A diamond-encrusted fish brooch seized by federal Marshals from James “Whitey” Bulger Photo by Gaston & Sheehan Auctioneers This is the pretty side of decades of extortion, corruption and murder. The former belongings of notorious Boston crime boss James “Whitey” Bulger and his longtime girlfriend, Catherine Greig, are being auctioned off by the U.S. Marshals […]
IT: Off The Clock
Posted inOpinion
Helping someone out of the darkness
The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention will hold an Out of the Darkness Walk this Saturday afternoon at Southwind Park. Last-minute walkers may register in person at 1 p.m. at Hope Pavilion. More information can be found at afsp.donordrive.com. After the recent Democratic candidate debate, CNN fact-checked Hilary Clinton’s assertion that “we lose 90 people […]
Posted inOpinion
“Mr. Robot” a thought-provoking, harrowing ride
Rami Malek is Elliot Anderson in “Mr. Robot.” Photo courtesy USA Network Who hasn’t dreamed of exacting revenge against an evil so obtrusive and dominating that it seems untouchable? That’s the driving force behind “Mr. Robot,” a new show that premiered on USA Network in May. The season finale is scheduled for tonight, after […]
Posted inOpinion
Is a hot dog a sandwich?
We have a confession to make. Illinois Times has been an office divided for the past several weeks. We know you’re all wondering what topic could possibly be polarizing enough to divide a newspaper that has been on the central Illinois scene for 40 years, so we’ll just tell you: The subject is hot dogs. […]
Posted inOpinion
Will the REAL Pat Yeagle please stand up?
On Aug. 10, the Illinois State Fair Museum Foundation announced the winners of its “Illinoisan of the Day” promotion, honoring people around the state who have made contributions to Illinois through “service activities, educational projects, and/or youth programs supporting agriculture; and have an affiliation with state and/or county fairs in Illinois and show their true […]
Posted inOpinion
The gift that keeps on giving
We here at Illinois Times are neither rich nor proud, which is why we shop for bargains at local thrift stores. So it was that we stopped by the Goodwill on Dirksen Parkway today during the lunch hour. It was the typical assortment of used shirts and pants and shoes and what-not from Joseph A. […]
Posted inOpinion
Mobile homes, divorce and fancy fiddlin’
Housing is a big part of the human experience, but we rarely think about how much it affects our lives. A person’s home says a lot about them, and mobile homes are no exception. The fifth-ever issue of Illinois Times on Oct. 16, 1975, explored the rise of the mobile home and its evolving place […]
Posted inOpinion
The Amish and the “English”
The more things change, the more they stay the same. That’s the feeling I get every time I pick up an old copy of Illinois Times. The fourth issue of IT came out on Oct. 9, 1975, and featured coverage of the Amish in the modern world, school desegregation, rural doctors, school dropouts and more. Check […]
Posted inOpinion
Summer reads:
As it happens, the next two items on my summer reading list are “Going Clear” by Lawrence Wright, the controversial tell-all about the Church of Scientology; and “Zone Theory” by Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim, which was just released today by Grand Central Books, and is subtitled “7 easy steps to achieve a perfect life.” […]
Posted inOpinion
Wayback Wednesday: Dick Durbin’s first race
When the third issue of Illinois Times came out on Oct. 2, 1975, Dick Durbin was a 30-year-old Democratic campaign manager with big hopes. He was running for the Illinois Senate against a Republican incumbent, and Illinois Times caught up with him on the campaign trail. Although Durbin lost that first race, he would go […]
Posted inOpinion
A Springfield railroad watch comes home
One of the most fascinating pieces of Springfield’s history is, at least to me, the Illinois Watch Company. Renowned in its day for accurate and beautiful watches, the company operated in Springfield under a succession of different monikers from 1869 (or 1870, depending on the source) until 1932. I’m lucky enough to own a piece […]
Posted inOpinion
Blind bowling and an education insurrection at SSU
It didn’t take long for Illinois Times to find controversy back in 1975. The second issue of the fledgling paper featured an exposé on Sangamon State University’s internal struggle for power and self-determination, along with an angry letter against the ERA. The cover story for this issue documents how Sangamon State University began in 1969 as a new […]
