Tomorrow’s Illinois Symphony Orchestra concert at Sangamon Auditorium promises to be a thoroughly singular event. True to the evening’s title, “Shimmering Shakespeare,” the second half of the program will combine dramatic performances by members of the Illinois Shakespeare Festival with the ISO’s interpretation of Prokofiev’s “Romeo and Juliet.” The first half of the evening will find the […]
Video
Posted inArts & Culture
Right Now! Wertico Cain & Gray in concert at Dana Thomas House. Exclusive video!
Right now at the Dana-Thomas House (301 E Lawrence) a unique, fully improvised concert is getting underway featuring local composer and muliti-instrumentalist David Cain, legendary percussionist Paul Wertico and bass player / cellist / flautist Larry Gray. Earlier this evening, we were allowed to record them, along with master sound designer Dean Giavaras, as they […]
Posted inNews
Sniffing out trouble
Springfield patrol officer Dave Pletsch prepares for a training search with his dog, Utah, in a building on the Illinois State Fair Grounds. PHOTO BY PATRICK YEAGLE Inside a livestock building on the Illinois State Fairgrounds, a man is hiding stashes of marijuana, methamphetamine, heroin and cocaine in state-owned work vehicles parked inside for the […]
Posted inNews
Blues Sisters
Brooke Thomas, Monica Morris and Josie Lowder. PHOTO BY REBECCA SEARS “I have heartaches, I have blues. No matter what you got, the blues is there.” – John Lee Hooker Jan. 21-25, at the International Blues Challenge (IBC) in Memphis, Tenn., hundreds of blues musicians gather from all over the USA and parts of Europe […]
Posted inNews
Driving while black
Samuel Johnson knew something was up before he even left the highway. Just before midnight on Nov. 4, Johnson was returning from Bloomington in his Mitsubishi Diamante when he spotted a Springfield police vehicle parked at a U-turn on I-55. He noticed that the police pulled out behind him and followed from a distance as […]
Posted inNews
Fracking opponents give regulators an earful
Hundreds of people turned out Tuesday evening for a public hearing in Decatur to point out holes in proposed regulations for a controversial oil and gas extraction technique. The meeting was one of several held around the state at which environmentalists, landowners and others spoke up to oppose the rules and the extraction technique itself. […]
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What makes The Whip Guy™ crack?
A typical day at the office for Chris and Laura Camp. PHOTO COURTESY CHRIS CAMP Lifelong Springfield resident Chris Camp is one of only four professional whip crackers in the United States. Locals may recognize him from his regular appearances at the State Fair but widespread renown has taken the two-time Guinness world record holder […]
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Illinois approves same-sex marriage
The “score board” in the House shows votes on SB10, the same-sex marriage bill that passed the House today. Patrick Yeagle Gay and lesbian couples in Illinois will soon have the right to be married, following the passage today of a highly contentious bill that was years in the making. House sponsor Rep. Greg Harris, […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Steve Grand performs at marriage equality rally
Singer-songwriter Steve Grand of Lemont, Ill. sang his hit single “All American Boy” at the March on Springfield for Marriage Equality today. The march brought several state officials, labor leaders and religious organizations together to support a bill lifting the state’s ban on same-sex marriage.
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Citizen rockers
“I was born here but I can’t die here / And all my dreams, they all dried up a long time ago” – lyric from “Dignity” by The Seething Coast Playing in a rock and roll band is never a casual proposition. Investments of time and money for rehearsal and equipment can be sizable, while […]
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Building bigger, better hospitals
What’s the official bird of St. John’s Hospital? The crane. That silly joke popped up shortly after the towering construction crane began hoisting materials around the hospital in June 2012. The construction is part of the hospital’s ongoing expansion project, and two other major health care providers in Springfield – Memorial Medical Center and Springfield […]
Posted inOpinion
Chris Britt’s Free Speech: Chris Britt at TEDxTacoma
Chris Britt was named Cartoonist of the Year in 1994 by the National Press Foundation in Washington, D.C. In 2009, he was honored with the Sigma Delta Chi award, one of journalism’s most prestigious awards. Chris has also won press club awards in Texas, California, Washington State and Illinois. In 2000, he was the only […]
