Feature

Tired of the same ol’, same ol’? If so, maybe it is time to rev up your holidays with a bit of Hollywood glamour, southern Illinois style. Southernmost Illinois has a few connections with the big screen that might be just the trip to add a bit of pickup from the winter doldrums. While everyone […]

Untitled Document With the holiday season upon us, the Springfield community hosts a variety of celebrations that will have even Ebeneezer Scrooge joyfully singing, “ ’Tis the season.” For many, the “official” holiday season begins with Memorial Medical Center Foundation’s annual Festival of Trees. The nine-day celebration, taking place Nov. 22 through Nov. 30 at […]

Whenever Barack Obama opens his mouth, a five-point program comes forth. The clean car arena is no exception. Obama has an ambitious 10-year, $150 billion program that he says will save more oil than the U.S. currently imports from both the Middle East and Hugo Chavez’ Venezuela. Now that he’s been elected, Obama has emphasized […]

David Brunson has grown accustomed to the staring, the pointing, the laughing, the questions, and the picture taking. When he bought his electric car three years ago, he had no idea it would command so much attention. And now, in a year that has seen record-high gas prices, Brunson is getting the last laugh. Brunson, […]

A hockey coach with a little less optimism might see the return of only two veteran players as a season-staller, but not Chris Wyler. In fact, the Springfield Jr. Blues head coach welcomes the change. Last year’s team was more of an “inheritance,” Wyler says, with a 25-man roster that included 12 returning players recruited […]

In August 2005, former Republican Gov. George Ryan awaited trial on federal corruption charges, Democrats held almost every constitutional office in the state and a majority of seats in the legislature. Without the traditional goodies – namely, state jobs – to hand out in exchange for loyalty and hard work, nobody wanted to be chairman […]

The coroner’s job is to deal with dead bodies, but the campaign for this office is turning into a lively contest. On one side is incumbent Susan Boone, with 30 years of experience in the office; on the other is Angela “Aby” Phoenix — a registered nurse who has spent the past 16 years working […]

At just past seven o’clock on a Wednesday night, they head for Jamal’s. New moms hugging babies to each hip, teenagers in hoodies and on bikes and small boys sporting T-shirts and shorts despite the chilly air filter down the sidewalk. Cars boom and bounce beside them, spilling their passengers into the mix. Most aren’t […]

Ask Roy Maxfield how his kidney transplant changed his life, and the 62-year-old retired state employee gets emotional: “I may get verklempt,” he warns. Then he recites a story that sounds like a fairytale, with a magical transformation that leads to a happily-ever-after ending. “Some people have diabetes and lose their kidney function that way. […]

“Great art comes from great pain,” utters cult film legend Lloyd Kaufman halfway through The Art of Pain, which won Best Comedy in last month’s Route 66 Film Festival. The feature-length, low-budget comedy was produced in Illinois by local filmmaker Matt Brookens. Ten years ago, Brookens, was running around Springfield shooting scenes with his brother, […]

In a flawless Saturday in Beardstown, Aaron Schock sprints to catch up with his parade float after falling behind to shake hands, slap five with little boys, pose for photographs, and hand out frozen miniature Snickers bars. Volunteers are decked out in crisp yellow-and-sky-blue T-shirts. The candidate himself sports a fresh periwinkle polo tucked neatly […]