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Popsicles for breakfast
I was the first in my line to be born in a medical facility. There is a house up on Salt Creek in Menard County where my father was born. As was my grandfather. And my great grandfather. It began as a small cabin in the 1830s. The walls of the two front rooms still contain the original logs.

Playing the suckers
Homeopathy figures prominently in the annals of medical quackery. It is based on the idea, or rather the hope, that “like cures like,” meaning that a disease can be cured by whatever produces similar symptoms in healthy organisms. Homeopathy has been relegated to the fringes as medicine but at the moment it is widely endorsed as a political nostrum.

What does it mean to ‘gig’ American workers?
The two internet-based ride-hiring brats call themselves “ridesharing” companies but that’s a deceit, for they don’t share anything – their business model relies on folks needing a ride to hire a driver through the corporations’ apps, with the bulk of the fare going to out-of-town corporate hedge funders.

LETTERS
Thanks to Pat Yeagle for covering the Illinois NAACP’s “Just Energy Policy” roundtable at the Springfield Boys and Girls Club on May 5.

Funding K-12 is harder than it looks
House Republican Leader Jim Durkin appeared with Gov. Bruce Rauner at Lyons Township High School, which is in Durkin’s district. Durkin pointed out to reporters that the school would lose $1.9 million in state funding under Sen. Andy Manar’s controversial school funding reform bill.

Pay up
Vincent Trimble, who is now incarcerated at Lincoln Correctional Center, says he suffered for more than a year in the Taylorville prison while Dr. Rosalina Robles-Gonzalez downplayed the severity of back problems that eventually required surgery.

A dead issue
Prior to the board’s creation, the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board was in charge of training coroners, who must undergo 40 hours of training after taking office and 24 hours of training each year, with money for training coming from a surcharge on death certificates.

Mautino campaign workers subpoenaed, source says
“In federal court, grand juries are often, in a lot of ways, used as an investigative arm of the U.S. attorney’s office,” said Wykoff, who is not involved in the Mautino matter. “A grand jury can be used as a vetting mechanism to assess the strength of a case.

Challenging ‘junk science’ in arson case
William Amor spent the last 21 years behind bars for the death of his mother-inlaw in a 1995 condo fire that investigators ruled as arson. His exoneration bid hinges on convincing the judge that new scientific research debunks old beliefs about how fire behaves.

2016 Summerlong Summerguide
International Carillon Festival ............................ p21.

SOHO Music Festival
What started as a community outreach project in 2005 has grown to include a twoday outdoor street festival which features live music, vendors, food and kids’ activities plus a 10K walk/run and a PDGA-certified disc golf tournament.

International Carillon Festival
This summer, attend a different kind of music festival, one without the high ticket prices, long lines, dirty facilities and drunks. Substitute the serenity of Washington Park, the company of friends and family, and five nights of al fresco music performed by five of the world’s most talented carillonneurs.

Levitt AMP Jacksonville Music Series
Remember last year when we asked you to vote for Jacksonville in the Levitt AMP [Your City] Grant Award contest? Your votes paid off, as the city of Jacksonville was selected as one out of 15 finalists for a $25,000 grant to produce a free and family-friendly concert series in a neglected public space.

Bring on the bacon
On July 22 and 23, Downtown Springfield, Inc. and Isringhausen Imports plus other festival sponsors will transform downtown Springfield into a bacon-lovers paradise for the second year in a row during DSI’s Bacon Throwdown II.

Insane Inflatable 5K
This summer, get pumped for a wacky obstacle course unlike anything central Illinois has seen before. The Insane Inflatable 5K bounces into Centennial Park on Saturday, Aug. 6. Race waves begin at 8:30 a.m. and continue every 15 minutes through 11:30 a.m.

Reading, writing and baseball
Soon area baseball fans will head south for local Rotary clubs’ 14 th annual literacy fundraiser baseball games in beautiful Busch Stadium. Springfield-based watercolor quilt artist Rod Buffington is coordinating the event again this year. Enthusiastically.

A hiker’s paradise
You don’t have to leave central Illinois to have an enjoyable, authentic hiking experience. This summer, get close to nature and have fun with friends and family by hiking these and other parks and preserves in the Sangamon River Valley.

Can we just ride worry-free?
For motorists all across Illinois, staying safe while operating their vehicle is a priority, but the month of May in particular is when drivers will start seeing more motorcycles on the roads. For the 33 rd consecutive year in Illinois, May is Motorcycle Awareness Month.

I thirst, therefore I am
Both refreshing and teasing, the perfect elixir for summer’s dog days evokes a happier time of spring, with cherry blossoms bursting and everyone’s team with a chance to win the pennant. Scotch is never a bad idea, of course, but it loses its allure, if slightly, as temperatures rise and the palate hungers for things fizzy and fruity and frothy.

Revel in the great outdoors with a summer race
There’s something timeless and pure about pushing the limits of our bodies while surrounded by the majesty of nature. It satisfies that primeval urge to test our mettle and know what we’re capable of. Springfield offers several opportunities to do that during the summer months, with a variety of races for runners, swimmers, cyclists and even boaters.

Summer shows
June 24- July 17. A disco diva who is witness to a crime hides out in a convent, befriending and empowering the nuns along the way. Based on the Whoopi Goldberg film. 800-838-3006. Atthelegacy.com..

Summer concert roundup
Music festivals have been a staple of Springfield music fanciers for years, and a trio of longstanding fests this summer will offer an opportunity to sample a large number of local original acts in one shot. The charity-minded SOHO Fest.

Chef’s guide to the farmers market
The first farmers market day is one of my favorite days of the year. For me it signifies that summer has finally arrived. The glorious, slightly wild flavors of the market’s first few weeks compel me to strip away any extraneous flavors or richness and look for ways to prepare the vegetables to allow their character to shine through.

Flawed Monster a timely diatribe
Foster certainly can’t be faulted for taking a leisurely pace, as the gears of the plot quickly mesh and hum along as it lays out a conspiracy surrounding the company in question that involves a shady CEO (Dominic West), a suspicious computer glitch and a reluctant fall-person (Caitriona Balfe).

Local likings
You hear a lot (or at least I do) about the burgeoning and flourishing Springfield music scene. People talk about how musicians play well together with excellent, diverse and progressing musicianship. This weekend especially seems to be jam-packed with some of the best of the best of our finest music groups from near and far, past and present.

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

BAND SPOTLIGHT | Brandon Santini
When he was 15 years old, this North Carolina native bought a harmonica after asking his mom to take him to a music store, and, as they say, the rest is history. Several years ago Brandon Santini moved his music game to Memphis, adding the North Mississippi and Delta-blues feel to his Piedmont style.

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

CHILDREN’S CORNER | Unplug and play outside
School is almost out for summer! Celebrate by unplugging your electronic devices and playing outside with the Springfield Park District, genHkids, Springfield YMCA and Hy-Vee. While the day’s activities are primarily geared towards elementary and middle-school age children, they are fun and appropriate for all ages.

COMEDY | Comedy + wine = fun
Treat yourself to a bit of fun this Thursday evening, complete with wine, snacks and laughs as Hill Prairie Winery hosts comedian Jay Harris for one very funny show. Jay’s accolades include being selected as a finalist in the 2008 “Zaniest Comedian in Chicago” competition.