Yabba Dabba Doo-ing it
Conventions centers are not the only government facilities designed to lose money, but libraries and colleges enrich the community in other ways. It was clear from the start that the only community the PCCC would enrich would be the Municipal Building, as I tried to point out in this column, published in my Prejudices series on Nov.

A fiscally stressed city has to prioritize
The Springfield mayor and city council should be commended for discussing a variety of needs facing the city. Infrastructure, a city planner, Hunter Lake and the mansion block, to name a few. The bottom line, unfortunately, seems always to be a lack of resources to make anything happen.

Campaigns end on Election Day
The fervent prayer of old-line Democratic operatives and corporate funders is that the Sanders Storm will dissipate now that Hillary Clinton will get the nomination, thus allowing politics-as-usual to reestablish its grip on the system. Here’s why I think they’re dead wrong:.

LETTERS
Illinois is blessed with topgrade, food-producing soil that only a few places in the world can match. Those places are South Ukraine, sections of Argentina and along China’s Yellow River. We are also blessed with temperatures and rainfall conducive to agriculture.

Madigan ignored his own unpopularity
Madigan heaped public praise last week on at least two potential Democratic gubernatorial candidates, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin and Chris Kennedy. And he mentioned U.S. Rep. Tammy Duckworth by name as his state’s next U.S. Senator during Tuesday’s presidential nomination roll call, which was broadcast throughout the country.

A REPRIEVE FOR PARSONS
Jeff Parsons has avoided further trouble – at least for now – after an Illinois Times article raised questions about his ability to pay the $12.3 million judgment against him. On Aug. 2, U.S.

Police body cameras hit Springfield streets
Winslow invited the media to preview the cameras last week and ask questions as the Springfield Police Department begins a measured deployment in the coming months. The cameras are part of the department’s efforts to build trust and accountability with the public as the nation struggles with violence between law enforcement and communities of color.

Pension ‘spikes’ exposed to sunshine
Gov. Bruce Rauner signed House Bill 5684 into law on July 28. The bill was introduced by Rep. Peter Breen, R-Lombard, and supported by a handful of both Republicans and Democrats. It received only three “no” votes in the House and zero “no” votes in the Senate.

The Legacy Theatre comes of age
Five years after local theater mainstay Scott Richardson quipped to friends, “I bought a theater. Won’t this be fun!” the Legacy Theatre is alive and well.

Pig roast renaissance
It seems that of late my life’s journey has been taking some pretty unexpected turns. The latest fork in the road has me rolling down a hilly two-lane highway in Bertha Bus, my kitchen on wheels. My chef friend, David Radwine, and I had spent the weekend with Carl Blake, a software engineer turned pig farmer and media celebrity.

Suicide Squad executed in half-measures
All distinctive characters, Ayer, who also wrote the screenplay, makes the fatal mistake of not providing enough background for all of his main players. Deadshot, Harley and Diablo’s backstories are given adequate screen time but the rest are treated as window dressing.

August music awes
I’m proud to announce two special gigs I have this weekend. On Friday I open the evening for St. Louis-area acoustic folk-rockers Rogers and Nienhaus at the Legacy Theatre, hosted by Sterling Tax Service. On Saturday I join Sally Barris and Amy Benton for a songwriter-in-the-round session in the Club Room at the Hoogland Center for the Arts.

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

BAND SPOTLIGHT | Sally Barris
A Minnesota native, this class act singer and songwriter moved to Nashville many years ago and carved out a comfortable niche as a personality, performer and writer.

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

SPORTS & RECREATION | MMRD’s home season closer
This weekend see two roller derby bouts for the price of one as Springfield’s all-female flat track roller derby league, Midstate Mayhem, takes on Metro East’s Confluence Crush Roller Derby in their final home bout of the season.

SPORTS & RECREATION | A new way to 5K
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. The 3.

FESTIVALS | Spectacular air and ground displays
The annual Powerlight Abe Lincoln Car Show Spectacular features hundreds of cars on show as well as a variety of air and ground displays to delight attendees of all ages.