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Editor’s note
While the world waits for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to form a new coalition government, an Israeli diplomat brought a fi rm but measured and hopeful tone to Springfi eld last week as he discussed prospects for peace in the Middle East.

Pension reform proposals that might work
On Feb. 20, 2013, Rep. Lou Lang, D-Skokie, introduced HB 2375 which he described as “credible, comprehensive, constitutional pension reform legislation.” This constitutional proposal by Rep. Lang may act to the consternation of the many Illinois organizations which coalesced to defeat last November’s Constitutional Amendment 49.

Hearing loss
Unfortunately that’s all it is. Libraries, museums and private collectors collect letters and photographs of old Springfield, along with the odd bit of furniture or machinery. We even collect buildings of historic importance so that the Springfieldian of the 2000s can experience a little of the physical Springfield of the early 1800s.

In battling Monsanto’s greed, tenacity matters
During the past two decades, this biotech behemoth has used its political connections to obtain a monopolistic grip on the creation, sale and proliferation of Frankenseeds – the seeds of corn, cotton, soybeans and other crops that have had genetically modified organisms spliced into their natural DNA structure by corporate lab techs.

LETTERS
First of all, people don’t tax themselves – if they did, we wouldn’t need the IRS or Illinois Department of Revenue. It’s also the reason that utility taxes are taken from your bill, rather than paying for each phone call or flick of the light switch as you go.

Cartoonish charades at Statehouse
Nobody ever really knows what’s going through Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan’s head except for Madigan himself. So, the actual purpose of two highly choreographed gun control and pension reform debates last week ordered up by Madigan weren’t completely clear to anyone.

FLAGS FOREVER
Illinois still has its Civil War regimental fl ags and, although most of them have been in storage for decades due to degradation, they’ve still been open for public viewing. The catch was that you had to know they were there.

Shell games and FOIA
That was the way that Silly Pretend Journalists, aka the Society of Professional Journalists, saw things eight years ago when they bestowed attorney general Lisa Madigan with the coveted Sunshine Award, akin to an Oscar from a group of navel gazers that purports to be a watchdog for the public interest.

SCHOOL BOARD FORUMS
There’s been a lot of public anger lately about the Springfi eld School Board, which on Tuesday voted a second time to close a popular middle school that appears to be helping to “close the gap” of academic achievement disparity. Maybe you think the school board is right to cut a program that costs about $1.

Gay marriage delayed while both sides count votes
“The reality is that this is going to be a tough roll call,” said Kent Redfield, political scientist with the University of Illinois Springfield.

Same lawyer, more trouble
This time, attorney John Narmont, who began serving a six-month suspension in January, continued filing bankruptcy cases and collecting fees even though he couldn’t do the work due to his approaching suspension, wrote U.S.

Use it or get paid
It’s not clear whether the district is in financial straits and, if so, to what extent. Two days after the memo went out, the park board was silent on the spending freeze at a special meeting in which no motions or votes were taken on anything.

Gunning for change
I was an undergraduate in my senior year at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, walking across the snowy campus on Valentine’s Day, 2008. The usual random movement of the crowd seemed to have become a stampede away from one building: Cole Hall, a multi-purpose lecture hall near the center of campus.

Quartet a showcase for veteran English cast
The residents at Beecham House rely on routine and order. They have a set schedule every day and it’s understood that those who were stars in their heyday are treated just a bit better than those whose job it was to back them up. However, things are about to be turned upside down when diva extraordinaire Jean Horton (Maggie Smith) becomes a resident.

How the Mennonites make More with Less
But another Anabaptist sect, Mennonites, evolved without strictures against all modernization. They established themselves in central Illinois and throughout North America and continued adhering to Anabaptist precepts of pacifism, simple living, community-centered lives and consenting adult (as opposed to infant, hence the name) baptism.

BAND SPOTLIGHT | Hillbilly Casino
Wild, wooly, raucous and racy, these guys come on with a bang and stay lit all night. Well-known up and down and all around, plus parts beyond for the music, the show, the attitude, the tattoos, the sound, the look and their do-it-yourself ways, Hillbilly Casino is a force to be reckoned with on the live music scene.

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

The Blue G’s CD release
With great honor and satisfaction, plus considerable fanfare, let us announce the release of The Blue G’s debut recording. The self-titled CD, almost two years in the making, holds a wonderful and varied selection of nine songs in the bluegrass music vein.

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

ART | United visions
Local artists Wendy Allen and William Crook, Jr. present a joint exhibit of their work March 9-10, at 627 E. Adams, a temporary gallery space. The show, A Marriage of Spirit and Place,.

MUSIC | Sweet-sounding trio
The sweet-sounding trio, The Good Lovelies, will treat you to a concert March 9 at Sangamon Auditorium, UIS, as they make their way home to Canada. The touring three-part harmonies of Caroline Brooks, Kerri Ough and Sue Passmore never sounded so good and current and fresh.

COLLECTIONS | Show and tell
Explore the collections of area children and teens including rocks, minerals, coins, toys and more, Saturday, March 9, at the Illinois State Museum. Children between the ages of 8 and 15 years old will have their treasures on display for the public to view.

THEATER | Leiber and Stoller revue
Get ready to start your feet tapping. The musical revue Smokey Joe’s Café is booked for two weekends, March 8-17, at the Hoogland Center for the Arts. This local production features 40 of the greatest rock ’n’ roll, pop and blues songs written by songwriters Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller.