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Mountain lions, wolves and black bears in Illinois?
The recent occurrence of a mountain lion in Whiteside County has generated much public discussion about the future of this species in Illinois.

Your money’s no good here
What in the name of Joe McCarthy is going on up north? In case you didn’t read about it, here’s what’s happened so far.

MRAP, Maxx and militarization of local police
But Bastrop is not a 6-year-old child, and an MRAP is not a toy. Bastrop is a Texas county of some 75,000 people, and MRAP stands for “Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected.

LETTERS
CONNS’ EXCELLENT VENTURES Let’s start this letter off with some background history that defines the determination and adeptness of Court and Karen Conn to move and rehab the historic, Lincolnera Maisenbacher House, followed by the purchase of the notable Booth-Grunendike House to open Obed & Issac’s Microbrewery and Eatery.

POVERTY RATES DOWN
Poverty rates for the Springfi eld Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is made up of Sangamon and Menard Counties, decreased from about 16.8 percent in 2011 to about 14.3 percent in 2012, according to census bureau information. The numbers should factor in a 1.

Medical marijuana law remains green
The use of cannabis for medicinal purposes became legal in Illinois on Jan. 1 with the passage of the state’s Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Pilot Program Act in August.

DINNER AND A BOOK
The goodwill is growing in the Enos Park neighborhood. Following an extreme school makeover at McClernand Elementary in August, one of the churches involved, Rochester Christian Church, established a mentorship reading program at the school, pairing students with adults who visit the school once a week to listen and interact as the kids read.

School district seeks to rebound from years of cuts
Outgoing interim superintendent Bob Leming received a gift from the Springfield school board at his final meeting on Jan. 7. Dr. Robert Hill has now replaced Leming as interim superintendent while the board negotiates with Jennifer Gill to take over the post full time.

Drug dogs fail the sniff test
Traffic stop data reported by the Springfield Police Department shows the police found contraband in only 25 percent of searches prompted by a drug dog’s alert. By comparison, guessing a coin toss has a theoretical 50 percent chance of being correct.

The dead zone
Look closely, however, and you can see the outer fringes of decay in a graveyard now nearly 160 years old, a place Abraham Lincoln was said to have visited when the cemetery was officially dedicated in 1860 and where he definitely is all these years...

When Springfield got gas
Gaslight represented a dramatic improvement over candles and oil lamps, previously the two main sources of artificial light. Prior to the introduction of gas light in 1855, people were accustomed to sharing pockets of light at levels of illumination much lower than what we are accustomed to in modern life.

Wind chill
My son, Robb, moved to Brattleboro, Vt. in November. He’s been living and working in Boston for the last several years, so New England winters aren’t exactly a new experience for him. But folks in Vermont – which was described by Rosemary Clooney in the classic 1954 film, White Christmas.

A cautionary tale about our fading feelings
The film’s setting is Los Angeles, some time in the next 20-30 years. Theodore (a wonderfully sublime Joaquin Phoenix) is a letter writer at a firm which hires out to people who wish to have others express their innermost thoughts and most intimate feelings.

A cool event and more
With the great freeze out of 2014 soon becoming a mushy thaw of a memory, it’s time to put the unfortunate show cancellations behind us and move on in earnest with live music in the new year. This week includes a cool, new, indoor, local festival to warm the soul, plus hot blues news of bands on the move.

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

BAND SPOTLIGHT | Juke House
Taking a cue and a name from the old “juke joints” of the 40s and 50s that hosted wild and crazy dance nights with groups doing the jump band style, Juke House revives the good-time music with power and purpose.

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

FILM | Captivating cinema
The Molly Schlich Independent/International film series brings eight critically acclaimed films to the AMC Parkway 8 big screen weekly beginning Jan. 12 through the first of March. For 22 years, the wildly popular annual series has packed the house at each of three weekly screenings for each film.

THEATER | Hippy hit
Springfield Theatre Centre presents Hair.

CONTEST | Student submissions
Ministerial Alliance of Springfield and Vicinity hopes to expose youngsters to the ideas of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. via an essay contest. Jan. 13 is the last day for your student or child, grade 5-12, to submit their essay to the Martin Luther King Essay Contest.