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Having fun saving the world
If we are to believe the hype – and of course we are meant to believe it – the proposed Kidzeum of Health and Science will save the earth, rescue our children from disease and invigorate the local tourism economy. I assume the staff will rest on the seventh day.

How to avoid another shutdown
One of the more amazing spectacles in the days after the government shutdown ended was the obsession in Washington with who won and who lost in the showdown. Yes, the capital is focused on next year’s elections, but honestly! There was only one real loser, and that was the American people.

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Say ‘no way’ to NSA
The very fine public servant, Russ Feingold, cautioned against the steady slippage of our democracy toward autocracy back in October 2001, when he stood tall as the only U.S. Senator to vote against the Patriot Act.

INVEST IN 186 YES TO FEE HIKES
I have been following with interest the variety of proposed tax increases to benefit School District 186. I should begin by acknowledging that a strong school system is paramount to a great community. The students we turn out of the system today are our community leaders of tomorrow.

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Miller on Madigan
The rich irony of Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan denouncing somebody else for attempting to be a “kingmaker” is so obvious and laughable that I can’t help but wonder why a guy who’s been a take no prisoners kingmaker himself for so long in this state would ever think of saying such a thing.

Retirees rankled over health benefits audit
Historically, state retirees have paid deductibles and other costs for their state-provided health insurance, but they haven’t had to pay the premium cost for those policies. A 2012 state law allowed the Department of Central Management Services (CMS) to split the cost of premiums with retirees, leading CMS to reconfigure the health benefits offered.

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NICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT
He’s baacck. Actually, Joseph Zeid Langan, erstwhile cop for Springfi eld and Southern View, never really left the employ of the University of Illinois Springfi eld, where he worked as a police dispatcher after being forced to resign as a Springfi eld police offi cer in 2008, when a prostitute said she performed a sex act on him in his squad car.

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Officials calming fears over Common Core standards
The state’s new Common Core learning standards are benchmarks for what students should be able to do at each grade level. Leaders from business, labor and education spoke to a gathering of parents and teachers at Glenwood High School in Chatham Oct. 29, spending much of the evening addressing criticisms of the plan.

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Can you hear me now?
He’s usually been a voice in the wilderness, the only “no” vote on collective bargaining agreements that contain raises McMenamin says will exacerbate an already untenable pension situation.

A rare verdict
That’s the common wisdom, at least, borne up by statistics that show defendants in federal court almost never walk, especially in central Illinois, where the rate of acquittal is less than half the national average, according to annual statistical reports prepared by Department of Justice.

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Paddling the Sangamon River water trail
The Sangamon River, casually winding 246 miles through the unchallenging landscape of central Illinois, seems a beautiful but shallow pretender to the name “river.” Yet between its banks are eras of consequence – stories of native peoples and a president, and a legacy reliant upon recognition of its past and continued importance.

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It could happen to you…
Children get injured; children get sick. And more often than we might expect, they have medical conditions that even the parents may not be aware of and are yet to be diagnosed. It is every care provider’s fear that something will happen to a child who has been entrusted to his care.

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Local First kicks off Holiday Sweepstakes Nov. 13
The fourth annual Local First Holiday Sweepstakes officially begins on Wednesday, Nov. 13. More than 120 Local First Springfield business members are participating in this holiday promotion, which encourages consumers to focus their holiday spending with locally owned independent businesses.

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Prep the Halls!
Guests will jam your home during the holiday season, many of them staying for a week or longer. You don’t want your furnace to conk out. And you certainly don’t want your toilets to go on the fritz. Fortunately, you can take steps before guests arrive to make sure that your home is both functional and comfortable for the holidays.

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Guest room rescue
“The fi rst step is not to necessarily take everything out, but to take out the things that you know have other places to go,” says Jennifer Snyder, a professional organizer and founder of the Waco, Texas-based company Neat As a Pin Organizing Experts.

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Cast not the only thing old in Last Vegas
Don’t you just laugh and laugh when you see a senior citizen unable to operate a newfangled gadget like a trunk latch in a car? Or how about when they act hip but are really out of touch with the times, like say when someone might mistake Curtis “50...

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Johnnie Owens can sing
Now a renowned and beloved Springfieldbased singer, Johnnie Owens’ voice and talent took him around the world in his younger days. Earlier this week we tried to cover his lifetime in music during an hour conversation while listening to his new CD Butter!.

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PUB CRAWL
Cantalouper, Mystery Gift, Paqui.

BAND SPOTLIGHT | Micky and the Motorcars
If you’re familiar with Midwest music clubs, then you’ve heard of Mojo’s in Columbia, Mo., Knucklehead’s in Kansas City and Off Broadway in St. Louis, the other venues Micky and the Motorcars play during a roll through the prairie. That says volumes about these guys and the alt/country, roots-rocking world they move around in.

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THE CALENDAR
2:30pm and 7pm Fri, 10:30am, 1pm and 7pm Sat, 10am Sun. Six stage shows including multiple IBMA award winners, workshops, vendors and more. Admission. 217-243-3159. Crowne Plaza, 3000 S. Dirksen Pkwy, 217-529- 7777..

THEATER | Orphan stories
Springfield Theatre Centre presents six performances of an award-winning original musical written during the last five years by playwright Kari Catton and composer Scott David Smith, both of Springfield. Track Home.

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MUSIC | Fantastic fiddlin’
8-10. Six concerts are scheduled for Friday at 2:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.; Saturday at 10:30 a.m., 1 p.m. and 7 p.m.; and Sunday at 10 a.m.

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HOLIDAY | Giving literacy
The brainchild of retired teachers, Holiday Book Drive is a program to get books into the hands of children who might not have the opportunity to learn to love reading. In its fourth year, donations of new books for children from birth to age 12 can be dropped off through Nov.

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