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Careless with heroes
We can all be grateful that when a heavy bomber visits our city, it is an occasion for a family outing. In June the “Sentimental Journey,” a restored B-17 Flying Fortress, spent a couple of days at Capital Airport. Crowds gather whenever one of these old beauties from World War II comes to town.

The city’s blind eye
Springfield’s 2008 remembrance of the 1908 race riots attempted reconciliation toward the city’s legacy of racism and hate. Despite those efforts, 2009 revealed another chapter in this legacy. One year ago, the city of Springfield was witness to an overt act of racism when a city employee discovered nooses hanging in the workplace.

Jobless ‘recovery’ requires rebuilding America
Great ... if true. However, the ballyhooed jobs statistic is a mirage. It looks good only because 650,000 more Americans became so frustrated with their fruitless search for work last month that they quit looking. In StatWorld, such “discouraged” seekers are – abracadabra! – no longer considered unemployed, even though they are.

LETTERS
He envisions expanded rail carrying manufactured freight, but fails to identify or suggest how Illinois will attract manufacturers. If it’s just a train thing then sure, let’s build train tracks. I suspect there are other factors to overcome. For evidence I point to the fact we already have train tracks all over the place.

father’s song from the musical, The Endless Pavement
it put all the people in the slow traffic lanes it did it for our safety it did it for our safety and it bulldozed all the trees so to vroom and zoom with ease on pavement, on pavement, on endless, endless pavement on endless endless endless endless pavement.

Women help Quinn close the gap
Many political observers were stunned back in March when Rasmussen’s first poll had Brady trouncing Quinn with likely female voters 50-33. Quinn had a horrible time with women voters during the Democratic primary against Dan Hynes, particularly after the news hit that his administration had released a bunch of violent criminals from prison early.

Access 4 could return soon
When Comcast cable company closed its Access 4 studio on Dec. 4, 2009, the 70-plus locally-produced shows on Springfield’s public access television channel effectively went blank. Saying the channel would likely return to air by the beginning of 2010, the City of Springfield took over broadcasting responsibilities for Access 4 on Dec.

MICROCHIP YOUR BEST FRIEND
The Illinois Humane Society is putting on a microchip clinic and dog wash on Saturday, July 24. The clinic will take place at Car Wash City at 3316 Robbins Road from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and the cost is $20. The wash costs $12 for large dogs, $10 for medium dogs and $8 for small dogs.

PUPPET MASTERS
Whether small enough to fit on your finger or large enough to engulf your whole body, puppets can be hilarious or tragic, entertaining or terrifying. From the strings of the marionette to the unseen hand inside the ventriloquist dummy, a good puppeteer can make a puppet come to life and reveal truths that are not always self-evident.

New law requires testing all rape kits
A study done by Human Rights Watch showed that out of the 7,494 tests from Illinois that were examined in the study, only 1,474 of them made it to a lab to be studied.

The art of stuffed animals
This moment was frozen forever and prominently displayed at the National Taxidermist Association Convention July 15-17 at the Crowne Plaza. Taxidermists from across the country came to compete as well as to attend seminars and lectures and get tips on more anatomically accurate and lifelike animal busts.

Census shows more minority businesses
From 2002 to 2007, statewide gross receipts for minority-owned businesses rose by almost 38 percent, a larger increase than the nearly 30 percent seen by all businesses over the same period. Although countylevel data for 2007 have not yet been released, the 2002 data show 563 African- American-owned firms in Sangamon County that year.

Conservative think tank to Illinois: TURN RIGHT
When barbers employed by the state earn an average annual wage of nearly $66,000, compared to the average Illinois private sector barber’s $27,600, something is amiss, says the increasingly visible Illinois Policy Institute, which bills itself as a nonpartisan research organization attempting to bring specific ideological solutions to public policy.

RealCuisine Recipe
In a large bowl, stir the vinegar and sugar together until the sugar has dissolved. Bring a pot of water to a boil, add the noodles and boil for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand for 10 minutes. They’ll be softer than normal. Drain, then toss with the sugar/vinegar mixture and set aside to cool.

Keep cool with noodles and summer rolls
Day after day the temperature keeps climbing into the mid-90s, and the forecast isn’t changing anytime soon. In this kind of weather, my interest in standing over a hot stove or grill cools down in direct proportion to the heat index’s rise. I want to make things that are as easy, light, and cool to prepare as they are to eat.

RealCuisine Recipe
Combine the marinade ingredients in a large, resealable plastic bag. Seal and squish the contents until they are thoroughly mixed and the sugar dissolves. Remove 2 T. of the marinade and set aside. Add the meat or tofu or mushrooms to the bag, and press to remove as much air as possible.

RealCuisine Recipe
Using rubber or latex gloves, thinly slice the chiles. Put the chiles in a jar or bowl with the remaining ingredients and stir or shake until the sugar is dissolved. Taste the sauce. You may want to add more fish sauce, lime juice, or sugar or reduce the strength of the sauce with a little additional water.

Inception a dynamic, moving mind-bender
Dom (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a dream thief who uses a groundbreaking technique to break into people’s imaginations. Plunging into their minds while they sleep, he’s able to steal their ideas in the name of corporate espionage. However, his newest client, Saito (Ken Watanabe) has a challenge for him.

Movie times July 23-25
AMC listings are for Friday, July 23 through Sunday, July 25. Bracketed show times are Saturday/Sunday matinees or Friday/Saturday only late shows. Weekday movie times were not available at press time. All times are subject to change. For updates on AMC films, call 1-800-FANDANGO.

Chris Miller’s in town
Miller fashioned songs in a voice akin to a 60s-style Bob Dylan, with chord progressions that would make Hoagy Carmichael smile, and lyrics from a poet’s perspective. He picked on a wonderful Martin guitar and played with the likes of Mark Mathewson, David Landreth, Hobo Coble, Catfish Evans, Joe Dawkins and many others around town.

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

BAND SPOTLIGHT
Since her appearance on the music world stage at a young age, Yvonne Gage has set high standards for vocalists in the world of jazz and R

THE ARTS
In an effort to resurrect local public access television programming, artists from several genres converge into an orgy of the arts.

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

THEATER
The first rock opera, and still one of the most popular, this musical is about the last seven days of Jesus of Nazareth seen through a modern lens. Directed by Laurie O’Brien, it stars Joshua Ratz as Jesus Christ and Brennan Stamps as Judas Iscariot..

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 24th day of June, 2010 a Certificate of Ownership of business was filed in the Office of the County Clerk of Sangamon...

MUSIC
Rockin’ country band Little Big Town comes to Springfield. This four-piece ensemble sings Little White Church,.

NEWS QUIRKS
After police arrested Ronald White, 35, for shoplifting in Cinnaminson, N.J., they discovered he had outstanding warrants that required posting $400 bail. White paid cash. The next day, Detective Sgt. William K. Covert discovered that five of the $20 bills White used were counterfeit.

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
Also offering dried floral gifts and folk art. Downtown at 111 North Sixth Street. Tuesday - Saturday 11-5. 217-414-3320..

THE ADVICE GODDESS
A girl in my college accounting class came to my mom’s house, where I live, to study with me for a test. While she was there, burglars broke in, made us strip to our underwear, then bound and gagged us. We were tied in chairs, back to back, but were able to hold hands.