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Preserving history in Greenview
In my grandmother’s youth the house, its grounds and outbuildings had been lived in and well maintained. Grandmother’s best friend, Margaret Marbold, had lived there. I remember stories of all the house maids and of the peacocks that strolled across the lawn.

Why did the pedestrian not cross the road?
Most unexpected turns to the right put someone in jeopardy – the Republicans’ insistence on spending cuts for federal health research is but one example – and that is as true on the streets as in Congress.

Thanksgiving: from the White House to Wal-Mart
Just as every president since Lincoln has done, Barack Obama will grant clemency to two turkeys that otherwise could’ve become the main entree for the first family’s holiday dinner.

LETTERS
POLICE ANALYSIS NEEDED A key element in the case surrounding the killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, is whether or not Officer Darren Wilson shot him in self defense.

The legend of Ann and Abraham
The relationship – and its impact on Lincoln’s life – has been depicted as one of the great love stories of all time and made Ann Rutledge into a folk hero. Her father, one of New Salem’s founders, owned a tavern where Lincoln boarded for a time when he arrived in the village in 1832.

Really? He’s buying a hotel in Springfield?
Interesting indeed. It all came together at lightning speed, according to Steve Horve, a Decatur-area developer who has been in the hotel business since 1989. After visiting the hotel in October while he was in town to hear Carter speak at Illinois College, Al Habtoor made an out-ofthe-blue inquiry that quickly led to a deal, Horve says.

PIZZA WITH A POP
Springfield is a pretty big deal, which is why Godfather’s Pizza decided to test a new product here and in Chatham, Decatur and Pekin. The nationwide pizza chain rolled out its new pretzel-crusted pizza on Dec. 1, exclusively at the franchises owned by entrepreneurs Mike Monseur and John Leskovisek of Springfield.

HERE, KITTY – BOOM!
The General Assembly is poised to do something about bobcats running rampant by allowing hunters to shoot or trap the varmints for the fi rst time since the 1970s, when a dwindling population forced an end to hunting and placement of bobcats on the threatened species list in Illinois.

Sticky-fingered deputy
A Sangamon County Circuit Court judge has rejected the decision of an arbitrator who decided that Sherry Waldron should keep her job as a sheriff’s deputy despite being accused of stealing plants and pleading guilty to shoplifting in a separate incident.

The river Lincoln loved
The Sangamon River is a 264-mile tributary to the Illinois River, draining more than 3,000 square miles of land in central Illinois. It starts as little more than a drainage ditch near Bloomington-Normal and ends north of Beardstown as a strong but unhurried flow more than 200 feet wide in places.

Inspirational rap concert in St. Louis
On Monday, Nov. 24, I was faced with a quandary. Several months back, a friend had gotten us tickets for a nightclub concert scheduled in St. Louis that night by highprofile rap duo Run The Jewels.

Holiday Happenings
Springfield Figure Skating Club Holiday Exhibition.

Real vs. fake
The most wonderful time of the year can be the most beautiful time of the year in your home. Yet transforming your rooms into magical holiday wonderlands can be stressful, as every year the hunt is on for the perfect real tree or wreath. Do you have to shop for a new tree every year, or can you create inspirational memories with fake greenery?.

Know your tree
Pines The needles on pine trees are attached to the branches in clusters of two, three or five needles per cluster. Red pines have two-needle clusters; yellow pines have three-needle clusters; white pines have five-needle clusters. (The needles on firs and spruces are attached to the branches individually.

Made with love, displayed with love
“I love to transform the house, but I usually feel a bit overwhelmed trying to find room for all of our decorations,” confesses mother of three Tina Jacobs, an artist and illustrator who operates Tina Jacobs Designs in St. Louis.

How to throw a gingerbread house building party
This theme party is a great way to gather family and friends for the holidays, do a short activity for the kids, and even make it a contest for the creative and competitive guests in the crowd – complete with photos and bragging rights until next year.

The gingerbread party plan
1. Get guests in order This party is good for all ages, but it works best for a group of kids aged 6 to 12. Think get-to-know your neighbors and their kids, a gathering of extended family members or friends and their children, for school, church and scout groups, or a party for your children’s friends who are close in age.

The scents of the season
“The tree is part of the overall experience,” says Cregg, a prominent researcher of Christmas tree systems. “I think three factors – the tradition, the experience and then of course the scent – if you’re talking about why people have a real tree instead of a fake tree.

Bosses 2 a surprising improvement
Though superhero films are doing their best to disprove this notion, it’s generally accepted that sequels are usually not as good as the movie that preceded them.

Christmas yeast breads
Holiday yeast breads. America focuses on cookies, but elsewhere the most traditional holiday sweet treats are yeast-based. Perhaps best known in this country is Germany’s stollen, a dense, dried, candied fruit-andnut confection that originated in Dresden.

BAND SPOTLIGHT | ClusterPluck
Utilizing acoustic instruments in a bluegrass-folk-pop-ish style, the five players in Cluster- Pluck (don’t you just love saying that name?!) bring it on and score high.

PUB CRAWL
Dan Vapid & The Cheats, Death and Memphis, Looming, Hospital Job, Seething Coast.

Global gigs and gracious giving
Jingle Jam, featuring local musicians performing in support of the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, returns on Sunday to Erin’s Pavilion in Southwind Park for a final showing. The Friends & Fans for St. Jude, hosted by Laura Richter for nine years, concludes its amazing chapter of combining music and munificence with this performance.

THE CALENDAR
MUSIC: GENERAL EVENTS 2014 Advent Brown Bag Concert #2.

CHILDREN’S CORNER | Pancake party
Pancakes, Paws and Santa Claus is the perfect opportunity to enjoy a special breakfast with zoo animals and the big guy himself. Children and their parents are invited to join the Henson Robinson Zoo and Lincoln Greens Golf Course on Saturday, Dec. 6, from 8:30 to 10:30 a.

HOLIDAY | All aboard the Polar Express
Don your favorite Christmas jammies and climb aboard the Polar Express. The famed, fictitious train will stop in Springfield for a series of film showings and holiday pajama and hot cocoa parties at the Legacy Theatre Friday, Dec. 5, through Sunday, Dec.

MUSIC | Cabaret Christmas
This Friday and Saturday, Dec. 5-6, join the Land of Lincoln Barbershop Chorus at the Little Flower School Activity Center for a fun-filled, cabaret-style holiday show. The vocal styling of this years show is a tribute to the work of 20 th century composer Irving Berlin, one of the greatest songwriters in American history.