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SDAT responds to Britt: Here’s what we’ve accomplished
Sometimes I think that those of us living in Springfield are our own worst enemy. Case in point: our hometown cartoonist, Chris Britt, used his pulpit in last week’s paper to label the Sustainable Design Assessment Team (SDAT) Action Committee as “non-productive.

Honest, officer, I didn’t see it coming
Note to readers: Like our governor-elect, I am a businessman, and to be successful, a businessman must know how to make his product stand out in a crowded marketplace.

Amazon threatens community vitality
Even by the anything-goes ethical code of the corporate jungle, Amazon.com’s CEO, Jeff Bezos, is considered a ruthless predator by businesses that deal with him. He has the monopoly power to stalk, weaken and even kill off retail competitors – from giants as Barnes & Noble and Wal-Mart, to hundreds of small Main Street shops.

LETTERS
Net neutrality is about taxing the Internet in the same way that wired and wireless telecommunications are taxed. Mr. Obama is using his puppet, Tom Wheeler, chair of the Federal Communications Commission (a man that I worked with for years), to push for more federal taxes.

Nobody is a sure thing in Rauner administration
Whenever a new governor is about to be sworn in, one of the most popular Springfield “parlor” games (which are usually not played in parlors, but in taverns, restaurants and friendly offices) is figuring out who is on their way out and who is on their way in.

More rooms coming soon for homeless
As the early winter wind swirls snow across the parking lot at 100 N. Ninth St. in Springfield, a volunteer works the phones inside, coordinating the Salvation Army’s team of bell ringers. The building is mostly empty now, but it will soon be bustling with activity as construction crews turn it into a new homeless shelter.

LOST LOCOMOTION
What if central Illinois had an electric rail line carrying passengers and freight between Springfi eld, Bloomington-Normal, Decatur, Champaign-Urbana, Peoria and St. Louis? It might be hard to imagine, but such a thing existed from 1906 until the mid-1950s.

Onward, Christian soldiers
But Bishop Thomas Paprocki during a Monday forum at Benedictine University said that there is room for conversation on other issues raised by respondents to a survey aimed at figuring out why so many Catholics are no longer active in the Springfield diocese.

ART GIVEAWAY AT DEMO PROJECT FRIDAY
Springfi eld artists Brad Balster and Judah Johnson will be giving away their work this Friday from 6-8:30 p.m., in the cheekily named exhibit, Priceless.

Wages on the wire
Governor-elect Bruce Rauner once remarked to a room full of Republicans that he was “adamantly, adamantly against” raising the minimum wage.

High marks
Her days at Springfield High School were busy ones. She spent a year on the student council. Worked on the yearbook staff during her senior year in 1987. Belonged to the Spanish Club, the Philo Club and the Red Cross Club, the latter two organizations dedicated to doing charitable work in the community.

Troubleshoot broken lights
There are two main types of holiday lights – incandescent and LED. While there are many benefits to LED lighting – longer lifespan, energy-efficient, cool to the touch – incandescent lights are still king when it comes to the holidays, according to...

From my home to yours
Not only are the holidays a time to gather and catch up with family, they’re an opportunity to share the very best food and drink available.

Messiah
I’m overflowing with more Christmas spirit than I have been in years. It’s not because I’m finally finished with knee replacement surgeries and regaining strength and mobility. It’s not because I’m again able to decorate for the holidays. It’s not even primarily because my grandchildren are at the stage when Christmas is most magical.

Penguins deserving of time in spotlight
Though I know these flightless wonders have their fans, I’ve never counted myself as one of them. They’ve been rendered in such a selfaware sarcastic manner that I always felt they were a needless distraction from the adventures of Alex, Marty, Melman and Gloria.

Thanksgiving eve evening
For years now, I’ve been preaching that Thanksgiving Eve is the biggest bar and club party night of the calendar year in the United States of America. Those in the know already knew, but in the early 2000s New York City and San Francisco venues began advertising the night before Thanksgiving as the night to get out and get hammered.

BAND SPOTLIGHT | Idol Rumors
No one does classic rock like the guys who learned the songs before they were classics. When bands like Queen, Kiss, Boston, Judas Priest and Aerosmith rocked our world, local musicians Rusty Lee Ellison (guitar, vocals), Jeff Ellison (drums,...

PUB CRAWL
The Timmys, Josh Catalano and the Dirty Thoughts, Los Injectors, Wir Konnen.

THE CALENDAR
Free display of more than 100 Nativity Sets and tour of St. Francis of Assisi Church on the grounds of St. Francis Convent. 217-523-0901. Chiara Center, 4875 LaVerna Road, 523-0901..

ENVIROMENT | Feeding our community
On Wednesday, Dec. 3, from 5:30 to 7 p.m., join the University of Illinois Extension local food system and small farms educator Bill Davis for a program on seed saving and why seed libraries foster community and help participants save money.

FESTIVALS | Walking in a winter wonderland
For the past 24 years, Memorial Medical Center has transformed the Illinois State Fairgrounds Orr Building into a winter wonderland at the annual Festival of Trees event. This year will be no different, as the 2014 festival runs Nov. 22 through 30.

HISTORY | Distinguished documents
Abraham Lincoln is widely recognized as one of the best public speakers of all time. Through his speeches, Lincoln inspired citizens to vote him into the White House, abolish slavery, reject war and promote and perpetuate a government by and for the people.