Page 1

Editor’s note
At the reunion of the Mt. Vernon Township High School Class of 1967 we all agreed to agree that we “hadn’t changed a bit,” but the world had. More people came this time because we’d all gotten together on Facebook, and some of us looked up answers to the 60s trivia quiz on our smartphones (How did Buffalo Bob start off the “Howdy Doody Show”?).

Getting there from there
South MacArthur Boulevard is a lot like a heart attack patient. It might recover its former vigor, but it will never thrive in the ways it did before it got sick.

Unlucky Article XIII cheats voters
The constitutional amendment to Article XIII on the November ballot is cleverly drafted to concentrate more monetary power in the same Springfield legislative leaders who have de facto bankrupted the Illinois treasury. With $83 billion in projected liabilities, Illinois has the nation’s largest state budget crisis.

The 1 percent’s cry for justice
Maybe you are one of these success stories. You might be a great public school teacher, for example, who motivated students to achieve new heights or an inventor who came up with an energysaving device and got it to market at a fair price, generating a profit for yourself, the environment and society generally.

LETTERS
Thank you for publishing an article that brings more light onto the State of Illinois’ five-tier retirement systems [see “For state pensions, use a scalpel not an ax,” Guestwork by Scott Stahlman, Oct. 11].

Campaign committees dodge money cap law
One way of getting around the state’s new campaign contribution caps is by forming a lot of different campaign committees.

FINGERPRINT YOUR KIDS
need. Bott is the founder of Operation Kidsafe, an international program that photographs and fingerprints children for free, providing parents with the information in case a child goes missing.

SLOW RIDE
According to a press release from the governor’s office, a pre-ride press conference in Joliet will start at 10:30 a.m., with a press conference on the other end scheduled for 12:45 p.m. That’s more than two hours between Q-and-A’s. Amtrak now makes the run between the two cities, which are 100 miles apart, in less than 90 minutes.

Enos School replacement plan under fire
Jerry Jacobson, spokesman for the nonprofit historic preservation organization Save Old Springfield, sent a letter to the Illinois State Board of Education on Monday, asking the state to reevaluate whether it’s cheaper to replace or renovate Enos Elementary School, 524 West Elliott Ave.

Look for the union label
The 26-4 vote earlier that day in favor of forming a union was a shellacking for management, which couldn’t make a case that employees at Springfield’s embattled daily newspaper are better off on their own than under the umbrella of the United Media Guild, which also represents employees at the Peoria Journal Star.

We’re ‘bars,’ clubs say, but gaming board says no
Under state law, video gambling devices are allowed in four types of establishments, including truck stops, businesses that hold liquor licenses, fraternal organizations organized under national charters and veterans groups that hold national charters.

Project Censored
People who get their information exclusively from mainstream media sources may be surprised at the lack of enthusiasm on the left for President Barack Obama in this crucial election.

Snake in the ceiling
If there had not been that snake in the ceiling, we might never have done it. My husband, Peter, and I knew when we bought the Spaulding Orchard farmhouse that we would eventually want to do some remodeling.

Country dancing for 25 years
Yes, it’s a little boot scootin’ and a little twosteppin,’ but Prairie Land Dance Club (PLDC) in Illiopolis ain’t your mama’s square dance. Folks at PLDC are just as comfortable sliding through “Sex on the Beach” or “Moves Like Jagger” as they are with local darlin’ (and current contestant on “The Voice”) Gracia Harrison’s yodeling.

Horrific Sinister succeeds despite flaws
A never better Ethan Hawke stars as Ellison Oswalt, a down-on-his-luck writer of true crime books who hasn’t had a hit in over a decade and is desperate for a taste of the limelight once more.

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

BAND SPOTLIGHT | Chicks with Picks
What do you get when three of the best female guitar-playing and singing songwriters in town come together on the same bill? Chicks with Picks is the correct answer. Josie Lowder, Monica Morris and Sarah Schneider man their guitars and muscle up the tunes for a night of song sharing and music making.

Call me Black Magic Johnson
Reggie Britton is one of my best friends as well as one of the most admired and respected artists on my personal list. We met in the early ’90s when Reggie showed up at my Thursday night gig at Bedrock’s. He asked if he could play drums with us, and being a smart aleck, I asked if he could play the drums.

THE CALENDAR
costume contests, music, bingo trick-or-treat and more. Adams between Fifth and Second. 544-1723. Downtown Springfi eld. Haunted Nights of Civil War History.

THEATER | Musical revue
Conceived and directed by Scott Richardson, Halloween Dreams.

MUSIC | Legendary raconteur
A 2004 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and 2007 Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee, Browne kicked off a career in the ’60s in New York City though most of his life and work was in California.

HOLIDAY | Pumpkin party
Rain or shine, meander through the Halloween splendor of 2,012 hand-carved, illuminated jack-olanterns surrounding the Carillon and Botanical Garden in Washington Park. This family-friendly event is a fundraiser for the Rees Carillon. Save $1 per ticket in advance at all Pease’s stores and Bank of Springfield locations.

THEATER | Head over heals
LEO will be performed at 8 p.m. Oct. 19 at Sangamon Auditorium, UIS, as part of the Visiting Artists Series. With no spoken words, the one-man show relies on physical theater to portray the story of Leo, a man who has found the physics in his world have been altered.