Here’s something you can do to show your support for veterans this year on Veterans Day, Nov. 11. Fifth Street Renaissance is holding a collection at the construction site of their new shelter. The 16-bed facility will offer transitional, independent living for homeless and disabled veterans. The center needs items that anyone would need to […]
springfield
Posted inOpinion
Three strikes and you’re in
I have no idea what the American Dream means to the 63 persons from 25 nations who were welcomed into the fraternity of the free and the brave in October ceremonies at the Old Capitol. In my version of it, it means being able to order affordable restaurant dishes from south of the border whose […]
Posted inOpinion
Poor housing
If its aldermen were running Springfield’s fire stations, the city would have burned down years ago. On Oct. 18 the Springfield City Council passed a complex new ordinance that stiffened the penalties for owners of dilapidated buildings. The vote came a mere nine years after consultants urged that such action was necessary to slow the […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Tapping into talents
One of the more unique events that inspires and informs Springfield about the passions and talents of fellow neighbors is PechaKucha Night. A fifth installment takes place Thursday, Oct. 20 at 7:20 p.m. in the theater room at Capital City Bar and Grill. Nine locals take the stage and each present a six-minute, 40-second presentation […]
Posted inNews
Treasure Hunter strikes gold
Six years ago, Jeffrey Parsons of Athens declared bankruptcy. The filing came after he was sued by Attorney General Lisa Madigan for alleged violations of consumer protection and deceptive business practices statutes by a Parsons company that sold fireworks, some deemed illegal by the state fire marshal. In Springfield, he is known for establishing drive-up […]
Posted inOpinion
Boomerangers
The Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce is talking industrial parks as the way to make Greater Springfield – which I prefer to think of as Bigger Springfield – a Great Place to Do Business. Springfield’s economic development plans aim to import companies or expand one already in the city. Alas, attracting a successful firm is […]
Posted inNews
Mayor Houston withdraws a controversial nomination
A short-lived nomination to a once-forgotten city commission has prompted concerns about Springfield Mayor Mike Houston’s vetting process for city posts. Houston on Saturday withdrew his nomination of former police chief Kirk Robinson to serve on the city’s Community Police Review Commission. Robinson resigned as chief of the department in 1993 after allegations of sexual […]
Posted inNews
City sues property owner to recover weed-mowing debts
After years of unpaid bills, Springfield has sued the city’s biggest violator of a requirement that landowners keep grass mowed and weeds in check. Turner Properties and Discount Inn Retirement Plan, Inc., which share an address in Skokie, together own at least 54 Springfield properties, most apparently vacant. Both entities began racking up fines for […]
Posted inOpinion
Ready, set, GOvern!
Ward 1 Ald. Frank Edwards, never known for holding his tongue, was just getting warmed up. “We should set the goals,” the alderman declared two weeks ago as the city council pondered Mayor Mike Houston’s request for $50,000 to conduct a personnel audit aimed at reducing head count at city hall. “We should know what […]
Posted inMusic
Hip-hop in the Heartland
[SOUND EFFECTS: needle drops onto vinyl; surface static; reporter clears throat] I’ll never forget the day I stumbled onto Springfield’s underground hip-hop scene. It all started with Raekwon the Chef. Or perhaps it was Fast Orange. I found myself at Bar None one evening in the spring of this year watching local hybrid punk-metal cover […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Singing sisters
Accomplished melodious siblings Karin and Kirsten Paludan present a multi-media musical memoir as they sing together for the first time in Springfield on Sept. 24 in the UIS Kitchen Sink Series at Sangamon Auditorium. Karin, of Washington, D.C., is an opera singer who has performed with the New York City Opera National Company and at […]
Posted inNews
Neighborhood sues owners of abandoned house
Fed up with blight, activists in Enos Park are taking the law into their own hands. The Enos Park Neighborhood Improvement Association is suing the owners of a home at 1144 N. Sixth St., hoping for an injunction to either force the owners to bring the boarded-up house into compliance with city code or put […]
