the possibilities…
Editor’s Note 2/17/22
Some days, things don’t go the way you think they’re going to go. First it was my car. I heard a strange sound, looked under the car and saw a piece of metal dragging the pavement. Oh no, this is going to cost me. I drove to the repair shop downtown, dragging the metal piece…
Black History Month
Emmett Till was 14 years old in the summer of 1955 when he traveled by train from Chicago to the Mississippi Delta to visit relatives. What happened next shocked a nation and would prove to be a focal point for the Civil Rights Movement. His tragic story is being retold by the powerful new television…
See for yourself
Sangamon County is pioneering a way of making court cases more transparent – it’s livestreaming hearings on the internet. “To the best of my knowledge, we are the first county in Illinois to do this,” said Circuit Clerk Paul Palazzolo. Cameras were first allowed in Illinois courtrooms 10 years ago, under an initiative spearheaded by…
Cursed is tedious, Marry Me flops and Blacklight stumbles
Atmospheric Cursed flirts with tedium There’s a great deal to like about Sean Ellis’ The Cursed, a werewolf tale set in 19th century France. Atmospheric and unique, it gets off to a rousing start in the trenches of WWI, where we see Edward Laurent (Alun Raglan) die on a makeshift operating table after being wounded…
Think spring. Buy a tree.
It’s time to get ready for spring. Now through the end of February you can order trees through the Springfield Parks Foundation. Purchase a tree for yourself or donate one for the Springfield Park District to plant. All proceeds from the tree sales will be used by the Springfield Parks Foundation to help fund local…
Butler School turns 100
Commemorative bricks to help pay for construction of a planned outdoor classroom space at Butler Elementary School are being sold in preparation for the school’s 100-year celebration. The engraved bricks – which cost $50 or $75 depending on their size, and can be purchased at bricksrus.com/donorsite/butler – are part of festivities culminating with a May…
UIS debates diversity curriculum
A three-year debate about how and whether the concepts of diversity, inequality and social responsibility should be taught at University of Illinois Springfield could culminate Feb. 18. The Campus Senate, made up of about 30 faculty and student members, will consider resolutions at that time dealing with the Engaged Citizenship Common Experience (ECCE) curriculum. The…
Another Valentine Poem
These words were written by my mother, Vera Wardner Dougan, to my father early in their marriage. If I could give to you one only gift To hold forever in remembrance of me ‘Twould be the peace that enters in the heart When love comes there to dwell all silently. I’d warm it in the…
Letters to the editor 2/17/22
We welcome letters. Please include your full name, address and telephone number. We edit all letters. Send them to editor@illinoistimes.com. —- A LOT OF MONEY I do not live anywhere near the proposed apartments on Park Street but have my objections (“Helping Hands plans more permanent supportive housing,” Feb. 10). The project’s total cost is…
Richard Irvin gets called out on mandates
I was a bit flabbergasted to see last week that Republican gubernatorial candidate Richard Irvin told a blatant falsehood on a southern Illinois radio station. But what came after that helps us see how the Republican primary will play out for the next four-and-a-half months. If you follow my blog, CapitolFax.com, you know that Irvin…
Cutting the columnists
Phil Luciano, perhaps Illinois’ best newspaper columnist, hung up his fedora at the Peoria Journal-Star and left the newspaper business. I’ve known Phil for 35 years and have long admired his writing. We were once classmates in a graduate program at Sangamon State University back when “Big Jim” Thompson was in the Governor’s Mansion and…
The mysterious 13th district candidate
The new Illinois 2022-2030 congressional map has the dubious distinction of being one of the most gerrymandered congressional maps in the nation. Princeton University’s Gerrymandering Project presented the newly drawn Illinois congressional map with an “F” grade. Downstate’s new 13th Congressional District may be the most gerrymandered district in Illinois. Upon passing the final map…
Mayor appoints acting director of Lincoln Library
The new acting director of Lincoln Library says she may not have a college degree in library science, but her education and experience in government and the nonprofit world will serve her and the library’s patrons well. “My skills set … lends itself to what is asked of the library director at Lincoln Library,” acting…
