Participating in The Big Read are Charles E. Becker Library at Benedictine University; Chatham Area Public Library; Illinois State Library (ISL), Illinois Center for the Book (ICB) and the ISL Talking Book and Braille Service; Jacksonville Public...

Each year for nearly 20 years now, the National Association of Home Builders and the Wells Fargo Bank have boiled down national real estate data into an easy-to-digest housing affordability index. Local housing markets are judged “affordable” according to how many families earning the national median income of $64,400 can buy an average-priced house.

Takes your breath away, doesn’t it? If you’re old enough to remember Gerald Ford’s hapless presidency, Obama’s fabulous new slogan might have a familiar ring to it. In 1974, with rampant inflation gobbling up the paychecks of workaday families, Ford blamed the American people, asserting that they were simply spending too much.

We need to keep in mind that B&N’s primary motive is profit. Those bemoaning the loss of B&N should consider the public library where you can check out books, audio tapes, DVDs, plus a vast array of other media for free. Plus you can reserve a book online and the library will inform you by e-mail when it’s ready.

Billions of dollars worth of badly needed state construction projects on roads, bridges, schools and transit were abruptly halted last week when a state appellate court tossed out Illinois’ entire capital construction program and all its funding sources.

The firm’s roots began with the late D. Logan Giffin, a member of the Illinois General Assembly, who started a legacy of representing the financial industry of Illinois in the early 1900s. Giffin’s partner, James Winning, followed suit as a registered lobbyist with the Illinois General Assembly during the late 1950s and mid 1960s.

The state continues to implement provisions of the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, including a new highrisk insurance pool and consumer protection against unreasonable rate increases. Every Republican and three Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives voted to repeal the act on Jan.

Taylor, 35, has received Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits through the Illinois Link card on and off for the past 18 years. Taylor has seen many changes with the program over the years, and now more changes could be in the works.

James U. Dodge pleaded guilty in September of running a Ponzi scheme which targeted several Springfield residents, including Dodge’s friends, fellow retirees and a parapalegic who wrote a check to Dodge while being treated in a Veterans hospital. [See “Ponzi on the prairie,” Nov.

Co-host Dr. Metal, aka Tim Simmons, answers the phone, takes a request, then searches for the asked-for song on the Internet.

In the St. Louis area, KDHX plays the part; WEFT does the same in Champaign- Urbana. Both are not-for-profit, independently owned stations established for decades.

Several years ago, in an effort to promote local music and create a fun fundraiser, the station sponsored a concert and produced a fulllength CD of songs featuring area bands and musicians. On any given program, DJs often air music by local bands and musicians and/or feature live in-the-studio performances by area performance artists.

“Bill Hickerson brought him in to meet me one day after they were finished bowling and told me he was my country classics guy,” explained Pemberton. “Truth be told, I wasn’t going to use him. I didn’t think he could do it on air. Good thing he got started because he became one of our most popular DJs and just got better as he went along.

More to come As for the future of WQNA, both Jim Pemberton and Jim Grimes talked about the precarious position public education funding puts the CACC and the station in, and they trust school systems will continue supporting the valuable career center.

I am not a vegetarian and have no plans to become one. But I often make vegetarian meals just because I like the preparations. Even more often, I prepare meals in which the meat acts as a condiment.

Not all Lincoln museums are alike. Compare, for example, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum (ALPLM) in Springfield and the Lincoln Heritage Museum in Lincoln.

You’ll find info about movies showing in Springfield, Jacksonville, Taylorville, and other nearby towns..

When the news of Aron Ralston’s experience hit the airwaves, everyone who heard it had the same thought: Would I be able to do what he did to survive? For those who don’t remember, Ralston was the climber who, back in 2003, found himself literally...

For those unaware of this monumental gathering of blues bands and musicians from the world over (at least the world familiar with American blues music), let it be known the IBC is a big deal. This year marks the 27th annual challenge event, with artists competing in band and solo/duo categories from all over the USA and a couple from other countries.

Hailing from somewhere between the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers not far from Macomb, singer-songwriter-guitarist Bill Harroun leads his group of heartland rockers through a terrain of proudly alt-country, no-nonsense tunes as honest and true as the day is long and the night is too.

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

Find more details and gigs in our online calendar at www.illinoistimes.com.

Don’t miss this four-piece bluegrass band from Raleigh, North Carolina who have played for sold-out crowds internationally and here in the U.S. and were featured on the World Café Live as well as many other radio and television venues.

Submit calendar listings at www.illinoistimes.com.

Illinois Symphony Orchestra Feb 12, 8pm, 7pm concert comments, Get a rousing start to your Valentine’s Day with pianist and former Miss Illinois, Jade Simmons, in Rachmaninov’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini and Gershwin’s “I Got Rhythm” Variations. $10-$42. Sangamon Auditorium, UIS, 1 University Plaza, 217-206-6160, 800-207-6960.

Film Series: Mademoiselle Chambon Feb 13, 1pm and 4pm, Feb 15, 7pm, Parkway Pointe Cinema, 3025 Lindbergh Boulevard, 523-2631.

You’ll be wowed by the sounds of Get the Led Out band as they rock Sangamon Auditorium, UIS. This Led Zeppelin band, hailing from Philadelphia, is composed of six musicians who are all accomplished crafters of sound. They’ll bring the rock and roll classics of Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Bonham and John Paul Jones alive.

Pilgrimage of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

Saturday, Feb. 5, the University of Illinois Springfield Engaged Citizenship Common Experience Speakers Series shows the one-hour acclaimed documentary by Director/Producer Jay Rosenstein about Champaign- Urbana’s award-winning lesbian/feminist choir. In their eighteenth year, the group sings folkloric, women-oriented and classical music.

A pre-primary mayoral candidate forum is on the agenda of the Citizens Club of Springfield’s Policy Breakfast at the Hoogland Center for the Arts Friday morning. A coffee reception precedes the 8 a.m. meeting that will include the seven candidates who have filed for the February 22 primary and one write-in candidate.

More events, more details in our online calendar at illinoistimes.com..

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE SEVENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT SPRINGFIELD, SANGAMON COUNTY, ILLI- NOIS IN THE MATTER OF THE ESTATE OF: NANCY H. RICHARDSON, Deceased. Case No. 2011-P-10 DEATH AND CLAIM NOTICE NOTICE IS GIVEN of the death of NANCY H. RICHARDSON, of Springfield, Sangamon County, Illinois, on December 24, 2010.

Red-light cameras, which many motorists insist are aimed at enhancing revenue rather than safety, have reduced the number of tickets issued in Chicago suburbs so successfully that jurisdictions which counted on the fines in their budgets are experiencing significant shortfalls.

LOT ELEVEN (11) IN BLOCK TWO (2) IN “DIAL COURT” AN ADDITION TO THE CITY OF SPRINGFIELD, SANGAMON COUNTY, ILLINOIS. TAX NO. 22-05-232-011 COMMONLY KNOWN AS: 1600 DIAL COURT SPRING- FIELD, IL 62704 Description of Improvements: FRAME HOUSE DETACHED 2 CAR VACANT The Judgment amount was $82,403.

I met a guy online, and after two four-hour phone conversations, he declared he felt a “deep connection.” We had a romantic date, during which he made repeated declarations of his feelings. The next morning, he sent a somewhat angry text, observing that I’d logged in again on the dating site, and while I didn’t owe him anything, he found it odd.