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Kumbaya around the campfire
Jim Edgar is the closest thing the Illinois Republican Party has to a sage. His long career in elective office made him wise – wise enough anyway to retire from elective office – and he generously dispenses that wisdom from the mountaintop of the University of Illinois’ Institute for Government and Public Affairs.

Publisher’s note
This is Independents Week – a time to celebrate the independently owned and operated businesses that are the backbone of America’s economy. The vast majority of “small” business owners are ecstatic over the Supreme Court’s decision to affirm the future of the Affordable Care Act.

We need a new WPA
The Labor Department’s estimate of jobs added to the U.S. economy in May was 69,000, a number too low to keep up with population growth. But in an election year, we no longer expect a real response to unemployment from Congress. Most of us expect a governmental train wreck at year’s end, no matter who wins the election.

Hey Congress, what about the ‘Doug Jones Average’?
The economic measure that matters most to most folks is the Doug Jones Average. The Doug is concerned about such key indicators as the pump price on a gallon of regular, the subprime value of today’s seven-and-a-quarter minimum wage and the impact of global inflationary pressures on the cost of a six-pack.

LETTERS
As we celebrate Independence Day, we should also remember that not all Americans were free until 89 years after 1776, when Union soldiers sailed into Galveston, Texas, to announce the end of the Civil War and enforce President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, issued 2 1/2 years earlier.

Closing in on Rep. Derrick Smith
The Investigations Committee took two months to decide that there was enough evidence against Smith, D- Chicago, to warrant punishment. Rep. Smith was arrested and then indicted for allegedly accepting $7,000 in cash bribes just before the March primary.

Federal auditors visit Jerome
However, several sources, including Mayor Harry Stirmell, confirmed that the auditors were in Jerome to examine how the village has police officer, was charged two weeks ago with obstruction of justice and official misconduct.

SMTD sees change ahead
Janice Smith of Springfield says the public bus system is her lifeline. She rides buses all over Springfield to work, to shop and to visit friends – in short, everywhere. She’s on a bus almost every day of her life, except on Sundays, when the buses don’t run where she needs to go.

FINS FINISHED
“Earth,” you’ll no doubt recall the incredible power that great white sharks exhibit when hunting seals. The sharks practically explode out of the water, their terrifying serration of teeth slicing through their helpless prey.

SOLAR SPRINGFIELD
As if biking wasn’t already green enough, Robert LaBonte of Springfield has found a way to make the world’s most popular form of wheeled transit even more Earth-friendly. LaBonte, owner of The Bicycle Doctor, says any electric bikes purchased from his newly-renovated store at 1037 N.

Garbage in, garbage out, garbage everywhere
It doesn’t take many brain cells to figure out that the city’s method for collecting trash is, politely put, silly. No fewer than four garbage haulers drive pavement-chewing trucks up and down pothole-pocked streets collecting recyclables and throwaways each week.

Group forms to give voice to small businesses
The SBHCC defines small businesses as businesses with fewer than 100 employees. Harant said a majority of the businesses she has spoken with have fewer than 50 employees. There are about 300,000 total businesses in Illinois around that size.

Summer movies
Ah summer…the days are long, picnics are taken, the drive-ins are packed and superheroes, aliens and animated films take over the multiplex. As the saying goes, “You’ve got to make hay while the sun is shining,” and the Hollywood movie studios know this is the prime time to fill their coffers.

Summer movies
July 13 – I can’t figure out just why this animated series from 20th Century-Fox has been so successful.

No superheroes in sight
While the span from May to Labor Day has become the prevue of big-budget superhero movies and action epics as well as sequels and remakes that have been given a good buff and polish, there are still films being released during this time that feature that rarest of creatures – real-life human beings.

The delights of special dinners
Some of Springfield’s most exciting and innovative cuisine isn’t found on its restaurants’ regular menus. It’s true that Springfield’s best restaurants’ daily specials for appetizers, entrées or desserts are often composed of locally procured ingredients at the height of their seasonal best.

Hot happenings
As the undeniable Don Van Vliet performing as Captain Beefheart once said in his song Ice Cream for Crow, “It’s so hot it looks like you got three beaks crow,” and these days I think I know what the inscrutable Captain meant. But despite the nearly unbearable heat, time continues and things go on, including music happenings in Springfield.

PUB CRAWL
Mike Burnett, Jeff Kornfeld and Luke Turasky.

BAND SPOTLIGHT | John Paul Keith
A 2011 performer at the Bedrock 66 Live! concert series and a favorite among Springfield roots rock fans, John Paul Keith returns to the capital city for a big stage slot at the American Music Show.

ART | Creative kin
An intriguing new exhibit opens at the Springfield Art Association on Thursday, July 12 that spans generations. It’s in the Genes.

THE CALENDAR
Valley of Fear. Barnes and Noble Booksellers, 3111 S. Veteran’s Pkwy, 546-8387. Submissions Sought.

FESTIVAL | Capital cuisine
Downtown sizzles the weekend after the Fourth of July and not just from the heat. The popular twoday festival, Taste of Downtown, runs Friday and Saturday, featuring the cuisine of over 20 city restaurants.

THE CALENDAR
(Also playing Aug. 22.), Washington Park, South Grand and MacArthur, 217-793-9492. Troubadour Wednesday Concerts.

SCIENCE | Grave matters
Illinois State Museum Paul Mickey Science Series returns with a lecture July 11 at the Research and Collections Center on Ash Street. The program features Guy Sternberg from Starhill Forest Arboretum, who is also an Illinois College adjunct professor and ISM adjunct research associate.

THE CALENDAR
each month. National Alliance on Mental Illness Support Group for persons with mental illness. First Christian Church, 700 S. Sixth St, 891-5570. DBSA Central Illinois.

THEATER | Ghost writer
Local songwriter, guitarist and singer, Tom Irwin, performs a one-night show outside at Theatre in the Park, Kelso Hollow in Lincoln’s New Salem State Historic Site, on Saturday, July 7, at 8 p.m. Sangamon Songs,.

PUBLICNOTICES
IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE SEVENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT SANGAMON COUNTY, ILLINOIS ESTATE OF OLLIE ELIZABETH BARTNICK, Deceased Case No. 2012-P-287 CLAIM NOTICE Notice is given of the death of OLLIE ELIZABETH BARTNICK. Letters of office were issued on May25,2012 to ROBERT E.