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A new Dawn at the Statehouse?
His readers voted yes by roughly two to one. For myself, I’d rather the members of the General Assembly imitate her example rather than pay to imitate her person, but if the latter ever comes to pass, questions need to be asked.

Please, carry with care
As an active participant in the gun debate over the past two years, I have heard a lot about “law-abiding gun owners” and “criminals,” “good guys” and “bad guys” with guns, and “wackos,” (that last, quoted from remarks by NRA President Wayne LaPierre after the Navy Yard shooting in August).

Editor’s note
King Day came and went this year with the usual good feeling. The Frontiers International breakfast swarmed with politicians rarely seen in Springfi eld – Aaron Schock, Rodney Davis. . . even Sue Scherer was there.

What if antibiotics no longer work?
These two are antimicrobial chemicals, which might sound like a good thing – except that they disrupt the human body’s normal regulatory processes.

LETTERS
A few years ago my wife, Linda, and I became aware of Hope and the great work being done there. We purchased a load of toys and drove out to the Institute to drop them off for the children. To our surprise two senior staff members heard we were there with the toys and came out to meet us.

After a bad week, Rauner still on top
The poll of 1,139 likely Republican primary voters taken Jan. 14 found Rauner getting 34 percent of the vote, with state Sen. Bill Brady at 17 percent, Treasurer Dan Rutherford at 15 percent and state Sen. Kirk Dillard bringing up the rear at 9 percent..

Meet Jennifer Gill
The Springfield Public Schools board of education voted Gill in as the new superintendent this week, marking her return to a district she knows well. She’ll face several district-wide problems, however, including how to balance a budget that has endured deep cuts for years.

Panhandlers appeal lawsuit setback
The panhandlers seek to have the City of Springfield’s ban on panhandling downtown struck down as a violation of the First Amendment right to free speech. The case hinges on whether the ordinance unfairly targets panhandlers over other groups, and it could affect anti-panhandling laws in other cities nationwide.

Mercy plea last resort for 78-year-old murder convict
Skinner has petitioned the Illinois Prison Review Board for executive clemency. She was convicted of first-degree murder in 2010 for the Nov. 25, 2008, shooting of 32-year-old Steven Watkins, the estranged husband of Skinner’s granddaughter, Jennifer Watkins.

10th Street rail: Too early to relocate?
IDOT has tentative plans to begin construction on Springfield’s Third and 10th Street rail line consolidation when funding becomes available. The department released a list of the 108 residential and 50 commercial business properties along the 10th Street rail line the state needs to eventually acquire to complete the proposed $315 million project.

Going down
The mine already has problems with groundwater pollution, according to the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, which last year called in the state attorney general’s office to pursue enforcement action against Macoupin Energy, the mine’s owner.

Data mining, Springfield-style
That may well be what Springfield aldermen are asking themselves as they ponder whether Nathan Mihelich, the city’s communications director who reports to Mayor Mike Houston, has been snooping though emails sent to city council members via the city’s computer system.

Blues Sisters
Jan. 21-25, at the International Blues Challenge (IBC) in Memphis, Tenn., hundreds of blues musicians gather from all over the USA and parts of Europe to compete for cash, prizes and industry recognition. Artists as bands and solo/ duo combos walk onto a stage and give the finest performance possible.

Olive oil
It’s difficult to overstate the importance of olives to early Mediterranean societies and to our modern culinary world. And, it’s amazing olives became so widely used so long ago, because fresh olives are essentially inedible due to their high levels of bitter phenolic compounds.

Noble, moving tribute
This is what’s at the core of the film. The theme that drives it is not so much survival at any cost but that the loyalty these men have toward one another is an unshakeable, holy thing that strengthens their sense of morality – the quality that eventually sees them through the roughest of challenges.

Music relief for winter weather woes
Oh my, isn’t that snow so pretty as it falls from the sky? Then how quickly it becomes ugly as we deal with the removal of said snow in order to continue our regular existence. There’s plenty of good music this weekend to provide temporary respite from the wintry weather.

BAND SPOTLIGHT | Moot Davis
With 22 show dates in 23 days, Moot Davis is on the move. Leaving his home state of New Jersey on Jan. 20, the country-crooner, singer-songwriter travels cross country playing duo dates with his guitarist Bill Corvino. Then by February, Davis hooks up with the rest of the band in Texas for a few weeks in the Lone Star State.

PUB CRAWL
Acoustic Showcase with Lowder and Manning, Dave Littrell, Ryan Bishop, Micah Walk, Elizabeth Eckert.

THE CALENDAR
MUSIC: GENERAL EVENTS Capital City Men’s Chorus.

THEATER | Droll duo
Six performances of The Odd Couple.

FILM | Food for thought
Slow Food Springfield, Benedictine University’s Green Club and the University of Illinois Extension present The Slow Food Springfield Film Festival at Benedictine University’s Library on Saturday, Jan. 25. Ingredients, The Movie.

ENVIRONMENT | Stellar info
Sangamon Valley Group of the Sierra Club’s monthly educational series and Sustainable Springfield present a panel discussion regarding the installation of solar powered electrical panels benefiting Springfield businesses.

HISTORY | Presidential pieces
These are the last two days to view the “Remembering Nelson Mandela’s Life and Legacy” exhibit at Springfield and Central Illinois African-American History Museum.