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Waste not. Why not?
As much as 40 percent of the food that Americans buys in the supermarket is tossed uneaten into the trash, according to estimates from the USDA and the federal EPA. Edibles go bad in the fridge at home, they’re left on the cutting board, in the pan, on the plate, in the back of the fridge.

Downtown had it all
As we were getting ready, we could hear occasional whistles blowing in the distance, steam whistles announcing the start of the working day at breweries, factories and mines around town.

GOP nightmare reveals secret corporate donors
You might be surprised to learn though, that corporations also have such nightmares. OK, corporations aren’t really people, no matter what the Supreme Court fabulists claim, so they can’t dream, but their top executives can, and several recently suffered the same chilling hallucination.

LETTERS
Many years ago (it must have been 1985 or ’86), Winnie and I wandered through a crowded storage room (which is now more of a gallery space) for a couple of hours. George’s work was piled and scattered everywhere, looking more like a garage in need of organization than anything remotely considered an “art gallery.

The shape of Illinois leadership to come
Millions have already been spent in that north suburban district, and Schneider barely beat Dold last time in a big Democratic year, so it’s little surprise that this race is so tight. The poll of 919 likely voters has a margin of error of +/-3.2 percent and 23 percent were mobile phone contacts.

Civil war
Officials charged with running the museum threw brickbats at each other during the hearing of the House State Government Administration Committee. ALPLM executive director Eileen Mackevich told lawmakers that she isn’t allowed to make decisions about hiring or spending.

SCHEDULING CONFLICTS
How busy could a retired cop be? Apparently pretty busy, if you are Wes Barr, the Republican candidate for Sangamon County sheriff. Barr, the odds-on favorite to win in November who retired from the department last year, says that he won’t debate Democratic challenger Jeff Regan at an Oct.

BAD BEETLES
The invasive and destructive Emerald Ash Borer beetle is moving to Springfield, prompting the Illinois Department of Agriculture to add Sangamon County to a quarantine zone meant to stop the beetle’s spread. The beetle comes from Russia and parts of Asia, and it devastates ash tree populations – as many as 250 million trees in the U.

Ad nauseam
Illinois’ 13 th Congressional District includes most of Springfield, Champaign-Urbana, Decatur, Edwardsville, half of Bloomington- Normal, and the area between those cities. Incumbent Rep.

Police sued for racial bias
Samuel Johnson, who is black, says two Springfield police officers pulled him over without cause in November 2013, arrested him without justification and illegally searched his car. He is asking for unspecified damages, although he says any money he is awarded will go back to the community.

Motivated sellers
Batman had the Batcave. William Randolph Hearst had San Simeon. The Wicked Witch of the West had an honest-to-goodness castle.

Cage Warrior
Brents’ final days of training and preparing for the Sept. 13 Capital City Cage Wars had her mentally and physically prepared. And as the lone professional local female on the evening’s fight card of amateur and professional MMA (mixed martial arts) competitors, Brents may have seemed to have a little more to prove.

Experience the power of power pop
Paul Collins, who will be performing at Bar None Sunday, Oct. 12, is responsible for some of the catchiest, punchiest songs to never crack the top 20. In 1970s Los Angeles, his first band, The Nerves, pop-punk long before the term existed.

Indian percussion + Beethoven’s Third = ISO season premier
This Saturday, Oct. 11, marks the premier of the 2014-2015 season of the Illinois Symphony and Chamber Orchestras, the third under the auspices of music director Alastair Willis. The enthusiastic and charismatic maestro has spent the past two years forging a path balanced between accessible favorites and ambitious innovation.

Two kinds of people
It’s not the first time I’ve heard that sentence. In fact, it’s axiomatic to anyone who has ever worked in food service. I heard it again recently when my son, Robb, told me about an experience he recently had in Brattleboro, Vermont, where he lives..

Questions of identity propel Gone Girl
When we first meet Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck), he’s a man at the end of his rope. Having moved back to the dying small town of his youth, Carthage, Missouri, from New York City after losing his job as a writer, he’s at a loss as to what to buy his lovely wife, Amy (Rosamund Pike), for their fifth anniversary.

Girl-A-Thon and more
Before we go another word, let’s pause for the cause and talk about Girl-A-Thon. If you’ve been living under a rock for the last several years, you have a wonderful excuse for not knowing about this event.

PUB CRAWL
Josh Catalano & the Dirty Thoughts, Jesse W. Johnson, The New Old-Fashioned, Spencer Stokes.

BAND SPOTLIGHT | Jarekus Singleton Band
BAND SPOTLIGHT | Jarekus Singleton Band.

FESTIVAL | Autumnal artisans aplenty
Indian Summer Festival from Lincoln Memorial Garden returns Oct. 11-12. This fun two-day event consists of family friendly activities with a seasonal flair. Kids will love the whimsical Fairy Garden, pumpkin painting, face painting, games and more. Adults will enjoy live music from six local bands and shopping from 40 craft vendors.

THE CALENDAR
Follow bright green signs. Craft Studio - Salisbury, 5889 Grigsby Lane, Pleasant Plains, 217-626-1738. Indian Knoll Pumpkin Patch and Farm.

BOOKS | Costumed crusaders
Star Wars Reads Day will return to Barnes & Noble on Saturday, Oct. 11. This family friendly event will offer Star Wars readings, light saber demonstrations, a treasure hunt, giveaways, crafts and treats all day. Noon will mark the arrival of the 501 Midwest Garrison and your opportunity to meet Boba Fett, a biker scout, a Tuskan Raider and others.

HALLOWEEN | Horrifying hearse
Along the river and through the woods, on a haunted hayride pulled by hearse you’ll go! The spookiest ride in town has returned to Riverside Park for its 15th year. The hayrides occur every Friday and Saturday nights through Oct. 25, weather permitting.