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Editor’s note
Back-to-school is a time of new beginnings. Bless the backpacks that hold so much hope, and the kids who carry them to new possibilities. Bless the teachers who care for the kids, enough to accept a “soft freeze” contract with a vague promise that things will get better next year.

This mess won’t end well
One recent afternoon, my infant daughter slept in my arms while I flipped through a backlog of magazines. I stumbled upon this article – “Dysfunctional Illinois: No Play, No Pay” – about our “enormous unfunded pension liability” (about $133 billion) in The Economist.

Another woman’s story
I recently spent a pleasant weekend in the company of a handsome widowed lady named Christiana. She did most of the talking, which was fine with me, as what she had to say was well-observed and often wryly funny. Besides, I couldn’t have interrupted her if I tried, she being dead for the past 141 years.

Corporate greed is making us sick
Ill workers often spread illness, because millions of employees who deal directly with the public are not covered by paid sick leave policies.

LETTERS
Give a gal a break. (“Going slow on sweet gums” by Bruce Rushton, Aug. 15.) There are far, far more sweet gum trees in town, with a huge abundance of sweet gum balls, than any flock of overwintering birds could possibly consume. If you are a bird lover, which I am, go to Wild Birds Unlimited and get some real food for them.

Democratic ties plunge GOP governor contenders in polls
The Rauner people have long known that this was a real problem for their guy, which is just one reason why they’ve been spending so much money this summer – almost $2 million on TV and radio ads through the first week of August, according to one calculation.

DEMOLITIONS DUE
If you own a dilapidated house in Springfi eld, you might want to call your lawyer. In late July, the City of Springfi eld fi led lawsuits against the owners of 16 properties, seeking demolition of the buildings on those properties. Among them is a house in the 1100 block of North Fourth Street that was badly damaged by a suspected arson in May.

WATCH THESE WATCHES
Although it’s been 81 years since the Illinois Watch Company of Springfi eld stopped producing watches, their timepieces are still fetching a good price. Earlier this week, a nearly fl awless specimen made in 1900 sold for $564 on eBay.com from a seller in Kiev, Ukraine.

Tiff over taxes
For Dabrowski, vice president of policy for the Illinois Policy Institute, that opportunity is a chance to spur business investment by letting the state’s 2010 income tax increase expire and drastically cutting state spending.

Growing pains
Just a year ago, Goodwill was hiring as the agency opened new stores or expanded existing ones in a half-dozen towns, including Chatham, Urbana, Litchfield, Jacksonville, Lincoln and Danville. Durbin rejects any notion that retail operations have expanded too quickly.

Fields of dreams
The site was pitched as a sports complex as long ago as 1997, when politicians and business leaders gathered for a fancy groundbreaking ceremony at what was to become Xanadu, with fields and restaurants and a dinner theater and room for trade shows...

Judicial politics
Sangamon County Chief Judge Leslie Graves’ former assistant is suing her and a court administrator in federal court, saying Graves fired her in retaliation for supporting another judge in an investigative hearing. The former assistant is also suing the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts, claiming a violation of federal labor law.

Farmland prices hit records
The rising prices follow a nationwide trend driven by low interest rates and solid demand for crops, says John Hawkins, spokesman for the Illinois Farm Bureau. However, farmland prices may level out as interest rates rise, exports fall and profits on corn and soybeans get slimmer.

Reviving a tradition at Clayville
Close your eyes and drift back in time. There are no cars, no cellphones, no computers, no electric grid. Not a film in a theater or a movie on TV and not one single musical recording via iTunes, albums, eight-track or Mp3. Only through direct human involvement, right before your eyes and ears, can entertainment be discovered and enjoyed.

Kick-Ass 2 a surprisingly effective look at identity confusion
For those who missed the first film, Wadlow gets viewers quickly up to speed as the title character, a very good Aaron Taylor-Johnson, recounts his adventures as the world’s first superhero and how he retired from the streets but is now getting restless and is eager to go out and bust some skulls.

Not tomatoes; tomatillos
They look like green tomatoes, at least once their husks have been removed. When cut and the chambers of tiny seeds exposed, they still look a bit as if they could be tomatoes; although possibly, as a saying in my family goes, “like a bastard at a family reunion.

PUB CRAWL
Naughtalus, Flamingo, 64 Squares, Haircut Actual.

BAND SPOTLIGHT | Still Kick’n
What can you say about this band that hasn’t already been said? Here’s one thing – this Saturday is the extremely popular group’s final show.

Blues, BBQs and beyond
I feel like I’m beginning to sound like a broken record – those were those big flat, black things with music on them we had many moons ago. Sometimes they’d get stuck on a scratch and play the same thing over and over. I still have a bunch with a working turntable and the records sound great – when they aren’t stuck.

THE CALENDAR
Aug 30-31, Sep 01-02, 4-8pm, ‘E Pluribus unum.’ Presentations, music and supper. Phone meal orders at least one day early, 675-2720. Info, 243-5678. Jacksonville Community Park, 1201 S. Main, Jacksonville..

THEATER | Reaching for the stars
THEATER | Reaching for the stars.

FESTIVAL | More than hot air
Everything’s coming up balloons. Lincoln Art and Balloon Festival takes place this Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Logan County Airport and downtown. A weekend of fun kicks off with a lights and siren parade at 3:30 p.m., moving from the square to the airport.

FESTIVAL | Sweet sauciness
If you love barbecue and good music, the Old Capitol Blues & BBQs festival is for you. With a host of scrumptious sauce-covered meats to taste, you can also vote for your favorite to determine barbecue competition winners. The music rocks with a host of musicians and headliners James Armstrong on Friday at 10 p.