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Hat trick
Nothing – save perhaps a shredded writ of habeas corpus – says “Lincoln” like a stovepipe hat. Abe World relies on his hats as a graphical motif – I count four of them on the home page alone – and the innermost room of the Treasures Gallery is a sanctum sanctorum.

Editor’s note
Included with this week’s Illinois Times is the handsome Spring edition of our quarterly publication, Capital City Parent. This issue focuses on parents taking care of their elderly parents, with helpful advice for caregivers and an exploration of the plentiful senior housing options in the Springfi eld area.

Beat that red light
Have you ever noticed how many reported car crashes take place in intersections? That’s one of the big problems, causing injuries and deaths, that do not get the attention of the other baddies. Everyone wants to beat a red light, putting life and limb in jeopardy.

Watch out – the drones are coming
For nearly four years, President Obama refused to admit a foreign-policy “secret” that was widely known – that the White House, Pentagon and CIA are engaged in ethically questionable and rapidly escalating drone warfare that’s killing innocent civilians as well as enemy soldiers in Afghanistan, Yemen and elsewhere.

LETTERS
CARING FOR VETS Our politicians and state officials never give up any opportunity to show off their affections and appreciation for our veterans for publicity or photo opp.

Bad start to Quinn’s re-election effort
Quinn was holding a presser with U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to discuss her conditional approval allowing Illinois to move forward with an online health insurance exchange – a major step toward implementing the president’s national health care plan.

Homeless population wants to be part of the community
The group organized in front of the Lincoln Library, an area heavily populated by the homeless, and marched to the mayor’s office to have a meeting.

TEEN TAN BAN
In October 2012, the Springfi eld City Council voted to ban teens under age 18 from tanning in city limits. Pursued by Ward 5 Ald. Sam Cahnman, the ban took effect in January and built on an existing state law that bans children under age 14 from tanning.

DAVID, MEET GOLIATH
Dr. David Gill, a Bloomington emergency room physician and failed Democratic candidate for Congress, is suing the Internal Revenue Service in an effort to get the agency to do its job.

Health insurance reform closer to reality in Illinois
The federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, sometimes called “Obamacare,” calls for each state to set up public health insurance exchanges in which insurance companies sell plans that meet basic state standards. Part of a larger plan in which most people in the U.

National ‘Amazon tax’ could mean big bucks for Illinois
As Illinois residents file their income tax returns, they’re faced with a choice: admit to buying something online and pay sales tax to the state, or skip the tax and risk paying a penalty later if they get audited.

Dogs and fleas and taking baths
During recent testimony in the bankruptcy case of the failed Springfield company that made and lost a fortune buying and selling precious metal and other valuables, Green said that he quickly sensed a pattern to calls from Jeffrey Parsons, THR’s founder and owner, during a series of business deals that lasted about six months in 2011 and 2012.

Give me liberty, whatever it is
Students won’t be able to major in the subject, but the decision by the campus senate last Friday to establish Liberty Studies as a minor was not without controversy.

Housing with Hope
Joann [not her real name] is one of the first tenants to take up residence at Hope Springs Apartments. The newly opened two-story, 36unit complex at 1135 N. Ninth St. was built for $3.3 million to serve as high-quality, affordable housing for people with psychiatric disabilities.

Winning winter salads
Insalata di Caprese is a simple Italian salad that should only be eaten in warm weather when tomatoes and basil are at their peak and they are combined with fresh, delicate mozzarella and good-quality olive oil. This is a wintertime riff on that classic.

Die Hard 5 an abusive exercise in mayhem
The plot, what there is of it, involves McClane (Willis) traveling to Moscow after his son (Jai Courtney) has been taken into custody. Dad’s not sure what the charges are, but he’s off to save his boy, who happens to be a CIA agent involved in helping to free a Soviet dissident (Sebastian Koch).

Ricky Skaggs at the Sheldon
I usually only write about Springfieldarea shows, but when I got the chance to interview Ricky Skaggs for his upcoming performance at the Sheldon Concert Hall in St. Louis on Feb. 22, I changed my tune. Originally I thought Ricky’s publicist came from Springfield and I could work that local angle, but when I discovered he wasn’t, it was too late.

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

BAND SPOTLIGHT | Lionel Young Band
Raised in Rochester, N.Y. and trained as a classical violinist, Lionel Young is not your typical blues performer. The young Young found his way to the blues and using his “distinctive electric violin” forged a new sound to the old art form.

THE CALENDAR
Dates, times and locations are subject to last-minute changes, so we suggest calling before attending events..

CULTURE | Engaging ethnicities
A great place to take the family and immerse in the heritage and traditions of various world cultures, the Illinois State Museum holds Celebrate Cultural Diversity, Saturday, Feb. 23. From the moment you walk in the door you’ll hear the beats of African drums.

MUSIC | Fab foursome
Direct from Broadway, Rain, the internationallyacclaimed Beatles concert, returns by popular demand. As “the next best thing to seeing The Beatles” as touted by the Associated Press,.

FILM | Investigating time
The Molly Schlich Film Series to benefit the Springfield Art Association Michael Victor II Art Library is about halfway through its 2013 run. A film of note, Safety Not Guaranteed,.

TELEVISION | Oscar coverage
The party not to miss this weekend is the Central Illinois Film Commission’s Red Carpet Party at Capital City Bar and Grill during Oscar night, Feb. 24. Hollywood comes to Springfield. Walk the red carpet like a star, watch the Oscars unfold before you on the big screen, and meet cast and crew from the film Lincoln.