Ted likes to say he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He was 17, doing well at a college prep boarding school in Indiana, when a classmate went on a violent rampage while high on a combination of potent drugs. When cops searched that classmate’s phone, they found that Ted had fulfilled […]
Section Feature
Posted inArts & Culture
Down on the farm
The seeds of a trade war, severe weather, plummeting prices and corporate farming competition mean that many farmers are harvesting a bumper crop of problems, especially those people loosely defined as “family farmers.” “They call them ‘the farmers in the middle,’ and their numbers are declining pretty rapidly,” said National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson. […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Movies 2019 – The dawning of the Age of Netflix
When film historians look back at 2019, they will note that this was the year when Netflix changed the cinematic landscape for good…or ill, depending on your point of view. Up until this year, the streaming service had only been a minor disruption on the movie landscape by producing its own fare, acquiring others’ work […]
Posted inNews
STATEHOUSE YEAR IN REVIEW
A tumultuous year in Illinois politics draws to its close as the historic legislative accomplishments of May and June give way to a flurry of ongoing federal investigative activity, resignations and indictments. Central to the story of 2019 is Gov. J.B. Pritzker, a Chicago Democrat and billionaire who spent more than $170 million of his […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Teaching LGBT history
Illinois’ public school students may soon learn about Jane Addams in a new light. “Illinoisan Jane Addams, the mother of social work, founder of the Hull House, and Nobel Peace Prize recipient, was in a committed 40-year relationship with her partner, Mary Rozet Smith,” read a statement from Equality Illinois during the debate over House […]
Posted inNews
Downtown university plan floated
The Springfield Sangamon County Growth Alliance is pitching a major university presence in downtown Springfield that sources say would involve the University of Illinois Springfield, Southern Illinois University and perhaps the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana. Plans aren’t concrete, but the first public meetings to unveil ideas are expected in January, said Josh Collins, interim […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Holiday events calendar
Memorial’s Festival of Trees Nov 27-Dec 1, Wed 10am-8pm, Thu 4-8pm, Fri-Sat 10am-8pm and Sun 10am-5pm. A holiday tradition featuring more than 200 decorated trees and wreaths, hand-crafted gingerbread village structures, hand-decorated cookies and live entertainment. Adults $5, children ages 3-12 $3 and ages 2 and under are free. Orr Building, Illinois State Fairgrounds, 801 Sangamon […]
Posted inNews
State’s anti-gambling lobbyist is one tough ‘Church Lady’
Gambling has expanded throughout Illinois as the state struggles to catch up with its budget deficit. The lure of additional revenue brought support from local governments, businesses and unions. But not everyone is a fan, as some argue it takes advantage of the vulnerable among us. One woman has spent the last two decades fighting […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Fashion comes to Springfield
A body-painted model walks the runway in a flowing dress made from trash and an ornate headdress of flowers. A dress sculpted from 140 pages of Veranda magazine intrigues the crowd. A model glows with illuminated LED lighting sending pink blooms dancing skyward with iridescent rhinestones. Vintage clothing finds a new life on the runway […]
Posted inNews
Plan for downtown homeless center resurfaces
A Springfield architect’s proposal to put a homeless center on the northern edge of downtown has drawn praise from a city official tasked with providing services to the homeless. “I will tell you, it’s a great idea,” Juan Huerta, city community relations director, said after architect John Shafer unveiled his plan at an Inner City […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Metropolitan Opera magic comes to Springfield
It is a well-kept secret that you can watch a live performance of New York City’s Metropolitan Opera right here at our local AMC Springfield 12 movie theater. The Metropolitan Opera’s Live in HD series brings the magic of the Met to movie theaters in more than 70 countries worldwide, including here in Springfield. The […]
Posted inMusic
Billy Don Burns
From his origins as an extremely respected songwriter and performer in Nashville in the early 70s to his current stance as an indelible icon to a younger generation of “outlaw” country artists, this one-man force of nature continues to defy the odds by being relevant and rebellious for some 50 years in the country music […]
