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Welcome to the neighborhood, Rauners
Two nights later my wife and I were going in to a movie at the Esquire Theater and Gov. Thompson and his wife were coming out. No security, just the two of them. I went away after a nice conversation with the feeling not that I had just talked to my new boss, but that we had had a chat with our neighbors.

Official graffiti
In a 2010 column titled “A school by any other name” I explored the changing fashions in naming public buildings. I noted that public officials eager to not be caught endorsing anyone who might later be revealed as odious have quit naming public buildings after worthy public people.

The pain of inequality among yacht buyers
Why? Because we now share a common cause: Inequality. You don’t hear much about it, but millionaires are suffering a wealth gap, too, and it’s having a depressing impact on both their level of consumption and their psychological well-being.

LETTERS
We had the privilege to meet and talk with James personally that night because of the Curve Inn atmosphere and his desire to mingle in the crowd during breaks. We wonder if we’ll have that opportunity again because we are sure once the word gets out, he may not play in such an intimate venue.

Remembering Judy Baar Topinka
Topinka had a stroke the morning of Dec. 9 but that’s not what killed her. In fact, by the afternoon, she announced she was going to walk to the restroom. Her Chief of Staff Nancy Kimme told her not to try because she was paralyzed on her left side. In mocking defiance, Topinka started kicking her no longer paralyzed leg.

Giving troubled youth a chance to grow
Urgent shouts and the squeak of sneakers fill the basketball courts on the second floor of Gold’s Gym in Springfield. Volleyball nets span four courts, each filled with teenagers. Their eyes are fixed on the ball as it sails across the net and, for the moment, they can lose themselves in the game.

SOUTHWIND SUNDIAL
If the sun shines for the winter solstice on Sunday, Dec. 21, Robert Croteau will be at Southwind Park checking the alignments on the giant sunfl ower sundial he designed and helped to install. The shadow of the bee on the sunfl ower regularly crosses the calendar line at noon, telling the day of the year.

LONG HAUL LAWSUIT
Samuel Johnson of Springfi eld is suing the Springfi eld Police Department and the two white police offi cers who stopped him in November 2013 on a traffi c violation that was later deemed not a violation at all.

Lawsuit in limbo
Attorneys representing the estate of Patrick Burns, who died in 2010 after deputies deployed Tasers more than 20 times while subduing him, have asked to withdraw from the case. U.S Magistrate Judge Tom Schanzle- Haskins has given Richard Burns, the deceased man’s brother who is executor of the estate, until Dec.

Preventing another Ferguson
The high-profile killings of black men by police in Ferguson, Missouri, and in New York City in the past few months highlight a long-smoldering tension between law enforcement officers and minority populations.

Five new holiday films
These films are not for those who, like me, have only a cursory knowledge of all things Middle Earth. No, all along these have always been for the obsessive ones like Jackson who’ve lost count of how many times they’ve read J.R.R. Tolkien’s works. Interestingly, the Rings.

What to expect when they’re expecting a certain something
Many children today have raised the holiday wish list or letter to Santa to an art form: a document to be labored over and carefully considered, perhaps even rewritten or reordered a few times before completion. It receives attention and focus that homework assignments only dream about.

The spatula
It was a year past her leaving that Anna made her request, a simple thing and reasonable, that William bring with him the spatula, the one with the red handle. “I kept it in the drawer by the stove,” she said. He thought a moment, then said, “I’ll look for it.

Gifts that feed their food passion
The holidays are a special time for foodies. From elaborate holiday meals to elegant cocktail parties to extensive holiday desserts, this is a time where foodies can shine. It’s only natural to give the friend who’s basically a celebrity chef – at least in their own kitchen – a gift they can use year-round for their next culinary creation.

Christmas puddings
“Hallo! A great deal of steam! The pudding was out of the copper. A smell like a washing day! That was the cloth. A smell like an eating-house and a pastry-cook’s next door to each other, with a laundress’ next door to that! That was the pudding! In half a minute Mrs.

Foxx and company flounder in bland Annie
Instead of being stuck in an orphanage, Annie (Quvenzhane Wallis) is foster kid who lives with the deplorable gold-digger Miss Hannigan (Cameron Diaz) watching over her and four other young girls just to draw a monthly check for her trouble.

Pre-Christmas goings on
In the spirit of the season, Off the Wall plays at Longbridge Golf Course lounge on Thursday night and requests that you bring a new pair of child-size mittens or gloves or a winter scarf instead of paying the cover. The band guys will deliver the goodies to District 186 for distribution to children who need the winter wear.

PUB CRAWL
Brusier Queen, Brother Lee and the Leather Jackals, Bernie Flesch.

BAND SPOTLIGHT | Cats on Holiday
The Cats are back! For anyone around the Springfield music scene from the 80s on, that can mean only one thing. Yes, that’s right, Cats on Holiday are back in town for a one night only Holiday show. Andon T. Davis Jr. (vocals, guitar), Joe T.

MUSIC | Classical Christmas
Unwind on Friday, Dec. 19 at The State House Inn with a free Holiday Piano Concert featuring pianist Zakia Hart. Zakia, accompanied by Chris Warren on drums, Tom Myers on bass, Artie Logan on saxophone and Nathan Albrecht on violin will be performing some of her holiday favorites in a casual, lounge-style setting.

THE CALENDAR
Afternoon free activities for kids at Springfi eld High School. Evening music, dance and more at various downtown locations. springfi eldartsco.org. Hoogland Center for the Arts, 420 S. Sixth St., 217-523-2787..

THEATER | Star-studded seasonal showcase
For one weekend only, The Hoogland Center for the Arts hosts the sights and sounds of Springfield’s favorite local celebrities and the Hoogland Teens, Kids and Juniors. This annual event showcases classic holiday tunes, contemporary Christmas songs and beautiful, sacred music.

SPIRITUAL | Celebrate the sacred journey
This Saturday, Dec. 20., travel back in metaphorical time with Edge of Perception and the Trailhead Healing Arts Center for a Yule Winter Solstice Celebration. The Winter Solstice Celebration is the fourth in a series of “sacred journey” events.