Dr. Kemia Sarraf, founder and director of genHkids, holding a “generation healthy” child. PHOTO COURTESY GENHKIDS As a response to what was being called an epidemic of obesity in America, Dr. Kemia Sarraf felt it was time to take action in Sangamon County. It was 2008. With Illinois near the bottom of average state rankings […]
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Let the sunshine in
PHOTOSHOP ILLUSTRATION BY JOE COPLEY Mayor Mike Houston calls the shots at Springfield city council meetings. And hizzoner wasn’t much interested in following rules or listening to anyone when nine people signed up to speak about Hunter Lake, the city’s proposed alternate water source, at the March 4 council meeting. “There’ll be a three-minute limit […]
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A beacon for ex-cons
Before he was even 12, Lorenzo Louden had shot a man and slept with two prostitutes. Growing up so early, it’s no wonder he preferred gang life to school and eventually wound up in prison. Now 57, Louden runs the Springfield-based nonprofit Tower of Refuge with his wife, Bevey. Using his life experience and her […]
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Dead dogs walking
Blind, deaf, toothless and old, Gina, a malnourished mutt found in freezing cold, has ended up a lucky dog, thanks to Pat LeComte. PHOTOS BY BRUCE RUSHTON The dog on the exam table looks like a creature from a Star Wars sequel. Even with a doggie sweater on, it weighs just four pounds, five ounces, […]
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Cash helps Rauner climb
CARTOON BY CHRIS BRITT On the day Gov. Pat Quinn gave his annual State of the State address, which was preceded by all of its usual pomp and circumstance, Republican gubernatorial primary candidate Bruce Rauner stepped into the Illinois House of Representatives gallery to take one of the few open seats on the Republican side. […]
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Carrying the torch
PHOTO BY PATRICK YEAGLE Every Tuesday night Bar None (corner of Fifth Street and Monroe) plays host to Torch Tuesday, the area’s most reliable showcase for hip-hop music and culture. Presided over by Howard “Torch” Tomas, Torch Tuesday has been going strong for years. January was particularly exciting for the little Springfield rap show that […]
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Sniffing out trouble
Springfield patrol officer Dave Pletsch prepares for a training search with his dog, Utah, in a building on the Illinois State Fair Grounds. PHOTO BY PATRICK YEAGLE Inside a livestock building on the Illinois State Fairgrounds, a man is hiding stashes of marijuana, methamphetamine, heroin and cocaine in state-owned work vehicles parked inside for the […]
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What do the birds tell us?
H. David Bohlen continues to monitor the bird populations he has statistically and photographically documented in the two-volume report, A Study of the Birds of Sangamon County, Illinois 1970–2010. PHOTO BY TOM HANDY Birds are at once well-known companions and elusive visitors. Many embark on enormous journeys, bringing with them the songs of spring and […]
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Funny business
Stand-up comic Austin Acree, master of ceremonies Mike Pittman and production assistant Liz Zalar. PHOTO BY GINNY LEE “When I get an idea I figure out a way to bring it into fruition,” says Mike Pittman. “I’ve always had that ability.” First arriving in Springfield in the early 1980s as a pitcher for the Springfield […]
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Blues Sisters
Brooke Thomas, Monica Morris and Josie Lowder. PHOTO BY REBECCA SEARS “I have heartaches, I have blues. No matter what you got, the blues is there.” – John Lee Hooker Jan. 21-25, at the International Blues Challenge (IBC) in Memphis, Tenn., hundreds of blues musicians gather from all over the USA and parts of Europe […]
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The innovators
Fitness is in. We’ve all seen enough alarming articles about obesity in America to know that something has to change, and there are plenty of people in Springfield trying to do something about it. We’ve selected a small sample of people who are trying innovative and interesting approaches to helping those around them attain a […]
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The dead zone
Some headstones in older sections of Oak Ridge Cemetery are starting to tilt as the graveyard struggles to make ends meet. PHOTO BY BRUCE RUSHTON During winter, especially, the signs aren’t obvious. Snow covers expanses of lawn prone to brown during dry summers. Dead trees, perhaps as many as 90, aren’t distinguishable from the ones […]
