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What you need to know about Congress now
Deeply unpopular and flagrantly unproductive, Congress is on its August recess right now. It won’t return until Sept. 9, after a five-week recess, leaving itself just a few days to settle issues like raising the debt ceiling and passing a federal budget.

Editor’s note
Here’s your Fall Guide, a 68-page special edition of Illinois Times, featuring a comprehensive calendar of events, beginning on page 11, listing festivals, tours, plays, exhibits and musical events from Labor Day to December.

Three-way traffic
“A place for everything and everything in its place, I say, and a park is not the place for cars.” That was me, ranting in this paper in 1978. I promised then that it would be my last word on the subject, and it was for 35 years. That’s a long time for me to keep my mouth shut about anything.

Militarizing America’s police forces
You know, in New Hampshire. Even though only about 43,000 people live there, Concord apparently has some sort of secret significance that makes it a target. We can infer this from an extraordinary defensive action being taken by local authorities. Concord police, fully backed by the city council, are preparing for a horrific terroristical assault.

LETTERS
ONE LEFT TURN DESERVES ANOTHER A letter writer recently (“Lawrence Road Blocks,” Tyre W. Rees, Aug. 22) noted the need for left turn lanes on Lawrence at its intersections with both Walnut and MacArthur. I agree and would like to nominate another location where left turn lanes are needed, for virtually the same reason.

Rauner’s race for mayor
Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner has focused like a laser on his absolute disgust with public employee unions like AFSCME, the Illinois Education Association and the Illinois Federation of Teachers.

A boxer gives back
Justin Moon, a trim man with a stern but gentle demeanor, watches and gives encouragement. Moon is a barber by day, but by night he becomes a ringleader of sorts, teaching a small group of kids how to handle themselves inside a boxing ring.

THE FIRST BEATLE IN AMERICA
dedicate “The First Beatle in America – George Harrison” historical marker at Capitol Park in Benton in southern Illinois. The marker, which commemorates the “Quiet Beatle” and his visit to the United States in September 1963 – six months before The Beatles came to America as a band – will be unveiled at 2 p.

LINED UP
He’s no bird whisperer, but Mikel Ollech, a local angler, has proven himself a friend of the feathered by building repositories for fi shing line that have recently been installed around Lake Springfi eld.

Looking for jobs
that supply workers to city contractors, even though there is a program set up to specifically address the problem, Beckom says. Eric Day, 29, of Springfield completed the Highway Construction Careers Training Program at Lincoln Land Community College in May.

Hard Knox
The roof of the three-story apartment building built in 1910 has caved in under Eglaston’s watch, its demise carefully recorded in a series of before-and-after photographs tucked inside a file in Sangamon County Circuit Court, where the city sought a demolition order.

2013 FALL CALENDAR
19-21, 26-28, 12pm and 6:30pm, Hilarious quick-change comedy at this BYOB dinner theater production. $33-$37. Reservations by phone. barn2.com. Conklin’s Barn II Dinner Theater, 1451 Timberline Road, Goodfi eld, 309- 965-2545..

About the cover artist
The cover image of the Washington Park gazebo is by Greg Walbert of Springfi eld. He writes: “As a fi ne artist, whether as an illustrator or a painter, my focus is in the interpretation of the subject through the unique qualities of the medium. My illustration showcases the strokework of pencils and crayons and the blending of charcoals.

Zip through the Shawnee National Forest
“We wanted to do something fun,” said Marc, an equine veterinarian. “I built this because, where else can grandparents come with their kids and grandkids and do this?” “He had built a tree house with a zip line in the woods for the grandkids,” Candy said, explaining how this all got started.

The Nightingale of Andover
Though her name is more associated with nursery furniture today, Jenny Lind was without a doubt the most remarkable singer of her day, a celebrity of celebrities whose admirers included Queen Victoria of England, Harvard’s Edward Everett, poet Henry...

Down by the river
The trip from Springfield to Quincy via Interstate 72 takes a couple hours, but spend an extra 20 minutes and head out Jefferson Avenue to the hinterland, then take U.S. 24 through Beardstown, across the Illinois River and into some of the most scenic country in the region.

A magical ride
It happens every year on one of the first crisp days that hint of autumn: bicycle riders from near and far converge on Springfield only to disburse into the corn-filled countryside pedaling and eating their way around a 100-mile course or, in most cases, a smaller portion of the course.

Fall curtain call
Although summer is drawing to a close, the theater season is still going strong. Springfield and the surrounding region boast some truly impressive talent and mesmerizing productions that can hold their own against theater in bigger cities.

Variety is key in a season of exciting music
Autumn is traditionally a big season for live music, as touring artists make a last major push out onto the open road before winter’s icy finger makes it more or less impassable.

The benefits of doing business locally
Meanwhile, national chains and online megastores continue gaining market and pushing independent businesses to the margins in many sectors.

One Direction impresses in Us
Not sure if I should admit this, but the earworm that is One Direction’s “What Makes You Beautiful” is among 2,000 songs on my iPod. Occasionally, that snappy pop ditty starts rattling around in my head and my thumb is furiously working the selection wheel, flying down the list of songs until I find it and hit play.

Labor Day doings
Well, it’s time for the annual bemoaning of the passing of another summer, one that seemed to fly by like a hungry mosquito heading for dinner on my left elbow. Now I suppose fall will just do the same. The years pile up with annoying regularity and increasing rapidity, but all in good time.

For the love of Indian food
It wasn’t love at first bite. It wasn’t even love at second bite. But, when I finally fell in love with Indian food, I fell hard. I’ve always been an adventurous eater, eager to try new things, so it’s strange that I didn’t initially appreciate Indian food, but it was really circumstantial.

BAND SPOTLIGHT | The Alley Tones
Cultivating a deep and biding respect for the legacy of the blues, The Alley Tones hail from St. Louis, a heritage blues city along with Chicago, Memphis and New Orleans. Eric A.

PUB CRAWL
Chuck Whiting & His Rowdy Friends, Sunshine Mamas.

THE CALENDAR
THEATER & COMEDY Easily Amused Teen Improv Troupe Back to School Show.

ART | Having substance
The Springfield Art Association’s latest exhibit, up through Oct. 5, explores the architecture, archaeology, fine arts and decorative arts of Springfield from the 1820s-1850s. Highlights include photos of local antebellum houses, daguerreotypes, 1830 Edwards Place privy ewer and door, 1830s sofa and piano from Lincoln’s wedding ceremony and more.

FESTIVAL | Tasteful teachings
“E Pluribus unum” is the 2013 theme of this year’s Prairieland Chautauqua to be held four evenings over Labor Day weekend.