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Cheeseparing in the Capitol complex
The William G. Stratton Building – eyesore, health risk, money trap – has gotten a reprieve. It has been sitting on Death Row since 2007, when the State of Illinois launched an inquiry and found the 56-year-old office building to be guilty, and began the process that would lead to its execution by bulldozer.

My life of soccer in Springfield
The top 32 national teams of the world will meet in South Africa to compete in the “World Series” of soccer, futbol, futebol, calcio, voetbal, le foot, podosfero. Whatever the name for the game, the competition is the World Cup, from June 11 to July 11.

Government impotence and corporate rule
Many news reports about the Gulf oil catastrophe refer to it as a “spill.” Wrong. A spill is a minor “oops” — one accidentally spills milk, for example, and from childhood, we’re taught the old aphorism: “Don’t cry over spilt milk.” What’s in the Gulf isn’t milk and it wasn’t spilt.

LETTERS
I have been a cycling buff for some time, even commuting to work several times a week. Your story captured the real issues our community has with advancing cycling and an active lifestyle. You can’t imagine the issues I experience on the seven-mile ride from home to office.

poem: all roads lead to ...
ever since that great toad of a walmart went up off south sixth smothering the green field wait I like toads they’re good for the garden so spell it with a “u” no that word also means good stuff the cow pats kept our fields fertile well anyway ever...

Candidate Mark Kirk is damaged goods
A decorated Naval intelligence officer works great with voters as well. Kirk could separate himself from average politicians by pointing to his honorable service. Despite some bumps along the way, the military has long been one of the most respected institutions in this patriotic nation.

PAINLESS PHILANTHROPY
The campaign allows customers to round their monthly bill to the nearest dollar, with the extra change set aside to fund programs that ease homelessness in Springfield. Customers can also make a larger contribution, adding a specific dollar amount to their bill each month.

Honor Flight gives WW II vets a trip, and a salute
“Our goal is to give every World War II veteran, who wants to go to D.C., and is able, to get to see the [World War II] memorial,” said Ray Wiedle, the chairman of the Land of Lincoln branch of the Honor Flight. “It’s just a way of saying thank you to the veterans.

BINARY BYE-BYE
Computers have practically replaced dogs as man’s best friend, accompanying us everywhere and making our lives incalculably easier. But when we’re done with our computers, disposing of them properly can be a challenge. The metals in those motherboards can contaminate the environment, and much of the material is nonbiodegradable.

Springfield, the buyers’ market
Listed at $11,330, the Queen Anne-style “shotgun” house sits near other houses at more realistic prices ranging from $49,000 to $75,000. Even though the house at 1031 N. Fourth St.

Gas guzzlers
The law commissions an evaluation of at least 10 buildings, which will be used as case studies for measuring, reporting and comparing energy consumption.

Raw Deal
“I wish this wasn’t the way this was ending, because I feel like we’ve finally gotten the pieces of the puzzle together so I can focus on my work,” says Deal, who has worked at ISO for 10 years. “Now that we’ve got those pieces, the board has chosen to make a change.

The mysterious Lazer Dudes
Black leather fingerless gloves. Love Club and Stripping Glitter. Tattoos of strange designs in stranger places. Cahokia Mounds and MoonPandas. What link ties these odd and peculiar things together? Answer: the Lazer Dudes. Not much help? Maybe figuring out what possibly constitutes a Lazer Dude could aid in solving our puzzle.

June is for garden tours
The Metzger garden, 3305 Panther Creek Drive, is in Panther Creek, a relatively new residential area. This garden, however, is backed by mature shrubs and charmingly planted with annuals and perennials which define the garden as a delightful place to visit.

Strawberries with real shortcake
Obsessive compulsive disorder – a.k.a. OCD. It’s become one of those “in” conditions people use to describe themselves or others. Like depression, OCD can be a genuine clinical disorder requiring treatment. In popular vernacular, though, it’s merely become a reference about someone caring about getting something right.

RealCuisine Recipe
Here’s the real deal. I like to use a generous amount of strawberries in proportion to the shortcake, making this a big dessert. So keep the previous part of the meal on the small side. Then again, people eat biscuits and berries in the morning meal. Since shortcakes are part of the biscuit family, why not have strawberry shortcake for breakfast?.

RealCuisine Recipe
If you’d like some chocolate with your strawberries, try this recipe, which looks as good as it tastes. Phyllo dough is available in the freezer section of most grocery stores. If you’ve never worked with phyllo dough, don’t let the tissue paper thin sheets intimidate you.

Funny Greek is also poignant
Desperate to be noticed by his record-exec boss Sergio (Sean “P Diddy” Combs), Green suggests they sponsor a 10th anniversary comeback concert for Snow, who finds his career in a tailspin thanks to a misguided album and being left by his fashion model girlfriend Jackie Q (Rose Byrne).

Splice undone
What they come up with is Dren (read backwards), the byproduct of a mixture of various animals’ DNA as well a bit of human genome. At first ugly, then cute and finally perversely beautiful, the creature is quite dangerous and smarter than your average monster.

Big Bottoms? They got ’em
Listen up you high-enders. The time has come for the low frequency players to rise up and proclaim the often-overlooked work of the bassist as a necessary and worthwhile part of music instrument combos. Springfield hosted Guitartown, then Drumfest and now rolling in at the bottom of the barrel comes BassBerg.

BAND SPOTLIGHT
Fresh from their Springfield debut at last week’s SOHO Music Festival, the Max Allen Band (MAB) drops into Marly’s on June 17 for a night of funk-blues-jam-jazz-rock songs.

PUB CRAWL
Dates, times and locations are subject to change, so we suggest calling before attending an event..

MUSICAL
Mac Warren directs this romp into Dr. Seuss-land where animals and Whoville citizens entertain you with music, dance and silliness. The musical centers on kindhearted Horton the Elephant, played by Sean Michael Butler, who protects and defends his tiny friend Jojo, Jakob Groeteke, (and other invisible Whos).

THE CALENDAR
Dates, times and locations are subject to last-minute changes, so we suggest calling before attending the event..

COMEDY
The beloved and hilarious Lily Tomlin shines into Springfield to light a huge smile upon your face and ignite laughter from your lungs with more than a dozen of her famous characters, including the infamous youngster Edith Ann and telephone operator Ernestine.

SPORTS
One of the biggest women’s pro tour golf tournaments hits Springfield’s west side from June 7-13. If you haven’t attended the practice and preliminary rounds earlier in the week, there’s still four full days of classic play through Sunday, June 13.

PUBLIC NOTICES
NOTICE UNDER ASSUMED BUSINESS NAME ACT STATE OF ILLINOIS COUNTY OF SANGAMON TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: Notice is hereby given that on 18th day of May, 2010 a Certificate of Ownership of business was filed in the Office of the County Clerk of Sangamon County, stating that PAMELA J.

NEWS QUIRKS
A woman in Fort Walton Beach, Fla., reported hearing a man outside her bedroom window telling someone on a cell phone, “I’m about to commit a crime.” She awoke her boyfriend, who said he observed the intruder sit down on a nearby deck and continue his call.

WORKSHOPS
$10 a week for 30 words. To place your ad, contact your display rep or e-mail your ad and contact information to nbulli@illinoistimes.com.

FIND LOCAL BIZ
Promote your local biz in print and online Call Nan for details - 753-1724.

THE ADVICE GODDESS
I’m 26, and I’ve been looking at my stepsister’s dating life with a measure of worry. She’s 36, and wants children, but still hasn’t found “the one.” She’s gone from being ultrapicky to swearing she’ll just marry the next guy who doesn’t pick his nose at the dinner table.