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Insult with wit
Spiro T. Agnew came to Springfield in September of 1970 to make a speech. To that approximately half of the public not yet born in 1970, I must explain that Mr. Agnew was a vice president of the United States, meaning he was someone who worked for the government.

Alan Dixon’s record of public service
I am writing in response to James Krohe, Jr.’s inane and sophomoric diatribe regarding U.S. Sen. Alan J. Dixon [see “Official graffiti,” Dec. 18]. I had the honor of working with Alan Dixon in the offices of the Illinois State Treasurer, Illinois Secretary of State, and U.

My duty to make you uncomfortable
As cartoonists, we have the right and, indeed, the duty to insult, mock and make others uncomfortable. To be downright disrespectful without the fear of reprisal.

LETTERS
DESIGNING DOWNTOWN Springfield’s history and its future are intertwined. In that sense, urban planning has become a key issue for this city. We are finally taking a hard look at changing what we have done in the past, what other cities are implementing and how to use their experiences to our advantage.

Lessons from the comptroller battle
The Democrats on Jan. 8 jammed through their plan to limit the term of incoming Republican comptroller Leslie Munger to two years with a special election in the presidential year of 2016. Rauner appointed Munger to replace Judy Baar Topinka, who passed away in December.

Trial nears in drowning case
A woman called the city to complain that just one lifeguard was on post while 52 children swam and frolicked in the water.

ALPLM adrift
That’s the long-term plan suggested by a consultant tasked with solving the governance riddle that has plagued the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum since last spring, when House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, proposed divorcing...

Champion of justice
As a state appellate court judge and proud liberal, he wrote a lot of dissents during his years on the bench that began in 1964. As a lawyer in private practice, he transformed Springfield, suing the city in the 1980s to end a commission form of government that effectively prevented blacks from winning elective office.

Rauner taps Blago retread
As general counsel for the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency under Blagojevich, Messina in 2007 wrote a letter to Madigan’s staff saying that the IEPA would no longer refer cases to the attorney general for enforcement.

Rooting out systemic racism
The Dominican Sisters of Springfield have a long history. Their congregation was founded in Jacksonville in 1873 and moved to Springfield in 1893. However, some of the women who founded the congregation came from the much older Convent of St. Catherine in Kentucky.

Custom Cup Coffee
Brent and Kendra Boesdorfer are passionate about coffee: its endless nuances of flavor that depend on location, terroir (soil), altitude; as well as growing, harvesting, processing and roasting methods. And they want you to become passionate about coffee, too.

Sniper’s aim is true
Eastwood is at the top of his game with the film’s opening sequence as we see Kyle perched on a rooftop in Fallujah, providing coverage for an advancing unit of ground troops. He sees a mother hand a young boy what may be a bomb, to which the soldier must determine if this is an actual threat and whether decisive action be taken.

Tennessee connection
Nashville may be more than six hours away from Springfield, but we certainly feel the gravitational pull of the entertainment mecca. Last Thursday, The Deep Hollow (Elizabeth Eckert, Dave Littrell and Micah Walk) played the City Winery in Music City, U.

BAND SPOTLIGHT | Big Smo
Call it “hick hop” or “country rap,” but whatever you aim to name this style of combining country lyric themes with rap production and attitudes, John Lee Smith, better known as Big Smo, does it like no other. Born in San Diego, Big Smo put out his first recordings in 2002.

PUB CRAWL
SAP, Sick Sad World, Person, The Funs, Warrs.

THE CALENDAR
$22, $24 VIP. 217-391-5653. Donnie B’s Comedy Club, 625 E. Saint Joseph Street, 391-JOKE. Comedian Micheal Petit.

THEATER & COMEDY | Corporate clog turned comedy cash cow
The outrageous, fun and ridiculous Greg Hahn draws comedic inspiration from his varied life experiences. Lucky for his audiences, Greg’s life is fascinating. Hailing from South Florida, Greg served as a captain in the Marine Corps and worked as a buyer for Lockheed Corporation before deciding to forgo the corporate world for the entertainment world.

MUSIC | Let the music speak
April Verch truly loves the music she’s making and the people she’s making it with. This shines through in all aspects of her being. April cites her father, an avid guitar player and singer from Canada’s Ottawa Valley, as instrumental in sparking in her love of music from an early age.

ART & ARCHITECTURE | Hidden treasures
Here’s a fun secret from the museum and gallery world: When it comes to planning and installing exhibits, often the most unique and most interesting artifacts and works of art never see the light of a gallery. For every piece on public display, there are dozens of other objects carefully stored and packed away in the attic upstairs.