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Don’t tolerate public corruption in Springfield
Public corruption in Illinois and Chicago is well documented with its roots predating the infamous gangster, Al Capone. In 1911, political scientist and Chicago alderman Charles Merriam said, “Chicago is unique. It is the only completely corrupt city in America.

Dancing around the issue
The Motor City finally ran out of gas. The recent bankruptcy of Detroit’s municipal government has been explained and reexplained. It was a single-industry city, the equivalent of the mining camp, that failed to diversify its economy. It was badly run, meaning both incompetent and corrupt.

The new border-industrial complex
But the neighborly adage definitely did not contemplate the 700-mile, 20-foot-high, dronepatrolled, electronically monitored fence of steel and razor wire that our government has erected across our nation’s border with Mexico, from the tip of Texas to California’s Pacific Coast.

LETTERS
The benefits of a drug court – reduced recidivism, increased public safety and reduced costs to taxpayers – can be seen not only in Sangamon County, but also across Illinois.

Wide open space in gov race for Raoul
The reaction should’ve been predictable. The most recent Capitol Fax/We Ask America poll, taken in mid-July, had Gov. Pat Quinn getting just 38 percent of the Democratic primary vote. That’s pretty awful for an incumbent. Bill Daley, who made his exploratory candidacy official last week, was at 33 percent.

GARDEN GREATS
skilled gardener, and it’s even more amazing what a few gardeners can do when they work together. Every year, the Springfi eld Civic Garden Club cultivates a more beautiful Springfi eld with grants to local nonprofi t organizations, funded by SCGC’s annual plant sale in May.

Because I said so!
Simpson, who could not be reached for comment, didn’t say why she objects to a liquor license for Scandals at 1031 S. 11 th St., but she made it clear during a July 30 council committee meeting that what she says should go in her ward.

JUST IN TIME FOR THE FAIR
The Sangamon County sheriff’s offi ce, which has seen numbers of drunken driving arrests plummet since eliminating the department’s only full-time DUI enforcement offi cer last year, warns that deputies will be on the lookout for drunken drivers from Aug.

Crying fowl
“Mechanically separated poultry is a pastelike and batter-like poultry product produced by forcing bones, with attached edible tissue, through a sieve or similar device under high pressure to separate bone from the edible tissue,” the agency says in a fact sheet.

Extreme school makeover
Ever since the summer of 2011, Springfield’s Harvard Park Elementary School has seen increased test scores, better parental involvement and higher teacher morale.

You Gotta Believe
Gil and Ann are drawn to fables and often work directly from the source material instead of relying solely on the script itself. While the Muni’s production comes from the 1954 musical adaptation made famous by Mary Martin as the title character, the work originates from J.

Roll your own
Essentially unfried egg rolls, summer rolls are light and healthy. They are ideal for a participatory family meal or easy entertaining. In fact, making summer rolls is entertainment in itself. Made ahead and kept moist with a damp towel, they are also perfect picnic fare.

Ludicrous 2 Guns a fun exercise for its two stars
The movie begins in inspired fashion as Trench (Washington) and Stigman (Wahlberg) appear to be partners in crime, casing a bank they intend to knock off the next day. Their intent is to steal $3 million belonging to Mexican drug lord Papi Greco (Edward James Olmos).

Fair and un-fair
Here we go again as the Illinois State Fair encompasses Springfield in an annual entertainment entanglement of deep fried frenzy and pure played pleasure. Some folks revel in the excess and others leave town to avoid the mess, but regardless, the ISF consumes the capital city for the next 10 days.

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

BAND SPOTLIGHT
After attending high school here, he split town and now teaches mathematics at a college in Vermont, while making music he describes as “too folky for the rockers and too rocky for the folkers.

FESTIVAL
The fair of all fairs in Illinois, the Illinois State Fair gears up for its 160th run under this year’s theme, “Where Illinois Comes Together.” Featuring a wide array of Illinois products and talents, music, competitions, food, carnival, parade and that famous butter cow display, the 2013 fair starts Thurs.

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

NATURE | Bird in hand
Sangamon River Chapter of the Illinois Audubon Society, Illinois Audubon Society and Lincoln’s New Salem State Historic Site host their annual Hummingbird Festival on Sat., Aug. 10, at Lincoln’s New Salem State Historic Site. This is your chance to see these unique birds up close during a capture and banding as the birds are migrating south.

THEATER
American life in the 19th century comes alive in Little Women, The Musical.

BOOKS
Bestselling author Tom Angleberger from Christiansburg, Va., stops at Springfield’s Barnes and Noble, Aug. 8, during a 10-city tour promoting his newest book The Surprise Attack of Jabba the Puppett,.