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Keeping what’s ours
All that banging and buzzing you might have heard coming from the Springfield city council chambers in September was the council and mayor building a wall along the city’s border with Sangamon County and the world beyond.

Corporations dodge billions in U.S. taxes
European regulators’ recent finding that Apple avoided billions of dollars in taxes by stashing its profits in Ireland, a known tax haven, put the tech giant in an unwelcome spotlight. But Apple’s tax dodging is just the tip of a huge iceberg of offshore corporate tax avoidance.

THIS WEEK
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A tale of two pipes
A dramatic new chapter is unfolding this year in a volatile confrontation on a remote stretch of the northern Plains in rural North Dakota. It’s a “Battle of Two Pipes,” pitting the cultural power symbolized by the Native American peace pipe against the bruising financial power of a giant pipeline owned by Energy Transfer Partners.

LETTERS
A new report on the impact of the legalization of marijuana noted Colorado stands out as the only state which is the top consumer of opioid painkillers for non-medical use, marijuana, alcohol and cocaine. Marijuana-related traffic deaths, emergency department visits related to marijuana, and crime have all increased in Colorado.

Strange things happen in politics
Democratic House candidate John Bartman was appointed to the ballot in July when Rep. Jack Franks (D-Marengo) dropped out of the race to run for McHenry County Board chairman. Bartman is not getting help from the House Democrats, who appear to have all but conceded.

THIS MODERN WORLD
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Land of loopholes
The aggressive and unrepentant tax avoidance of Republican presidential candidate Donald J. Trump has become a major flashpoint in the presidential campaign, but it also underscores a broader debate about the fairness and wisdom of tax codes riddled with special breaks.

GRACE FOR VOTERS
With the awful tone of this election season at both the national and state levels, Election Day (Nov. 8) can’t come soon enough. But time may feel like it’s slipping away if you’ve been too busy to register to vote or change your registration.

VOTE FOR HOMELESS KIDS
Every summer, Camp Compass gives homeless kids renewed hope and a chance for a better future. Operated by Compass for Kids in Springfi eld, Camp Compass helps kids catch up academically over the summer, while keeping them nourished physically and mentally.

Medicaid fraud a $30 billion industry
It’s a booming business, according to the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, which says the total amount of “improper payments” for Medicaid last year totaled more than $29 billion and accounted for nearly a tenth of all payments. Just one caveat: you’ll probably get caught, and you may serve some prison time.

Gun thieves thrive
The alleged culprits were hardly criminal masterminds. Jimmie Burrage, 19, and someone whose name is redacted from police reports visited the store the day before the heist, according to police reports. Burrage doesn’t have a Firearms Owner Identification card and so cannot legally own a gun.

About the Best
Back in 1984 we ran our fi rst Best of Springfi eld reader survey. Thirty-two years later we›re still at it, and Best of Springfi eld has become a brand of its own. Thank goodness for technology – it makes counting votes just a little bit easier than the old paper ballots.

It was a dark and stormy night…
There comes a point when creativity and enthusiasm go too far. This week’s recipe, reprinted from an article written by my late wife, Julianne Glatz, in 2014, is an example of something that might be a bit close to the intersection of cool and creepy.

Cruise on auto-pilot in Never Go Back
Like a modern-day Paladin, Reacher is seen thumbing rides from town to town, righting wrongs that he encounters along the way. Eventually he winds his way back to Washington, D.C.

Halloweening music
Welcome to the terrorizing time of Halloween, the Devilish Day of the Dead and the most frighteningly fearsome event of all, the upcoming 2016 election. But we’re here to talk about music, and this week brings us a catastrophic cacophony of wacky wonderment, meant to entertain, scare, frighten and, otherwise, remove the bejesus out of you.

PUB CRAWL
Illinois State Fairgrounds Exposition Building, 7-9pm..

BAND SPOTLIGHT | The Lustre Kings
Hailing from Albany, New York, this hot-time trio plays rock and roll the way it was invented to be done. Mark Gamsjager is the lifeblood of the band and totes his Gretsch, the rockabilly guitar king, around the country with a live band ready to rock a joint like it should be done.

THE CALENDAR
Oct 29, 7-8:15pm. Organ concert accompanied by vocal pieces, dramatic reading and interpretive performance art. Dress all in black, all in white or in costume, if desired. Free. lincolnschurch.org. First Presbyterian Church, 321 S. Seventh St., 528-4311..

CHILDREN’S CORNER | Spooky science
The event, which is geared towards children ages five and older along with their parents and guardians, will feature spooky science demonstrations and simple experiments that can be recreated at home. All activities will be led by LLCC Chemistry Club members under the supervision of LLCC’s professor of chemistry, Jennifer Ramm.

THEATER & COMEDY | Comedic canines
You’ll howl your way through this slapstick act featuring Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College graduate Johnny Peers and his 12 talented dogs that perform challenging and difficult tricks. Johnny has been working with dogs since he was a young boy who adopted his first puppy, a beagle named Freckles, from the Humane Society.

THEATER & COMEDY | A smashing good time
With more than 50 years of experience as a touring comedian, Gallagher has filmed 14 Showtime specials, made more than 4,000 appearances, and destroyed countless watermelons in the process.