Editor’s note
The Central Illinois Horse Rescue organization needs a new barn. The Animal Protective League would like to have cat food, Karo syrup and baby washcloths. Kumler Outreach Ministries needs a pickup truck.

A way forward for local Democrats
Election night was a mixed bag for local Democrats as nearly a hundred activists, many who worked on local races, filled Floyd’s Thirst Parlor to await vote returns. The mood was festive and optimistic, but as the night advanced without a presidential winner declared, nervousness lingered.

Diagnosing the cost disease
Find a cure for Baumol’s Disease and you will be hailed as the benefactor of millions, even though the only people it harms are politicians. Baumol’s Disease strikes the body politic, specifically the tendency of government costs to so outpace the cost of everything else.

Bothering to vote, and bothering voters
Their names are Galicia and Ken – ordinary Americans with extraordinary depths of civic spirit. While nearly 40 percent of eligible voters didn’t bother to cast their ballots this year, these two demonstrated that our democratic right to vote is not...

LETTERS
GOOD CONDUCT CREDIT FOR ALL With Illinois having $85 billion in unfunded pension liabilities, the credit rating agencies could no longer ignore the state’s fiscal mess.

Latino voting soars in Illinois
Twenty years ago, 85 percent of Illinois’ voting-day pool was white and 12 percent was African- American, with the other three percent being Latino, Asian and other. But last week, whites made up 70 percent of voters and blacks were 14 percent, while Asian- Americans were 2 percent.

BUSTED
Lawyers being lawyers, the bar association waited until the last minute – actually three years beyond the last minute – to fi le, er install, three busts of Lincoln in the Sangamon County courthouse to mark the 2009 bicentennial of Lincoln’s birth.

SPECIAL SKATER
Erin Hart has autism, but you’d never know it when she’s on the ice. The 18-year-old fi gure skater from Pleasant Hill, Ill., trains at Springfi eld’s Nelson Center ice arena twice a week, and her dedication to the sport has paid off. Erin is one of 11 fi gure skaters from the U.

Does UIS stiff laborers?
A group of union workers at the University of Illinois Springfield claims many of their non-union counterparts got raises above the university’s own limits. The workers also claim UIS pays support staff nearly a third less than the same jobs at the university’s flagship campus in Urbana-Champaign.

Answers, please
When Macoupin Energy, a division of Foresight Energy that has invested heavily in Illinois coal in recent years, purchased the then-idle Carlinville mine from Exxon in 2009, IEPA transferred a pollution discharge permit from Exxon to the mine’s new owner, which restarted operations.

A straight flush
Republican coroner Cinda Edwards, whose appointment to the post drew criticism from critics who saw politics in the ascension of a wife of a Springfield alderman, had an unexpectedly close primary race last spring against Tom Shafer, a perennial candidate for elected offices.

Prairie troubadour
These are strong and intense emotions from a 30-year-old guy from Chatham, Ill., who began a career in the singer-songwriter folk field less than 10 years ago, not sure where or how to begin. In the last five years since Bedford released his first album, Lincoln’s Man,.

The golden boy of Illinois
Illinoisans did not wake up on Jan. 13, 2003, to discover that Rod Blagojevich suddenly was the governor of Illinois. The years have dimmed the memory of the optimism and joy many felt with the swearing-in of the new governor. Coen and Chase devote the first 129 pages of Golden.

Community wish lists
The Animal Protective League (APL) is a private, nonprofit animal welfare organization, funded by donations. It operates an animal shelter, a low-cost spay/neuter clinic and maintains numerous programs that benefit members of the community.

Where there’s smoke!
Breaking with tradition is always a test of the home cook’s mettle, especially around the holidays. Loved ones have expectations and when they aren’t met, disappointment causes upset even Tums can’t relieve.

Crowd-pleasing holiday dips
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a saucepan, combine cream cheese and ranch over low heat. Pour mixture over chicken in a baking dish. Sprinkle cheese on top. Bake 30 to 40 minutes, let stand 10 minutes before serving. Serve with veggies, crackers or breadsticks.

Local big cheese on variety and expertise
Her voice halted me in my tracks. Right in front of the Montvale Schnucks’ newly renovated and expanded specialty cheese display, I quit pushing my cart. Shamelessly eavesdropping, I cast periodic surreptitious glances toward the speaker behind the counter.

Spielberg’s powerful portrait of Lincoln the man
However, the most pressing concern is making sure that there are enough votes to pass the amendment if it comes to a vote. What ensues is a display of real politics in action as promises are made, arms are twisted and patronage jobs are given as well many other backroom deals that’s “the end justifying the means” in vivid action.

Various November varieties
Every once in a while it’s fascinating to take a look at all the music out there in the big picture rather than focusing in on one subject. With all the happenings this weekend, plus the upcoming Thanksgiving feast of music next week, that once in a while is now.

PUB CRAWL
Groke, Forget The Times, Secular Edict, End Times Trio w/Ben Jacob.

BAND SPOTLIGHT | Chicago Farmer
After an upbringing among offerings of punk and grunge sounds in his hometown of Delavan, Ill. in southern Tazewell County, Chicago Farmer, aka Cody Diekhoff, saw the light upon hearing the songs of Hank Williams.

THE CALENDAR
mile north of North Cotton Hill Road, 217-626-1738..

HOLIDAY | Christmas extravaganza
One of the best places to go in Springfield to feel the joy of the holiday season (30,000 people thought so last year), the Festival of Trees is a nine-day Christmas extravaganza. Decorated trees, swags and wreaths (150 to be exact) are decked out by area designers and groups.

MUSIC | Strong sass
Get ready to be wowed by a blues singer Elmore Magazine.

THEATER | Modern Romeo and Juliet
Broadway comes to Sangamon Auditorium, UIS with the Tony Award-winning Arthur Laurents musical West Side Story,.

MUSIC | R&B soul
Glenn Leonard, former lead singer from The Temptations, brings his nationally touring Motown review, Hitsville Live, to The Legacy Theatre Friday, Nov. 16. You will be transported back to the 1960s when the sounds of The Temptations, The Supremes, The Marvelettes, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and Smokey Robinson permeated the airwaves.