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Bouncing back
The wonderful thing about getting older is watching people falling for the same cons their grandparents did. The Philippines invasion became Vietnam became Iraq. Trump is Buchanan again, who was Perot again, who was Wallace, and so it goes, all the way back to the 1858 version of Stephen A.

TPP: U.S. world leadership?
The Trans-Pacific Trade Partnership, to be voted on by Congress soon, is a quilt of many colors, disparate pieces stitched together. This is a complex bill which you probably will support if you believe it will strengthen U.S.

The populist insurgency is ratcheting up
“We” being the millions of young people, mad-as-hell working stiffs, independents, deep-rooted progressives and other “outsiders” who felt The Bern and forged a new, gamechanging, populist force of, by and for grassroots Americans.

LETTERS
Donald Trump is the GOP’s choice. People are expecting major changes with Trump as president. Voters need to submit to Trump what they expect of him. If Trump cannot meet those voter demands, he will be a disappointment. Our disappointment is God’s appointment.

Voter suppression?
You may know that a conservative group filed a federal lawsuit last week to stop Illinois’ election-day voter registration law from being carried out this November.

Illinois decriminalizes pot
On July 29, Gov. Bruce Rauner signed into law Senate Bill 2228, which makes possession of less than 10 grams of marijuana a civil offense punishable by a fine between $100 and $200. Previously, possession of 2.5 grams or less was a Class C misdemeanor punishable by up to 30 days behind bars and a fine of up to $1,500.

DRUG WAR PRISONER
Last week, President Barack Obama commuted the sentences of 214 federal inmates, potentially freeing a Springfi eld man given a life sentence for possessing crack cocaine in 1997. Obama’s move also set a record for most commutations in a single day, raising his total number of commutations to 562 – more than the previous nine presidents combined.

MARKET MOVES
Sometimes, experiments just don’t work out. The Old Capitol Farmers Market in downtown Springfi eld is moving its Wednesday hours back to the morning after a brief stint in the evening. The move follows a vote by the vendors, who cited hot weather hurting their sales.

Maybe this time?
By most accounts, Aug. 3 was an auspicious day for school funding reform in Illinois. It marked the first meeting of the Illinois School Funding Reform Commission, a bipartisan group which aims to devise a more equitable and effective formula to distribute state education dollars among Illinois school districts.

Tardy party
By the fall of 2015, “it became apparent that there was nothing being coordinated,” Higgs said. So Higgs rolled up her sleeves and created an ad hoc bicentennial planning commission in Springfield.

All you need is water
There are few things that one can do to have an immediate and positive impact on one’s health. Increasing physical activity and changing one’s diet are critical steps in improving overall health and vitality, but persistence, organization and dedication are required to get results.

Jenkins hits all the right notes
Taking place in the early 1940s, Jenkins and her husband St. Clair Bayfield (Hugh Grant) are patrons to a fault of the New York music scene. While the heiress’ generous donations enable giants such as Toscanini to work, she also produces revues in which she and her friends perform for small audiences.

More than fair
Due to the particular reach of the event, a good deal of Springfield feels the fair effect. From changing the traffic flow direction around the fairgrounds to allowing bars and nightclubs to remain open until 3 a.m. if they so choose, several fair-only rules apply during the 10-day run of the happening.

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

BAND SPOTLIGHT | The Cell Phones
Rolling in from Chicagoland to promote their sophomore release, No,.

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

FAIRS & FESTIVALS | State Fair Shuffle
Three of the 1985 Chicago Bears will lead the Illinois State Fair’s annual Twilight Parade on Thursday, Aug. 11. Dan Hampton, Otis Wilson and Steve McMichael are all former Super Bowl champions and current members of a band called The Chicago 6.

NATURE | See up to 150 meteors per hour
The Perseid Meteor Shower occurs around the second week of August each year. The Perseid shower is generally known for producing up to 100 frequent, bright meteors an hour.