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Branching out
In 1909 its Chamber of Commerce undertook a campaign to make Springfield “the largest city by all odds in the state outside Chicago.” Our best Babbits insisted that there was “no good reason why Springfield” (which then counted some 51,000 people) “shouldn’t become a city with a population of 100,000 within the next 10 years or even sooner.

Democrats, take the high road. Dump Madigan.
One of my “What if” questions is: How would I have voted for speaker if I had won my race for state representative?” When I stated publicly last fall that I would not vote for Madigan to serve as speaker unless he proved that he offered an agenda...

A political party worth joining
It’s a daylong, outdoor political festival run by a coalition of Wisconsin progressives who believe in “putting the party back in politics.

LETTERS
Moreover, the Department of Agriculture fails to identify the multiple benefits of raising children, such as the physical, spiritual, intellectual and emotional advantages. These benefits are not just unquantifiable, but inestimable. The value of raising, nurturing and training children far surpasses the outlandish financial estimates of Washington D.

This Madigan stuff isn’t just a tactic
Whenever he’s been asked about the Illinois Republican Party’s blistering post-election campaign attacks tying Democrats to House Speaker Michael Madigan, Rauner has said he doesn’t pay attention to that stuff – even though he has given his party...

Bringing college football to Springfield?
College football in Springfield is all but a pipe dream now. However, the new athletic director at the University of Illinois Springfield – who has extensive experience in bringing football to a collegiate program – may spur hope that one day the capital city could be a hotspot for football on Saturday afternoons.

THAT DIDN’T LAST
David Bourland, who moved last month from director of exhibits at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum to director of historic sites for the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, is no longer getting a paycheck from taxpayers. His last day on the job was Jan.

ENGINEERS, NOT LAWYERS
Critics of Chatham’s less-than-perfect water system got some bad news this week from a Chicago law fi rm hired to review the creation of the South Sangamon Water Commission and determine whether there were any shenanigans that might allow the...

Nonprofit helps area artists succeed
Adam Nicholson has been involved in the Springfield arts scene for years. Now, as founder of Sala Creative Association, a newly minted 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization, he is developing a forum for local artists, working across all formats, to use as a resource for everything from professional development to networking.

Cash crunch hits cops
An officer who suffered an on-the-job injury hasn’t been able to patrol, village officials say, and two other officers have been scheduled to go on vacation simultaneously this month. A budget crunch, village officials say, has prevented the village from hiring replacements.

Inside the sausage factory
The conservative group has a reputation as a Madigan hater. The institute last year produced a documentary film that portrayed the Chicago Democrat as something of a political dictator.

Slavery in the Land of Lincoln
Blacks were held here as chattel, or in perpetual servitude. They were taxed as property, given as gifts and used in Shawneetown’s salt mines and Galena’s lead mines. They were auctioned to the highest bidder and captured by professional kidnappers who sold them back to the South.

On onions and tears
Reminiscing about aromas reminds me of the time my wife made caramelized onion marmalade with 12 students during a Saturday morning cooking class called “Edible Treats for Holiday Giving.” My supporting role for the cooking classes was to set everything up and check in the 12 students.

Stylish Night is a bythe-numbers exercise
Much like Ron Howard, Ben Affleck is an old school, workman-like director. Give him any script, and he’s likely to come up with a competently made movie. He has no overarching theme that runs throughout his work, he has no distinctive visual style, and while his films have been entertaining, none of them require much in the way of deeper examination.

Pictures of the past
Despite the essential role that these captions play, the authors contend the pictures themselves are the selling point of the book.

PUB CRAWL
Open Mic w/ Roger Wilco and the Starship Troopers.

BAND SPOTLIGHT | Last Call
Filled with years of experience of rocking bars all night long while playing in local bands such as Kicked to the Curb, Zack Fedor and the Backseat Drivers, Piston Broke, Porkpie and the Northend Allstars, Stone and Biscuit Band, Miss Conduct, The...

Bands on the run
It looks like we are on the move again; all the bars and clubs and taverns and wineries are up to snuff and booked to the gills. Not only are the venues jamming, but all kinds of music makers are making it happen, some to the exhilarating extent of three gigs in a weekend.

THE CALENDAR
Jan 18, 7:30pm Wed. High-fl ying, death-defying Broadway musical full of acrobatics, magic and songs from the composer of Wicked. Winner of four 2013 Tony Awards including Best Musical Revival. Tickets. sangamonauditorium.org. Sangamon Auditorium, UIS, 1 University Plaza, 206- 6160.

ART | Artistic little monsters
On Saturday, Jan. 14, bring your little monster to the downtown YMCA for a “Cookies and Canvas”-themed “Kids Night Out” event. Under the guidance of the YMCA’s art staff, kids will paint and draw a monster from their own imagination.

THEATER | A search for passion and adventure
On Wednesday, Jan. 18, treat the family to a performance of Pippin,.

HISTORY | Reflections on local government
In 1987, a U.S. District Court determined that Springfield’s city government was not representative of its citizens. Judge Harold Baker ruled that the city’s at-large system of electing council members diluted the voting power of blacks, which directly violated the Voting Rights Act.