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Aggressive behavior
Actually, there was. The Springfield city council in 2007 made it a crime to ask people for money in the city’s public ways, albeit not much of one. The ordinance was the council’s response to the larger issue of preserving downtown as a tourist and business and residential environment.

Women’s equality 95 years later
On Aug. 26, 1920, the amendment guaranteeing the right to vote for women officially became part of the U.S. Constitution.

It’s time to free students from debt
Butch Hancock, one of Austin’s finest singersongwriters, grew up in the Texas Panhandle, out among dry-land farmers and strict fundamentalist Christians.

LETTERS
Tax incentives to the ultra wealthy Chicago Board of Trade so they won’t leave? (“Cap City,” Aug. 20) Where will they go with a name like that? Toledo? The museum slowly and quietly being shut down after major grass roots condemnation of this action as ridiculous and unacceptable? Of course it is.

A window of opportunity
Allow me to explain. I spoke with some Rauner folks last week and, man, are they ever on the warpath about the Senate’s Aug. 19 override of the governor’s veto of the AFSCME bill – which would prevent a strike by or lockout of state workers and would instead require binding arbitration after an impasse is reached.

Stamping out the old
“There’s a keen interest in preserving the brick streets in the neighborhoods,” says Ward 7 Ald. Joe McMenamin. “The brick work is so highly unique and rare that there’s an interest in preserving the past. We’re not talking about engineers saying this, we’re talking about homeowners.

Deputies cleared
After using cocaine, Burns, an accountant for the state who had no significant criminal record, had broken into a north end home shortly after 6 a.m. on Jan. 23, 2010. In a craze, he attacked the woman who lived in the home with his bare hands, but she managed to get him outside.

New rail ombudsman to oversee land acquisition
Blackwell-Lewis is an attorney for the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services and a licensed real estate broker. Her task as ombudsman will be to act as a liaison between landowners who will be displaced and the City of Springfield, ensuring a fair price for both sides.

Rauner wants to cut home services for 34,000
Gov. Bruce Rauner wants to decrease the number of people in Illinois who receive inhome care, a move disability advocates say could put people on the street. The proposal appears unlikely to clear two major hurdles for approval, and its acceptance could even cause the state to run afoul of a longstanding court order.

2015 fall calendar
AAUW Annual Fall Membership Coffee.

Danger Circus Company
Aug 29, 2pm, 7pm Sat. See glass walking, knife juggling, dangerous escapes, illusion, sketch comedy, more. Ages 10 and up only at 7pm, $20. All-ages preview matinee at 2pm, $3. Tickets available at atlasobscura.com. Arlee Theater, 139 S. Main St., Mason City, 482-9999.

Springfield Oyster and Beer Festival
Sep 5, 12-5pm Sat. 100+ varieties of craft beer and cider, fresh oysters, offerings from several food vendors, live bands, more. $20 advance, $25 door. sobfestival.com. The Inn at 835, 835 S. Second St., 523-4466..

Chatham Jaycees 2nd Annual Oktoberfest
Sep 12, Sat. German food, German draft beers, children’s activities and games from 12-5pm, vendors, live music by The Wendell Brothers and Lick Creek, Oktoberfest Games and more. Free. chathamjaycees.net. Chatham town square, 101 W. Mulberry, Chatham, 414-9637.

47th Annual Apple ’n Pork Festival
Sep 26, 9am-5pm Sat. Harvest festival features 25+ food stands, 19th century craft demos/vendors, antique tractor show, live musical entertainment, tomahawk throwing, pony rides, children’s train rides, fl ea market, more. Free. chmoorehomestead.org. C.H. Moore Homestead DeWitt County Museum, 219 E.

Old Capitol Blues and BBQ Festival
Oct 2-3, 5pm-12am Fri, 12pm-12am Sat. BBQ competitors and vendors, local and national blues talent and children’s activities. Fifth and Washington. $5 adults, kids 12 and under free. downtownspringfi eld.org. Downtown Springfi eld, 544-1723..

Indian Summer Festival
Oct 10-11, 10am-4pm Sat-Sun. A prairie party for the entire family. Fairy garden, crafts, activities, entertainment, food and more. $5 adults, $3 ages 6-12. lincolnmemorialgarden.org. Lincoln Memorial Garden, 2301 E. Lake Shore Dr., 529-1111..

Terror in the Graveyard
Oct 11, 17, 31. Outdoor haunted event featuring an abandoned old graveyard and a creepy winding trail in the dark haunted woods plus special effects, scares and more. $10 adults, $8 ages 10 and under. terrorontheweb.com. Menard County Fairgrounds, 18450 Fairgrounds, Petersburg, 632-3848.

Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular
Oct 16, 6:30-9:30pm Fri. 2,015 hand-carved, illuminated jack-o-lanterns carved by community members and local artists. Tree of Lights, spooky music, fi repits, food vendors. Rain or shine. No pets. $7 adults, $5 ages 4-10, 3 and under free. carillon-rees.org.

Back to the Future Fest
Oct 24, 11am Sat. Showing of Back to the Future Part I at 11am; Parts 2 and 3 shown over the course of the day. Costume contest, trivia, games, prizes and more during intermissions. arleetheater.com. 737-3975. Arlee Theater, 139 S. Main St, Mason City, 482-9999.

Second City: Fully Loaded
Nov 7, 5pm, 8pm Sat. Comedy stars in the making perform classic material from the Second City archives plus scenes lifted from morning headlines. Tickets: $25-30. hcfta.org. Hoogland Center for the Arts, 420 S. Sixth St., 523-2787..

Fighting Illini Basketball
Nov 8, 13, 15, 21, 23, 7pm Fri-Mon. springfi eldpc3.com. Prairie Capital Convention Center, 1 Convention Center Plaza, 800-745-3000..

Get ready for a power play in central Iowa
While presidential candidates lust for political power as they stomp across the state, smart travelers will choose the power of horses, steam and pedals abundant in the area around Des Moines, some 330 miles from Springfield. Just ignore all those campaign commercials and political billboards flooding our neighbors to the northwest.

Time travel to historic Nauvoo
A covered wagon pulled by a yoke of oxen appeared on the path in front of us. Nearby several young children walked by on stilts, a brass band tuned up for an outdoor concert and the Mississippi River rolled along, glittering in the sunshine. That’s when my husband and I knew that our visit to historic Nauvoo was a trip back in time.

The stages of fall
In an era where we are increasingly isolated by our technology, the ancient tradition of watching live theater still can unite hundreds of people in a shared visceral experience. And fall in Illinois is a great time to throw down a few bucks and support the performing arts in Illinois.

Fall rocks
Sangamon Auditorium is the place to be this fall for those who like to jam. And for those who like to sit quietly too. On Sept. 19, Springfield audiences will be privy to the journey of up and coming opera singers in The Metropolitan Opera Rising Stars..

Savory pancakes
This recipe is my riff on two riffs. Variations of this eggy pancake can be found in Northern Europe: Pfannkuchen, baked with fruit or topped with butter, powdered sugar and lemon. Similar batters are utilized for popovers and traditional English Yorkshire pudding.

CuisineScene
9633. A local family-owned restaurant specializing in Thai and Vietnamese cuisine. L & D. $$ Magic Kitchen.

Skaters roll into Springfield for roller derby extravaganza
On Aug. 28 and 29 the Prairie Capital Convention Center hosts Springfield’s first-ever roller derby convention, The Great Midwest Mashup. Hosted by G.H. None Productions, the two-day convention is open to the public and offers an exciting glimpse into the fastpaced world of flat-track roller derby.

Compton showcases NWA’s vibrant, angry voice
While their story may play like a collection of clichés, with Ice Cube, Dr. Dre and Eazy-E’s widow, Tomica, serving as its producers, one assumes that there is some validity to this tale of the group’s rise, or at least their version of the truth.

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

BAND SPOTLIGHT | GirlBilly
When two attractive, talented, ambitious and nice girls meet up in Nashville by coincidence and hit it off immediately, what should they do? Start a duo and take the entertainment world by storm, of course! Tori Allen from Round Rock, Texas, and Megan Gertken from St.

Clayville music and more
I didn’t feel a huge rush at the fair this year in either attendance or attitude but it did seem more consistent and caring in some ways, for whatever that’s worth. Of all the interesting sights I saw, stumbling across newspaper clippings in the ISF museum area under the Grandstand tickled me the most.

THE CALENDAR
hearse, antique tractors, motorcycles. Food and drink available. $15 per vehicle for cruise. Spectators free. clayville.org. 217-725-1355. Clayville, Route 125, Pleasant Plains, 572-4984. Edinburg Labor Day Picnic.

THEATRE/COMEDY | A macabre musical
The kookiest, spookiest family around takes residency at the Hoogland Center for the Arts Aug. 28-30 and Sept. 4-6. The Addams Family,.

ART | The art of the ISM
According to Illinois State Museum Director of Art and History Jim Zimmer, the Spectrum exhibition provides a “satisfying glimpse into a unique, Illinois-focused collection to which artists and patrons have donated and entrusted their prized objects for 87 years.