A bicyclist suffered a serious head injury last month after a pillar designed to keep traffic off the Old State Capitol Plaza tumbled onto his head in downtown Springfield. A video of the Oct. 10 incident released in response to a Freedom of Information Act request to the city shows the bicyclist, whom the city […]
Video
Posted inNews
Gambling explosion
Orville Dash is no stranger to addiction. Now 79 years old, he is a recovering alcoholic but hasn’t drank a beer in 35 years. He quit smoking, too; he once inhaled three or four packs per day but hasn’t touched a cigarette in years. Still, there’s something about video gambling that keeps him hooked. Dash, […]
Posted inOpinion
Work? What work?
Sen. Kimberly Lightford, D-Maywood There is courage in politics, they say, and there is also chutzpah. And then there is state Sen. Kimberly Lightford, D-Maywood. State comptroller Leslie Munger stopped issuing paychecks to lawmakers in April, figuring that they should have to wait for their money along with private vendors, universities and tons of other […]
Posted inMusic
John Byrne Band
John Byrne Band Born in Dublin, Ireland, and now living in Philadelphia, Penn., John Byrne takes Celtic and American music of folk origins and keeps it alive by continuing musical traditions while making it all sound fresh through original songwriting and covers of the old songs. Playing a mix of self-penned compositions and interpretations of […]
Posted inNews
Shadow children
Victor Vieth, founder of Gundersen National Child Protection Training Center in Minnesota, says nighttime is “the terrible time” for many children. “It’s at nighttime when many children are beaten, shaken, sexually abused and cry themselves to sleep,” Vieth said. “These are the shadow children of our country.” On April 25, Vieth joined supporters of the […]
Posted inNews
Making Springfield look cool
PHOTO BY PATRICK YEAGLE On the set of “The Studio Show.” Left to right: Keil Isham, Arlin Peebles, Dave Heinzel. What started as just an excuse for a group of friends to hang out has turned into a Springfield-focused, bi-weekly web series generating a strong buzz and garnering increasing numbers of viewers. “The Studio Show,” […]
Posted inNews
Senior Rally at the Illinois Statehouse
On April 5, Rep. Greg Harris, D-Chicago and Sue Scherer, D-Decatur spoke to senior citizens across Illinois reassuring them that they are advocates of senior services. Over 70 senior citizens from all over Illinois gathered under the Rotunda of the Illinois Statehouse urging the General Assembly to hear their voices concerning cuts to state funded senior […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Poetry Out Loud
Here’s a clip of Illinois’ Statewide Poetry Out Loud 2016 winners: Last week, Mariah Brooks, junior at Southeast High School in Springfield, and Amber Price, junior at Maine East High School in Park Ridge, competed at the state level in the national recitation competition Poetry Out Loud. Brooks claimed the title of Illinois statewide champion while […]
Posted inNews
John Donvan and Caren Zucker accept the Illinois Literary Heritage Award
On March 10-11, the Illinois State Library hosted the second national “Targeting Autism” conference. This year the ISL welcomed John Donvan and Caren Zucker, New York Times bestselling authors of the book In a Different Key: The Story of Autism and former ABC news correspondents to talk about their efforts to generate awareness. At the […]
Posted inNews
Reversal of fortune
A federal judge in Seattle has thrown out a $21.5 million verdict won by a Springfield businessman who says that he suffered a brain injury after being hit on the head in 2011 by a sliding glass door while aboard a cruise ship during a journey around the world. In tossing the jury verdict won […]
Posted inNews
Some doctors uneasy about medical marijuana
Although Illinois’ medical marijuana program rolled out this week, some doctors aren’t participating, potentially limiting the program’s success. Two of the four main medical institutions in Springfield have advised their doctors to avoid the program out of uncertainty over a potential crackdown by the federal government. The Illinois General Assembly approved the medical marijuana pilot […]
Posted inNews
Winner of $21 million verdict speaks out
Eight days after being hit in the head by an errant sliding door aboard a luxury cruise ship in 2011 and after suffering a seizure, James Hausman, owner of The Gold Center in Springfield, says a doctor at a San Diego hospital gave him instructions. Take it easy. Don’t do anything for six months. “The […]
