When Astria Campbell works as a substitute teacher at inner-city schools in District 186, she often asks her middle and high school students what they want to be when they grow up. The most common answer is to work in the same low-wage jobs as their parents. Campbell, 42, who grew up in a working-class […]
springfield illinois
Posted inNews
Four police officers disciplined following crash involving former sergeant
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with comments from the March 18 meeting of the Springfield City Council. Four Springfield police officers were disciplined – and one of them will serve a six-day unpaid suspension – in connection with their work at the site of a Sept. 5 car-motorcycle collision in which a recently […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
Capital City Visitor cover art entries, top 3 and cover reveal
The annual Capital City Visitor cover art contest had more than 40 amazing entries this year, ranging from professional artists to students. We appreciate everyone’s participation, even though only one could be used for the cover of CCVG. Capital City Visitor online now and on stands soon. Winner – “With Malice Toward None” by Jane […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Classic Reprint: Train songs, washboards, and snot
The following was my first published piece of writing. I submitted it to the Illinois Times in November of 1987, at age 20, and it led to my unofficial position as go-to rock music writer for the paper over the next three years. More than two decades on, it still seems almost inconceivable that the […]
Posted inFood & Drink
These Cajuns add seasoning to life in central Illinois
By the time you read this, I’ll be back down by the bayou. There’s a pretty good chance I’ll be eating oysters harvested that morning, or shrimp and crabs from the Gulf of Mexico, only a few miles south. Then again I might be eating tangy gumbo z’herbes, made of greens and onions and thickened […]
Posted inOpinion
Remember to not forget
The bronze sculpture commemorating the 1908 race riots was finally dedicated this summer on Aug. 6, a century late. As all mayors must, Mayor Davlin said a few words at the ceremony in Union Square Park. “I think we also put up a monument over here,” he said, “to remind . . . current and […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Springfield could be run over by a train …
Thanks to Michelle Higginbotham and her merry band of protestors, the effort to fight the expansion of freight traffic on the 3rd Street tracks in Springfield is now at fever pitch. Working with the Enos Park Neighborhood Association, DSI, the medical district plus city and county officials this group has done an excellent job of […]
