Page 1

Planting seeds
Teaching, it has been said, is like cultivating a garden. Some teachers believe that cultivating a garden is a form of teaching. The kids at Butler Elementary have been growing and harvesting heirloom seeds, specifically, seeds of the squash variety carried to Illinois in the 1830s that has been the basis of successful commercial hybrids.

See Jesus in transgender people
Providing nothing to support his claim, Bishop Paprocki asserted that there is “no physical basis for a person claiming to be transgender,” ignoring multiple studies indicating a biological basis for transgender identity due to physical differences in the brain.

What to do about a mentally ill president?
I’m no doctor, but you don’t need a doctorate in mental disorders to see that his behavior in public and on Twitter is beyond abnormal – it’s psychotic.

LETTERS
SAY NO TO SANCTUARY STATES James Krohe’s March 2 column, “Absolutely ridiculous,” was exactly that. He made the laughable claim that “Immigrants, authorized and otherwise, are less likely to commit crimes than people born in the U.S., and crime rates tend to go down, not up, in places with lots of immigrants.

Huge power grab or major legal stretch?
If Attorney General Lisa Madigan succeeds in convincing the Illinois Supreme Court to consider ordering the state to stop paying employees without an appropriation and the governor’s legal team uses the same arguments as it did in St. Clair County, we could be in for a highly unusual argument.

Working on women’s issues
Maryam Mostoufi, from the Islamic Society of Greater Springfield, a nonprofit Islamic organization, began her speech chanting the chorus of Helen Reddy’s “I am Woman,” which she said reminded her of her role models: her grandmother and great-grandmother.

LINCOLN LAND HALLELUJAH
A chamber music recital featuring The Brickhouse Brass and The Blackwater Strings will be taking place on Sunday, March 19, at 4 p.m., as part of the Lincoln Land Community College Recital Series.

LOVE AND FURNITURE
A program aimed at helping single mothers out of poverty by hiring them to refurbish furniture will celebrate its one-year anniversary by holding a sale on Saturday, March 25. Named “Wooden it be Lovely,” the program was founded by Rev. Margaret Ann Jessup and is described as an “innovative ministry designed to help lowincome women in transition.

Keeping it light
Springfield’s independent contemporary gallery known as DEMO Project is heading into its final year. The small building on the Springfield Art Association campus is expected to meet its long-ordained demolition in either the spring or summer of 2018, in order to make way for new SAA facilities.

Radical theater pushes boundaries
Self-described by founder and director Alex Martin as “DIY rogue theater,” Springfield’s Absurdist People’s Theater Troupe would like nothing more than to shake things up in Springfield. “I went to Blackburn College and did theater for four years,” Martin said.

The proud history of St. Pat’s Parade
Last Saturday, March 11, thousands of greenclad parade watchers of all ages gathered in downtown Springfield at the “Craic O’ Noon” to experience the St. Patrick’s Day Marching Band Parade.

Holiday muscle dish
Indeed, mussels are a common meal on that rocky emerald isle in the Atlantic Ocean. Moreover, they are delicious, sustainable and easy to prepare, making them a delightful alternative to the typical American St. Paddy’s Day bacchanalia of green beer, frightening leprechauns and corned beef hash.

Kong: Skull Island an epic monster mash
However, satellites (circa 1974) have discovered it, with pictures of it falling into the hands of Bill Randa (John Goodman), employee of the Monarch Corporation, which specializes in tracking down massive creatures that scientist Houston Brooks (Corey Hawkins) theorizes live beneath the earth.

Music in March
In the aftermath of the St. Patty’s Day parade onslaught of live music all over town, I’m reminded of the real power of music to entertain and excite. Every time I think of all who are involved in getting people going and adding to the enjoyment of life, I am proud to be a working musician.

BAND SPOTLIGHT | Lyman Ellerman and the Cause
Whenever Lyman Ellerman returns to the home turf from his songwriter life in Nashville, Tennessee, be prepared for a full onslaught of original Southern rock tunes done Ellerman-style with an attitude that just won’t quit.

PUB CRAWL
Captain Geech and the Shrimp Shack Shooters.

LECTURES | Treatment over punishment
Join the University of Illinois at Springfield on Tuesday, March 21, for a presentation by Major Neill Franklin, a law enforcement advocate for a more compassionate to approach to the war on drugs.

THE CALENDAR
Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra and Chorale.

ART | Crafting fun for the family
Treat yourself to a craft day in the village of Elkhart on Saturday, March 18. The second annual crafting event is hosted by three locally owned and operated businesses in the heart of downtown Elkhart: Horsefeathers, Birdsong Books and Vintage and The Country Bumpkin.

DANCE | A fusion of film, dance and music
Experience the film, dance and music of Bollywood on Sunday during Taj Express: The Bollywood Musical Revue,.