Since the Green Movement began to kick into high gear about three years ago, we are becoming aware of the importance of protecting the earth’s fragile ecosystem. Mayor Tim Davlin has pointed with pride to Springfield being rated fourth in the country among medium cities in the National Resources Defense Council’s Smarter Cities project.

Until Springfield develops a taste for warm beer, refrigerators will continue to account (with air conditioners) for the major part of every household’s electricity bill. That’s especially true if the fridge is old. City Water, Light Power estimates that there are 40,000 ice boxes built B.

Halloween is still a month away, but ghouls, ghosts and other grotesque creatures are already roaming America’s streets, possibly preparing to knock at your door. What makes them so scream-out-loud horrifying is that they are the newly issued spawn of — shriek!.

Hospital Sisters Mission Outreach, a local organization that collects and redistributes medical equipment and supplies throughout the world, is responding to a humanitarian need in the Philippines, where hundreds of thousands of people remain homeless and in dire need of food, clean water and medical care after Typhoon Ketsana.

don’t get any more of that limeade brand it reminds me of gas station bathrooms.

Yet, Pat Quinn is now the governor of a major industrialized state. And the media coverage hasn’t changed all that much. While certainly not omnipotent, he is most definitely a major “power,” but watch the coverage and sometimes you wouldn’t know. Being the governor means Quinn’s actions now have very serious consequences, unlike in the past.

He’s the same Carl Greenwood who spearheaded the effort to create the Illinois Korean Memorial that now sits in Oak Ridge Cemetery. Greenwood led the charge in raising $1.6 million for that project, and he has been busy raising money for the current venture, which he says will show people the Korean War they’ve never seen.

Last May we introduced readers to Indira Somani, a Springfield native who co-produced Crossing Lines, an awardwinning film that looks at Somani’s life as a second-generation Indian and how she connected to her roots after her father’s death [see “Crossing Lines, the documentary,” May 27, 2009].

From July through early September, Sojourn Shelter and Services could only offer emergency shelter beds to 16 women and children fleeing domestic violence — a dramatic decrease from the 32 the local nonprofit provided before the summer’s state budget scare.

Their leader is local legend Luther Howell, a successful amateur boxer during the 1950s and a boxing coach for more than 30 years. He has churned out at least seven winners of the famed Golden Gloves boxing tournament, and he trained big boxing names like Harvey Richards, who represented the U.

The sounds of nail guns and power saws filled the air in a section of the east side of Springfield last week. Men with tool belts worked feverishly to build a new home at the corner of 12th and Edwards streets, raising walls and covering the frame with plywood.

A pale green panel van backs up to a door in the small, ordinary white building on a nondescript asphalt lot at 1023 East Washington. The driver swings open the van’s back doors. The inside is stuffed full with stack after shrinkwrapped stack of computer hard drives.

To paraphrase the great American storyteller, the report of Computer Banc’s demise was a bit premature. After abruptly closing its doors Sept. 2, Computer Banc has reopened with limited operations. It resumed distribution of computers beginning Oct. 1..

Local youths may be familiar with the confrontation and spectacle of mainstream hip hop, where the words flow effortlessly with messages of violence, money and sex. Less familiar is a close cousin, slam poetry, which also has smooth lyrical moves, but uses them to deliver appeals to social justice, racial understanding and cultural identity.

Sausage-making is almost as old as civilization itself; there are sausage recipes that date back thousands of years. And sausages, in various forms, appear in virtually every cuisine worldwide. They’re an emblematic foodstuff of any culture, utilizing local meats, seasonings and ingredients.

Humble sausage is transformed into a sophisticated hors d’oeuvre for these tasty bites, which I created for an apple harvest dinner. They can be assembled a day or two ahead, covered tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerated. Just pop them into the oven at the last minute and serve warm.

My family’s preferred breakfast sausage was always Humphrey’s Market apfelwurst, made in-house. When they stopped making it almost a decade ago, I began experimenting in an attempt to recreate the original; the recipe below is the one that finally garnered my family’s approval.

It’s no secret that Michael Moore’s films, though labeled “documentaries,” should be called “diatribes.” While the filmmaker might twist the truth a bit here or there, he’s more guilty of the sin of omission where his presentation of facts is concerned.

PLEASE NOTE: Kerasotes listings are for Friday, Oct. 9 through Thursday, Oct. 15. Bracketed show times are Saturday and Sunday only matinees or Friday and Saturday only late shows. All times are subject to change. For updates on Kerasotes films, call 1-800-FANDANGO.

Backyard Tire Fire, the little trio that could from Bloomington, Ill., is smoking its way across the musical landscape of America, blazing a trail and firing up good solid music the entire way.

8:30pm-12am. Frank T, Quartet -Film/ Jazz Treatments Night.

Hailing from our eastern, state capital neighbor, Stereo Deluxe is a genuine, indie-rock band from Indianapolis.

Two Springfield women star in this touching and informative documentary airing Friday on public television station WILL-TV. The show takes a rare look at the unusual relationship between Diana Braun, who has Down syndrome, and Kathy Conour, who had cerebral palsy and died Sept.

to Tell, Sat 10am-4pm and In the Shadow of Lincoln, Sat 6pm) and Café Moxo (Cookies and Milk, Sat 2-3pm). All activities free. For info call 785-7960..

Here’s a festival that grows bigger each year. Girard harvested 400 pumpkins for this Saturday’s fest held on the town square. Go on a hay or pony ride, enter the pumpkin painting or carving contest, smash a car, see the winning pet or child costume and so much more.

The ambience starts as you tuck your car between two trees in the woods. Then stroll out of the forest into the clearing where musicians, food, craft vendors and activities galore immerse you in the sights, sounds and smells of harvest time. The kids can make Abe and Mary clothespin dolls, Lincoln log cabins, plant acorns and visit Mr.

Illinois is the pumpkin capital of the world. Come and learn about it. Is it a fruit or a vegetable? Are pumpkins always orange? What can you do with a pumpkin besides eat it? Recommended for ages 4-8, this Saturday program features ongoing activities that take 30 to 45 minutes to complete and feature take-home crafts.

NOTICE UNDER ASSUMED BUSINESS NAME ACT STATE OF ILLINOIS COUNTY OF SANGAMON TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: Notice is hereby given that on 15th day of September, 2009 a Certificate of Ownership of business was filed in the Office of the County Clerk of...

Mitchel L. Legg, 26, was at a police station in Richmond, Ind., filling out an application to carry a gun, when officers and staff members noticed a telltale smell. “He reeked of marijuana,” Chief Kris Wolski told the Palladium-Item, “so they patted him down.

My girlfriend of two years just left me, saying she’d fallen out of love. Prior to leaving, she moved into my condo as part of our longterm plan to buy a house together. She insisted on many renovations, and I went along to make her happy. I put in $5,000, we borrowed $15,000 from my grandmother, and we both signed a contract to pay her back.

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