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Our Cup runneth over
Honestly, I had no idea that anyone was paying attention. I had begun extolling the virtues of soccer as a spectator sport for years (beginning at this paper back in 1977) when most U.S. sports fans lumped soccer with socialism, clean, fast trains and quality universal health care systems among foreign threats to America.

Give minorities a green reason to vote
This year marks the 10th anniversary of Campaign for Communities, which created a coalition of Latino, African American, low-income and environmental organizations working to educate, register and turn out voters using environmental issues as motivation.

Has America gone crazy?
Yet, it hasn’t. More on that in a moment. First, though – whether looking at the “tea party” congress critters who’ve swerved our nation’s political debate to the hard right, or at the peacocks of Wall Street who continue to preen and profit atop the...

LETTERS
On the other hand, such banning would be beneficial by sending a positive message to the increasing numbers of our non-Christian citizens that indeed America is a “melting pot” and that our government is not trying to push the Christian religion down anyone’s throat.

The state of the new state budget
Borrowing $660 million from special state funds, as this new budget does, is a one-off affair. The money is being put into the state’s spending base and will have to somehow be replaced the following year. A two-year repayment plan means another $330 million will also have to be found in the next budget, for a total hole of about a billion dollars.

Fracking fast track bill defeated
The bill infuriated many environmental groups and ignited a flurry of calls to legislators that killed the bill last week. It was a small victory for opponents of fracking in southern Illinois, but it remains likely that regulators will approve rules those opponents find too lax.

RAPTURE RALLY
Interested in the apocalypse? Enthralled by the end times? Or maybe just interested in what some Christians believe about the end of the world as we know it? An estimated 400 people are coming to Springfi eld in early June to talk about the rapture prophesied in the Bible.

SINK OR SWIM
Floating is a good thing when it comes to having fun in the water. That’s why the Springfield Lake Shore Improvement Association, Scheels, Land of Lincoln Power Squadron and City Water, Light and Power are teaming up to form a lifejacket loaner program at Lake Springfield.

Springfield considers inspector general
Cook County has two, one for the circuit clerk and the other for the rest of county government. The state of Illinois has five. Chicago has four, with another who oversees city colleges. And, judging by a stream of indictments that never seems to end, corruption flourishes.

An end to ‘planned abandonment’ of kids
The Illinois General Assembly approved a bill during the spring legislative session that bans the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services from requiring foster parents or adoptive parents to give up custody of children in order to obtain long-term residential care for the children.

Keeping score
Republicans almost never win in a legislature controlled by Chicago Democrats, but they sure can give a good speech, which Murphy proved as lawmakers piled the November ballot high with meaningless advisory initiatives in a state where citizens have almost no power to enact laws by popular vote.

Asking voters’ opinions
Three bills awaiting the governor’s signature would put “advisory referendums” on the Nov. 4 general election ballot. An advisory referendum means the legislature can use the results to judge whether a change is warranted, but the results can also be ignored, as the referendums are “nonbinding.

SOHO turns 10
“And I thought, ‘Why don’t they at least have a stage with the local guys on it?’” Now the executive director of the recently incorporated nonprofit Springfield SOHO (Service Organization for Humanitarian Opportunity), Welch has seen his initial vision come to fruition and then some.

A fresh Mexican summer feast
This menu bursts with bright flavors showcasing seasonal summer vegetables. The tangy orange-based chicken marinade hails from the Mexican state of Sinaloa. The chicken can be eaten in pieces or shredded to use in soft tacos along with the grilled vegetables.

A student of beauty
The granddaughter of Russian intellectuals, Neginsky was introduced to music, literature and the most important Russian art at an early age. In the 1970s, amid the turmoil of the Cold War, her grandparents and parents with a young Rosina fled Russia to settle in Meudon, France, between Paris and Versailles.

Blazing trails the right way
Ever since humans could stand upright and walk, they would create paths to destinations that attracted them out of necessity or curiosity. Except for paved roads, things have changed little in some places where walkers or some cyclists trample through fields and woods.

Tomorrow stumbles
Cruise is military media liaison Major William Cage, a spin doctor who could convince you a cloudy day is actually replete with rainbows. He’s been working overtime. An alien race known as Mimics, whirlingdervish, octopus-like metallic creatures, have come to Earth with destruction on their minds.

BAND SPOTLIGHT | The Romantics
Who among us have not heard the songs “Talking in Your Sleep” or “What I Like About You” by The Romantics? Not merely huge hits for this long-lived, much-maligned and now utterly enjoyed Detroit-based quartet, those songs were and are played by almost every cover band in every town in America as staples guaranteed to get the crowd up and dancing.

PUB CRAWL
The Complaint Line, Acker, My Dad, Animal Faces, Reaching Right.

SOHO turns 10 and more
The SOHO festival began a decade ago as a showcase for original bands to donate performances while helping raise funds for local charities and basically remains the same. Guided by founder and organizer Eric Welch and aided by an able and hardworking volunteer staff, the festival continues to grow.

THE CALENDAR
Flyin’ Illini Talk and Book Signing.

FILM | Ideal identities
The first event of the University of Illinois Springfield Engaged Citizenship Experience Speakers Series is the film Two Spirits..

MAGIC | Abracadabra acts
We can’t remember the last magic show to come to town. So we’re excited to have An Evening of Magic at the Hoogland Center for the Arts, June 7. Six nationally known magicians are appearing, including 17-year-old Trent James.

ART | Everything Indian
The Decatur Area Arts Council is hosting an event for the opening of its newest exhibit, Native American Art: Splendid Heritage,.