Trial by jury
The United States ended military conscription in 1973, but draft-dodgers still roam the land – ordinary citizens drafted involuntarily into service as trial jurors by the courts.

Will there be enough wings?
Recall the national attention, and concern, generated just before Thanksgiving when the country’s largest turkey producer indicated the possibility of a shortage of large, fresh turkeys? There is a major national celebration that will soon be upon...

The millionaires’ Congress vs. the people
Our nation purports to be a representative democracy, yet you don’t find many plumbers, mineworkers, dirt farmers, Wal-Mart associates, roofers, beauty parlor operators, taxi drivers, or other “get-the-job-done” Americans among the 535 members of the U.

LETTERS
CHIEF GOMO MARKER In James Krohe Jr.’s column last week (“A new Dawn at the Statehouse?” Jan. 23), he pointed his pen to public art, specifically the statues at the Illinois Statehouse and their commemoration of dubious public servants. His comments were, as usual, whimsical and all-too accurate.

Topinka captures AFL-CIO endorsement
She assiduously courted the unions who represent workers in her office, worked to help the Teamsters pass a bill important to the union that jabbed at a non-union cemetery owner (the comptroller’s office regulates some cemeteries), built strong...

Springfield teacher publishes children’s book on Africa
In 2011, Gnuse traveled to Narok, Kenya, which is a 3.5-hour drive outside of the Kenyan capital of Nairobi. She spent her summer working with Nasha Ministries International, a charity which provides food, clothing, shelter and education to needy and orphaned children and women.

Going once, going twice…
One year after what was billed as the largest personal property auction in state history, more detritus from THR and Associates, the failed brainchild of Jeffrey Parsons, will be auctioned online starting next month. Goods on offer include a 1973 Porsche 914, a 1965 Falcon Futura convertible and a 1997 Ford armored vehicle.

A simply innovative career
When Ron Earley sees something, he thinks, “How can I make that better?” The Springfield resident has been designing, building and selling inventions that began as his own ideas since the 1960s. Some of them have made it to buyers’ homes; others never made it past his garage doors.

Gobble, gobble
In the meantime, denizens of the Rushville Treatment and Detention Center have seen their culinary situation evolve since suing the state of Illinois and the state’s food service contractor four years ago, alleging that a steady diet of mechanically separated chicken violates their constitutional rights.

Efficiency deficiences
The word “resources” appears 39 times in the 71-page document authored by the 23-member commission charged with figuring out how to streamline the workings of local government. “Efficient” shows up 31 times, “government” appears a whopping 377 times and there is also “vision,” which is mentioned 73 times.

Why so many small babies in Sangamon County?
Sangamon County ranked 80 out of Illinois’ 102 counties in overall health in the County Health Rankings Report published by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The county ranked second place in clinical care, which measured numbers such as the amount of insured residents and physicians.

Davis roundtable criticizes ‘Obamacare’
Although the 2010 federal health insurance reforms have survived nearly 50 repeal attempts and a trip to the U.S. Supreme Court, the law remains controversial.

Funny business
First arriving in Springfield in the early 1980s as a pitcher for the Springfield Cardinals minor league team, Pittman has been a dynamic, multivalent local presence in the intervening decades, spending significant time in city politics and real...

Reluctant spy refreshing in Recruit
During the movie’s extended prologue we meet Ryan, first as a young man studying economics abroad in England who changes his career track after the attacks of 9/11.

Making it from scratch
I thought of those slogans as I was sitting in Gallina’s Pizza in the Capitol City Shopping center watching owner Vito Randazzo behind the counter. I wrote about Gallina’s and Randazzo in one of my earliest columns here.

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

BAND SPOTLIGHT | The Strumbellas
Rolling in from the Great White North, to tour through the U.S. Midwest, The Strumbellas hail from Lindsay, Ontario (that’s in Canada, folks), bringing a brand new album, We Still Move on Dance Floors,.

Cornucopia of concert conundrums
I’m proud and honored to be part of this show so I can brag a bit here. On Sunday, Feb. 2, (that’s Super Bowl Sunday to some of you – now who’s playing again? – TVs and beer are on sale everywhere) starting at 2 p.m.

THE CALENDAR
Critically acclaimed off-Broadway rock musical. $25, $18 in advance. The Legacy Theatre, 101 E. Lawrence, 800- 838-3006..

THEATER | Former neighbors
Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon Abraham Lincoln.

MUSIC | Acoustic guitar maestro
Springfield Classical Guitar Society continues its 2013-14 season with a benefit concert by Russel Brazzel on Saturday, Feb. 1, at Faith Lutheran Church. Brazzel will include a fun variety of pieces from Renaissance lute music to “Sakura.” Brazzel has been performing concerts and promoting classical guitar in central Illinois for years.

PRESENTATIONS | Fun facts
Doors open at 6 p.m. with presentations taking place in Theater Three on the third floor of the center. The evening promises to be fun and informative with George Heroux, “Writing My Way to Broadway;” Stacey Curry, “Honoring Peace in a Busy, Busy,...

FESTIVAL | Stately vino
Illinois Grape Growers and Vintners Association’s annual Winter Wine Festival takes place Friday night, Jan. 31, during IGGVA’s three-day conference at Crowne Plaza. A Friday pass includes access to the trade show, lunch, educational sessions and the Winter Wine Festival.