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The razor blade in the apple
The interesting debate about property taxes in Illinois was the one they didn’t have last week at the Statehouse. Under consideration were various versions of a proposal, first made last year by candidate Bruce Rauner, to freeze local property taxes statewide.

Illinois State Library building marks 25 years
June 20 marks the 25th anniversary of the dedication of the current Illinois State Library building, which sits at the corner of Second and Monroe Streets in Springfield, across the street from the Statehouse.

Food, hotel giants peddle plastic authenticity
Near my home in Austin, Texas, there is a great, old refurbished motel that I recommend to people when they come to visit our fair city. It not only is right on the famed Congress Avenue but also has a keep-it-real attitude that is expressed right on its iconic marquee: “No additives, no preservatives, corporate-free since 1938.

LETTERS
A CRAFTY SOLUTION What if the crafts and trades, with their training programs, teamed up with the Springfield Building and Zoning housing division and Administrative Court to bring houses out of code back to standard for those that can ill-afford...

Gov. Rauner takes his budget fight on tour
Gov. Bruce Rauner gave rip-roaring speeches in several Democratic legislative districts last week denouncing the state’s Democratic leadership.

Downtown housing rejected
The unanimous vote came amid myriad questions about the project, including the extent of environmental contamination on the property, who owns the parking lot that would be purchased with public money and whether local labor would be used to...

FREE PHONES FOR HEARING DISABLED
The state of Illinois estimates there are more than 2 million residents living with some degree of hearing loss. State law requires all Illinois landline phone companies to distribute free, specialized phones to the hearing disabled.

No going back
Spring St. in Springfield is the most visible of six facilities proposed for closure statewide. Sixty-eight workers face layoff or reassignment at the facilities, including 34 at the Springfield museum and 17 at an associated research center in Springfield.

DIVERSITY & OPPORTUNITY
On Tuesday, July 2, a higher education diverse CAP business opportunity fair will be held CITY at the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign, to be attended by representatives from Illinois public universities and business owners from across the state.

Park police future in doubt
“I think it’s kind of trending that way, as far as disbanding the department completely,” said park board member Gray Noll. “I think it’s something we have been considering since I’ve been on the board. … Over the last five years, we’ve certainly pared down the police department quite a bit.

A band on the brink
He had no way of knowing it then, but the first time a teenage Mitch Baker attended a concert at Springfield’s Black Sheep Café – the scrappy, all-ages music venue that has been the linchpin of the Southtown punk scene for a decade – his three future bandmates in Looming were all onstage, performing in various combos.

Upcoming Looming concerts in Springfield
Pre-order “Nailbiter” from No Sleep Records at https://nosleeprecords.com/product/7672/nailbiter.

Something for everyone
The 2015-2016 season for Sangamon Auditorium, UIS has been announced, and at the risk of an internal contradiction, the shows, beginning in September, are typically eclectic.

A real jerk
Jerk originated centuries ago in Jamaica when maroons – runaway slaves – fled to the hills to escape their British masters. Wild boars were their main food source.

CuisineScene
217-698-8552. 213 S 6th St, 217-544-0037. Caution: This isn’t some mamby-pamby popcorn shop you’re walking into! L & D, $ Fannie May Candies.

A summer of living history
For the sixth consecutive summer, history is alive and thriving in Springfield. Whether you are a newcomer to Abraham Lincoln’s stomping grounds or a veteran Lincoln lover, there is a myriad of living history programs to discover in Springfield, thanks to the Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau’s History Comes Alive living history program.

World a clever hybrid of old and new
While a giant meteor may have been to blame for the extinction of the dinosaurs, as long as they continue to generate big box office revenue they’ll never be gone from movie screens. And what with advances in digital special effects being the excuse to resuscitate long dormant franchises, it was inevitable that the Jurassic Park.

BAND SPOTLIGHT | Modern Superstar
Formed in 2010 from various musicians touring the same rock-band circuit, Modern Superstar features members from Chicago, Ohio, Florida, Kentucky and right here in Springfield. No strangers to touring hard, these bandmates have shared the stage with rock ‘n’ roll icons such as Queensryche, Whitesnake, Tesla, KIX, Bret Michaels, Kip Winger, L.

PUB CRAWL
Dates, times and locations are subject to change, so we suggest calling before attending an event..

Dave’s back and more
From the Sangamon County Fair with hot country acts at the Grandstand and top local cover bands in the beer tents, to the Artist on the Plaza every Tuesday and Thursday at noon on the south side of the Old State Capitol, and everything in between; mighty and many are the things happening this weekend.

STREET PARTY | Celebrate a neighborhood
On Friday, June 19, celebrate the ongoing reemergence of the Enos Park neighborhood as the “Jewel of Springfield” with its third annual Rock the Block party. The free street festival will take place on Enos Avenue between Seventh and Eighth streets from 5 to 9:30 p.

THE CALENDAR
Carnival, contests, entertainment, exhibits and more. $5-$25. 488-2685. sangcofair.com. Sangamon County Fairgrounds, northwest edge of town, New Berlin. The Heart of Jacksonville 19th Annual Plaza Car Show.

FAIRS | Fun in New Berlin
The Sangamon County Fair returns to New Berlin for five days of fun! There are too many individual events to list here, but we would be remiss if we failed to mention the Grandstand lineup, consisting of Brushville with Captain Geech and the Shrimp...

AVIATION | The first commercial airliner
This weekend, aviation enthusiasts have the opportunity to fly on one of the world’s first commercial airliners, the Liberty Ford 5-AT-B. The tri-motor plane will be offering flights out of Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport this weekend only. Flights are available on Thursday from 2-5 p.