Free the student press
The best measure of a high school’s commitment to civic education is the nature of its student news media. A student newspaper can provide the most visible evidence of whether schools just preach or actually practice First Amendment principles, democratic learning and significant civic engagement.

Greener than thou
It is easy to dismiss this as mere enthusiasm from a politician who either doesn’t know Springfield or doesn’t know how much more than Springfield other U.S. cities are doing to reduce their carbon emissions.

Billionaire brothers are remaking America for their own benefit
For example, if you suspect that America’s economy, politics, government, media, judiciary and practically every other system has been wired to favor corporate interests over every other interest in our country, you’re deducing, not hallucinating.

LETTERS
The Back to Work Outfit (which is funded by the coin machine operators and the gambling equipment manufacturers) tries to make it appear that the capital bill will fail without video gambling. This must be whom the reporter is referring to when he says that video gambling “was touted as a major.

Contest for Chicago mayor a historic opportunity
Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley’s stunning decision to step down at the end of this term has at least temporarily sucked almost all the oxygen out of Illinois politics and focused just about everyone’s attention on an extremely rare open seat contest..

Freedom of Information should include judicial branch
For reporters, the Illinois Freedom of Information Act is both a helpful tool and a stumbling block. It grants access to governmental records and allows the public to hold accountable those who run our communities and our state, but it also lets certain governmental entities escape the public eye by hiding behind exemptions and technicalities.

Opponent claims sheriff mishandling deputy contracts
Doug Knight remembers several years ago when gangs tried to take claim to his business as their turf. He offered them a full refund to never return to Knight’s Action Park in Springfield, where he is general manager and part owner, but Knight says it was the presence of an off-duty Sangamon County Sheriff’s deputy that cleared the gang members out.

Beaten girl’s mom questions sheriff’s investigation
Violet Procarione of Springfield says her daughter, Connie Procarione, 18, had been drinking, though she was underage, at a friend’s house on July 11 when she fell asleep on the couch and awoke to a series of punches from between one and three attackers.

Sewer separation
In large part, the city blames residents’ problems on the design of sewer pipes. Much of the city operates on a combined sewer system, in which the same pipes handle both sanitary and storm water. When those pipes become overloaded, the water can sometimes snake its way back up through basement toilets and drains, flooding homes and businesses.

Contact Rachel Wells at rwells@illinoistimes.com
But porous pavement like that Logue refers to can be costly, and the funding climate can make or break any long-term solution, whether green infrastructure, added capacity, improved pipes or a combination of all three.

For a sea of spring color invest now
You don’t have to sink a lot of time and effort to create a sea of color in your garden next spring and summer. Flowering bulbs will do the hard work for you over the winter, gardening experts say, provided you get the bulbs in the ground before the ground freezes solid.

When to save your seeds
Until the end of World War II, most gardeners saved their own vegetable and flower seeds because high-quality seeds were not always readily available. Today, affordable high-quality seeds are available at garden shops and in seed catalogs everywhere, and most gardeners prefer to buy fresh seeds each year from a reliable company.

Interior design tips from HGTV’s Genevieve Gorder
Ban the beige! That’s the message from designer Genevieve Gorder for do-it-yourself home decorators this fall. The star of HGTV’s popular “Dear Genevieve” makeover show, Gorder also transformed the homes of desperate designdeprived viewers on TV’s “Trading Spaces” earlier in her career.

Visco foam beds.
We spend more than a third of our lives in bed. That’s a lot of use, and an older mattress is likely not giving you the comfort and support you need. The Better Sleep Council, a nonprofit dedicated to educating the public about the importance of healthy sleep, recommends consumers purchase a new mattress every five to seven years.

An exercise in empathy
Hello, Ms. Glatz: I recently got a letter from the Central Illinois Foodbank, inviting us to participate in a statewide hunger challenge to simulate the assistance food stamp users receive. The challenge is to eat on $4.50 a day for one week starting Sept.

The More-With-Less Cookbook
Frankly, if I were Greenslate and Leonard, wouldn’t have gone the TFP route; not least because they’re vegans – vegetarians who also eschew dairy and any other animal products, such as honey. None of the 20 TFP entrées were vegan, and only one was vegetarian – a baked potato with cottage cheese.

“Hair” the music calling
The Alejandro Escovedo concert at Bar None scheduled for Sept. 16 sold out about a week ago. I’ve heard from several disappointed fans unable to get tickets and I’m sure plenty of other thwarted concertgoers exist.

ART | Market of masterpieces
More than 80 booths will be set up, juried art displayed and good weekend-weather prayers whispered for the 22nd Annual Edwards Place Fine Art Fair. Exhibitors include the likes of Cynthia and Kirby Pringle’s photographs of humans with dog heads and the fun and colorful glasswork of Faith Wickey from Michigan.

MUSIC: GENERAL EVENTS
Juvae Jazz Society Mini Jazz Fest Indoor Picnic.

MUSIC | 19th-century melodies
Pete Ellertsen, Ph.D., retired English/Journalism/Cultural Studies professor at Benedictine University, presents, “The Music Behind the Poetry: Vernacular Traditions in Vachel Lindsay’s and Edgar Lee Masters’ Writing.” Ellertsen’s presentation spotlights the music that inspired both central Illinois poets including gospel and fiddle music.