Page 1

Gov. Rauner, please open the Illinois State Museum
My name is Guerry Suggs, I serve on the board of the Illinois State Museum and I am currently chairman of the board. This past week the Illinois House of Representatives passed Senate Bill 0317. It was passed by the Senate in August.

Unhappy days are here again
The news media, as their name suggests, focus on what is new in the world. Journalism’s only subject is current events – “current” having been defined of late to mean “within the past 10 minutes.” Yesterday is barely mentioned, last year is nearly forgotten, a century ago does not exist.

Let’s break away from Black Friday syndrome
Here comes the holiday season. It’s a monthlong season of friends, family and spiritual reflection, and a time to decompress from our usual helter-skelter lives. It kicks off with Thanksgiving: the one holiday on our calendar that’s meant to be a calm, family-oriented time to get away from all the hubbub of life and reflect on our blessings, right?.

LETTERS
All Illinoisans should be able to count on the arrival of a welltrained, well-equipped medical crew within minutes of dialing 911. After all, every minute counts in a medical emergency. Unfortunately, Illinois’ Emergency Medical Services have been underfunded and overlooked for years.

Rough week for Madigan
Madigan, who has long been considered the most successful Democratic politician in Illinois history, had hoped to finally knock down the Republican Rauner’s solid GOP legislative wall on Tuesday and force the House Republicans to defy their governor...

Shooting down drones?
“I don’t necessarily expect that this version that we have right now is the version that will go to the council (for a final vote),” says Ward 3 Ald. Kris Theilen, who is sponsoring the measure along with Mayor Jim Langfelder. “I expect a full discussion at committee.

INFLUENTIAL ARCHITECT
A nationwide design blog recently recognized one of Springfi eld’s own as an industry leader. Last week, Jeff Sommers of Square Root Architecture + Design in Springfi eld was named a “groundbreaker” by Curbed.com for his innovative C3 prefabricated modular home concept.

PLANT GRANT
Illinois may not strike people as a diverse ecosystem, but this state actually has a wealth of native species that create surprisingly different environments. In southern Illinois, for example, you’ll fi nd cypress swamps that look like they belong in the Everglades – minus the alligators, of course.

City doesn’t post council information
The law requires public bodies that maintain their own websites to post agendas of meetings on the Internet. The city clerk’s office had traditionally posted agendas more than 72 hours in advance of council meetings, but the city didn’t post the agenda for Tuesday’s meeting until Monday afternoon, when Illinois Times.

Homeless for the holidays
If you didn’t know better, you might think Richard Craig is a powerful businessman. An athletic, handsome man of 46, he’s dressed sharply from head to toe: black wingtip dress shoes, black dress slacks, a black turtleneck under a black diamond-knit sweater and a long black overcoat.

Solid, compelling Spotlight is one of the year’s best
That’s not to say that this excellent film – one of the year’s best – is without emotion or a rote exercise that fails to engage the viewer.

Bishop Hill for Swedish holidays
Followers of Erik Jansson were too busy trying to carve a utopia out of the harsh prairie after journeying from Sweden and walking 160 miles from Chicago. Despite poor shelter, a lack of food and the deaths of 96 out of 400 colonists the first year, the group built economic success with thriving farming and manufacturing.

Cuisine Scene
Chadito’s Mexican American Grill.

Not-so-sweet pumpkin preparations
For most of my life, my family’s Thanksgiving menu was set in stone. With the exception of cranberries, much, if not all, of it came from our own garden/farm: potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, lima beans, spinach and for years, even the turkey. And, let’s not forget: pumpkin for pies.

BAND SPOTLIGHT | Jason Boland & The Stragglers
These guys hail from Stillwater, Okla., and play what has become known as “Red Dirt” country music. The name comes from the color of earth you find in Oklahoma, and the band’s style lives in old-school country with a slight rock edge and excellent lyrical sensibility.

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

Reuniting with Ruth
Our first order of the day, sadly, is to pay our respects to a lost comrade. Mark Vincent, an excellent jazz and otherwise pianist, entertainer, educator, friend and keeper of the music flame passed on Wednesday, Nov. 11, at the age of 61, after a battle with lung cancer.

THE CALENDAR
Dates, times and locations are subject to last-minute changes, so we suggest calling before attending events..

CHILDREN’S CORNER | Learning with lyrics
“Schoolhouse Rock,” the Emmy Award-winning 1970s Saturday morning cartoon that used music and the power of imagination to teach children about history, grammar, math, science and more, makes a small-stage comeback this weekend at the Hoogland Center for the Arts.

MUSIC: | A symphony of gratitude
Join the Illinois Symphony Orchestra for the annual Holiday Pops in the Heartland concert, a central Illinois holiday tradition.

HOLIDAY HAPPENINGS | A shared meal
On Saturday, Nov. 21, join the Coalition of Rainbow Alliances for a Thanksgiving dinner that is open to all individuals in the community, regardless of age, sex, gender or sexual orientation. CORAL will provide fixings for the main meal, which will consist of turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, gravy, dressing, rolls and beverages.