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Immigration reform is a family value
Every single day hundreds of families are needlessly torn apart through a broken and inhumane deportation system badly in need of reform. Last year alone more than 368,000 people were deported and by the end of 2014, more than 2 million will have been deported during the Obama administration.

Latitude for error
The proprietors of The Upshot drove in a couple of runs for their new web-based news site when they posted a fun interactive map of baseball fandom.

Rick Perry’s bespectacled mess
Yes, Rick “Oops” Perry, is back, pitching himself for another presidential run. What fun! Who can forget the Texas governor’s nationally televised pratfall during a 2011 presidential debate, when he couldn’t remember the third federal agency he intended to ax? Well, he later sniffed on “Fox & Friends,” “If anybody’s looking for .

LETTERS
HELP OUT OF REACH Thank you to Toni Hoy for all her hard work and efforts in the struggle to prohibit the Department of Children and Family Services from making custody relinquishment a condition of paying for residential care (“Illinois may end ‘planned abandonment,’” April 3, Patrick Yeagle).

The affliction of party affiliation
Bruce Rauner led Gov. Pat Quinn by 11 points in that poll, 49-38. Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka trounced Lt. Governor Sheila Simon by an astounding 27-point, 56-29 margin. And Rep. Tom Cross led Sen. Mike Frerichs in the state treasurer’s race by 13 points, 33-20.

Accused kept job despite concerns
A former Springfield teacher charged with sexually assaulting a boy more than a decade ago remains in limbo more than three years after criminal charges were filed and nearly five years after he was fired for touching and otherwise contacting kids in ways that alarmed district officials.

Mayors want relief from public safety pensions
Springfield Mayor Mike Houston led a press conference April 30 at the Capitol where 24 mayors and village presidents met to request that the General Assembly do something about downstate public safety pensions which are busting city budgets all over the state.

Spare historical trees
At least 30 trees that live along Highway 125 and Highway 97 northwest of Springfield, en route to Ashland and Petersburg, were painted with orange circles this past winter, which has sparked concern that these pieces of Illinois history are threatened with being removed.

City gets grant to demo dumps
The city announced on May 5 that it received $75,000 from the state’s Abandoned Property Program, which will help the city accomplish its goal of demolishing 100 abandoned structures this year. The grant is part of a statewide $7.2 million program aimed at clearing blighted areas.

A new mission for Springfield’s 183rd Fighter Wing
That was the message at a May 2 ribboncutting ceremony at the Capital Airport Air National Guard Station located at Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport in Springfield. The ceremony marked the completion of facility and technology upgrades to three buildings on the base.

Gambling on a black rock
Coal has powered the world for hundreds of years because it is a relatively cheap and reliable source of power. But it’s also filthy, creating messes at every step from the mine to the smokestack.

It’s how they roll
While most of us think of the bicycle as recreation or sporting equipment, there are some who ride to and from work, or conduct errands while riding a bike. Some may ride out of necessity. Others may do so for health or exercise. Whatever the reason, there seems to be a boon in bicycle commuting.

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Pie plant pie
It’s a family favorite, especially for my mom and me. In fact, it’s such a favorite that if my husband, Peter, is making Mother’s Day brunch or dinner for us at home, mom or I will make a rhubarb pie ourselves rather than Peter making another dessert. (Peter is an outstanding cook, but has yet to enter the world of pie-making.

Manic Spider-Man 2 nothing but a blur
Hurtling from an opening scene in which we get a teeny bit more information on why Richard and Mary Parker (Campbell Scott and Embeth Davidtz) left their only son Peter behind to a frenetic sequence in which the titular hero (Andrew Garfield) is...

BAND SPOTLIGHT | Fallen Angel
Originally formed in October of 2009 with over a hundred years of music playing between them, Jimmie Barr (lead vocals), Bobby White (lead guitar, backing vocals), Tim Copp (bass, backing vocals) and Rick Bietsch (drums), for all practical purposes, quickly became Poison in central Illinois.

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

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More music in May
Maybe it’s just me, but May seems to be chock-full of more music than you can shake a stick at. Hopefully with the nice weather and all, you’ve picked up all the sticks in your yard so you are free to hear some of the music happening this weekend and forget all about the sticks.

THE CALENDAR
room 009. Viewer discretion advised. $2. 786-4942. Lincoln Land Community College, 5250 Shepherd Rd, 217-786- 2200..

THEATER | Fun with foliage
Springfield Theatre Centre wraps up its season with Little Shop of Horrors.

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FITNESS/FEST | Gluttonous gala
Fat Ass 5K and Street Party for charity is a real 5K race on Saturday, May 10, for those wanting to get timed. But it’s also a party with bands and food along the route that less than serious runners and walkers all enjoy immensely. Some folks dress up and a costume contest is held.

ART | Prints and glints
Springfield’s newest contemporary art gallery, DEMO Project, presents Vortex and Blooms.