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World’s Fair put Illinois in spotlight
The right to host the exposition, organized to mark the 400th anniversary of Columbus’ arrival in the New World, became a battle among several American cities, notably New York, St. Louis and Chicago, in 1890. In the Big Apple, financiers like J.P.

Tell me, Adrian
OCTOBER 15, 1979: I encounter the name “Adrian Belew” for the first time. He is not a jeans designer. He is a rock guitarist. His picture is in the Springfield paper. His pants have cuffs. I wonder, What is he doing in Springfield? I find out later that this is the first question everybody asks.

How Big Pharma is trying to improve its image
Determined to do something about those despised price hikes, drugmakers themselves have reached into their corporate toolbox for the two most effective means they have to fix their price problem.

LETTERS
SERIOUS COOKING Add my name to the list of those paying tribute to food writer Julianne Glatz. While I don’t devote as much time as I would like to serious cooking, it is one of my favorite pastimes. Julianne took the time, and wrote about it so well.

Back to square one
Gov. Bruce Rauner’s budget address last week seemed far more designed for people outside the building, most of whom don’t really care about the intricacies of government finance. Most do, however, want to see everyone finally get along and end this 8-month governmental impasse, despite what you may read in online comment sections.

Say cheese
The state’s highest court began allowing cameras and audio recording devices in courts four years ago as an experiment. Since then, the court has approved the use of cameras and audio recorders by the media in 15 of the state’s 24 judicial circuits. The experiment was made permanent by this week’s order, opening the door for all courts.

BENEVOLENT BIKERS
If the Roughnecks Motorcycle Club was a book, judging it by its cover would be a mistake. These tough-looking bikers in leather are actually all active or retired police offi cers and public safety personnel. For the past six years, the Springfi eld chapter of the Roughnecks has been raising money for a good cause.

FREE BEDS
On March 4, Slumberland Furniture and the Parent Help Line at St. John’s Children Hospital will be teaming up to donate 40 free twin bed mattresses, box springs and bed frames to families in need. The Parent Help Line will also donate a set of sheets to each family that qualifi es.

Election board probes Mautino
The board probe was sparked by a complaint filed by Dave Cooke, a retired nuclear plant worker who lives in Streator.

Prescription pad meets legal pad
The program is funded by part of a $2.3 million federal grant and aimed at situations like housing hazards or unfair rules regarding public aid. It allows doctors at the SIU Center for Family Medicine in Springfield to refer patients to Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance for free legal aid when appropriate.

Bill would allow gender change on birth certificate
Under the Illinois Vital Records Act, passed in 1962, a person must have undergone a sex change operation before the designated sex on a person’s birth certificate can be changed. Rep. Greg Harris, D-Chicago, sponsored House Bill 6073 to make state law reflect changes at the federal level and to ensure the law acknowledges current medical standards.

Thinking outside the frame
The participating panelists represent only a fraction of those involved with the visual arts in Springfield but all are passionate creators and promoters, working tirelessly to present exhibitions of local, regional and national art ranging from highly traditional to more innovative and challenging work.

Good food fast
Cooking skills were once passed on from generation to generation through the oral tradition. The post-war years saw an increase in women working outside the home and an increasing reliance on convenience foods.

Sex in St. Louis, 1980s-style
The novel is set in St. Louis in 1981. Its local color and settings make it enjoyable for those who often journey to the city for a weekend or even just a few hours of shopping or dining. Many of the locales depicted by Stage will certainly be familiar to central Illinois readers.

Haunting Witch utilizes high-end horror
The setting is New England, circa 1630. A family, led by William and Katherine (Ralph Ineson and Kate Dickie), is banished from an established settlement, forced to make it on their own in the wilderness. The reason for their exile is kept purposely vague but the way in which the clan worships God seems to be at the root of it.

PUB CRAWL
Casey and Friends, Tom Irwin, Cactus Ranch, Mike and Olivia, John Stevens.

BAND SPOTLIGHT | Ben Bedford
A stalwart on the local scene while playing folk music on regional, national and international levels, Springfield-based singer-songwriter Ben Bedford writes songs and sings them for folks.

Open those mics
Call them open stages, open mics, free entertainment, audition time or whatever, these particular events are vital to the scene in many ways. As a basic definition, they involve a host who plays a short set, then coordinates any and all musicians to play according to the rules of the individual open mic.

THE CALENDAR
Beauty and the Beast “A Children’s Ballet”.

FILM | Recording of a reenactment
FILM | Recording of a reenactment.

THEATER | Central Illinois Amateur Playwrights
Enjoy an evening of three original, never-before-seen one-act plays produced by two local playwrights from the Central Illinois Amateur Playwrights organization. One-act plays are short scenes that offer the audience a glimpse into what would normally be a longer performance.