Jim Hightower PHOTO BY LARRY D. MOORE We’ve got a new darling in the GOP presidential race: Carly Fiorina! Being the darling du jour, however, can be dicey – just ask Rick Perry and Scott Walker, two former darlings who are now out of the race, having turned into ugly ducklings by saying stupid things. […]
Illinois Times
Posted inOpinion
An intensely political problem
PHOTO BY ALAN SOLOMON/TNS Last year, gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner pledged to “crack down on waste” in government in order to save taxpayers over $140 million. He also vowed to cut $500 million from the Illinois Department of Central Management Services and find another $250 million in Medicaid savings. Very little of that has happened […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Haunted history
PHOTO COURTESY ABRAHAM LINCOLN PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY & MUSEUM Join the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum on Sunday, Oct. 17 for an evening of Halloween games, stories and magic. Guests of all ages will enjoy historical characters “haunting” the museum’s exhibits, eerie lighting and music, spooky stories in Union Theater, a performance by magician Richard Landry and […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Support suicide prevention
Walk to end the stigma associated with mental health this Saturday during the Out of Darkness Community Walk for suicide prevention. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is the nation’s leader in the fight against suicide. Funds generated from their community walks and other programs enable the AFSP to invest in new research, create educational […]
Posted inArts & Culture
A tragic romance
PHOTO BY DONNA LOUNSBERRY The Springfield Theatre Centre is proud to present the “powerful pop opera” Miss Saigon Oct. 16-18 and 23-25 at the Hoogland Center for the Arts. The Tony Award-winning musical is the 11th longest running Broadway musical in musical theater history. The musical’s creators, Claude Michel Schonberg and Alain Boublil, are also […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Love dogs?
The Illinois State Fairgrounds Exposition Building will host 1,200 to 1,300 dogs daily this Thursday through Sunday during the Annual Prairieland Classic AKC All Breed Dog Shows, one of the premier dog shows in the Midwest. In addition to the popular dog shows and competitions, a highlight of this year’s event will be the “Meet […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Spies: intriguing but incomplete
Tom Hanks as James Donovan in Bridge of Spies. PHOTO COURTESY WALT DISNEY PICTURES In 1957, attorney James Donovan was given the unenviable task of representing accused Russian spy Rudolf Abel when he was charged with conspiracy against the United States. It was a duty he took on reluctantly but completed with a sense of […]
Posted inMusic
Mid-October music
Governor Street jams out at Brewhaus on Sat. Oct. 17, 10 p.m. PHOTO BY LAURA COFFEY Welcome all to the Ides of October and beyond. We have a few lingering festivals, plenty of diverse performers and a bushel basket full of local regulars playing the scene. By now the Cubs/Cards first-ever postseason series is over. […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Drinking shrubs
Chef Michael Higgins of Maldaner’s restaurant with many shrub options. PHOTO BY DAVID HINE Would you like to drink a shrub? I’m not talking about drinking bushes you might have in your yard, but a class of sweet/sour beverages that is centuries old. But shrubs are enjoying a renaissance these days in restaurants and other […]
Posted inOpinion
Thieves get richer the old-fashioned way
Jim Hightower PHOTO BY LARRY D. MOORE With the 2016 presidential campaigns in full swing, the burdens of the working middle class have taken center stage. And believe it or not, there is bipartisan support from the front-runners on a key issue brought up over and over again. Donnie Trump is for it. Hillary Clinton […]
Posted inOpinion
A Statehouse divided
PHOTO BY ALAN SOLOMON/TNS The Illinois Senate had been scheduled to return to Springfield on Oct. 6 after not being in session since Sept. 9. But last week the Senate President postponed session until Oct. 20. The reason is pretty straightforward. The Senate has overridden several gubernatorial vetoes. It’s pretty easy for the majority party because the chamber […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Wilkommen! Bier!
This Saturday, the Jacksonville Rotary Club’s annual Oktoberfest celebration celebrates a fifth year of fun, heritage and, of course, bier. Modeled after the 205-year-old Oktoberfest celebration of Munich, Germany, the event kicks off with a traditional Wilkommen (welcome) ceremony and Tapping of the Kegs at noon. The rest of day is jam-packed with entertainment. Enjoy […]
