Page 1

The budget process remains broken
How can it be that the most important document of the federal government – remember, the budget is the national blueprint for what we’ll do and how we’ll do it – gets handled in such a distressing, irrational, ineffective, uneconomic and almost nonsensical manner?.

Oh, for a Thucydides of the prairie
In 2013, a too-small audience gathered on the U of I main campus to listen to the first of a series of lectures offered by the Prairie Research Institute, as our state’s scientific surveys are now collectively known. It began like this: “On a bright summer morning more than 50 years ago, my father said, ‘Get in the truck.

Trumpty Dumpty
That’s the image our current Commander in Chief seems to be cultivating. He has surrounded himself with generals, he cavalierly threatens war with all “bad hombres,” he is drastically bulking up military spending, and he imperiously slaps foreign leaders, whole ethnic groups and entire nations with demeaning tweets and public rants.

LETTERS
Some people seem to have their hearts set on creating a second lake, regardless of cost, destruction of historic areas and an old, naturally diverse landscape. But a second lake has been debated, investigated, litigated and pursued in fits and starts for decades.

A good time apparently wasn’t had by all
COWL is a bipartisan organization which raises money every year to “assist mature women who wish to continue their undergraduate education,” according to its website. “The goal of the scholarship is to focus on deserving, qualified women whose educations were interrupted due to family concerns and economic problems,” the group says.

Civil war
The threat came to nothing, but a chance to transcribe nearly 80,000 Lincoln documents in two years, more than have been transcribed in the past 16 years, was scrapped as the project’s ex-director battled his superiors.

Saving seniors from budget cuts
The bill would require that Illinois citizens who are 60 years old or older, have a need for long-term care, have assets of $17,500 or less and are at risk for nursing facility placement are eligible to receive equal access to services under the...

UIS sued
The federal lawsuits filed by Driss El- Akrich, a former IEP interim director, and Jacqueline Tanner, a former instructor, mirror each other. Both plaintiffs say that they suffered discrimination and retaliation when they complained that students from the Middle East and Mexico had suffered discrimination.

Home is where the art is
This past Friday saw two concurrent opening receptions featuring eight artists spread across two galleries on the Springfield Art Association campus in the Enos Park neighborhood. Between the two exhibits, Springfield art appreciators were exposed to innovative work from artists based in Illinois, Iowa, Ohio and California.

THE GAYEST DAY IN CENTRAL ILLINOIS
“I figured if Peoria was ready, Springfield was ready,” said Springfield PrideFest founder Jonna Cooley, offhandedly describing her rationale for starting up the festival celebrating the central Illinois LGBT community, being held for the seventh year on Saturday, May 20.

PrideFest entertainment schedule
The parade will begin at 11 a.m. at the corner of Fifth Street and Allen and proceed north on Fifth Street to Jackson Street..

Runners honor a hero and friend
Organizers from Lincoln Land Community College, the Illinois State Police and Illinois Air National Guard will host the Brian McMillen Memorial Run/Walk Saturday, May 27, at 8 a.m. on the LLCC Campus.

Lincoln’s photographer was unlucky in love
One of the first people to photograph Abraham Lincoln with a beard was Christopher S. German, who set up a daguerreotype studio in Springfield in early 1861. Before President-elect Lincoln left for Washington, he sat for German twice: once on Jan. 13, and once on Feb.

Farmers market inspiration
Spring favorites like strawberries, radishes, asparagus, rhubarb, lettuces, arugula, spinach and herbs will all be on offer for opening weekend. Some vendors may have beets, carrots and peas ready for opening weekend, but those veggies will become more widely available in the next two to three weeks.

Lack of clear direction maroons Covenant
What began as a simple haunted house story set in outer space has become an enigmatic, existential treatise on man’s place in the universe and his origins. Eager to fill their coffers once more with one of their most popular franchises, 20 th Century Fox approached director Ridley Scott to revive the Alien.

Mid-May music making
Thursday comes but once a week, and this one has a once in a lifetime (but seriously, folks … think about it, isn’t everything?) show happening at Bar None. It’s called Black Sheep Cover Show 6.5 and gives you three Springfield bands covering their favorite hit artists, complete with sights, sounds, cacophony and costumes.

PUB CRAWL
Attic Salt, Heel Turn, Starry Nights.

BAND SPOTLIGHT | Chris Antonik
Considered one of Canada’s most acclaimed blues artists since being nominated for the “Best New Artist” award in 2011 at the Maple Blues Awards, guitar-playing and songwriting bluesman Chris Antonik (pronounced “AN-tah-nick,” not “tonic”) is out and about promoting a new record titled Monarch.

THE CALENDAR
FAIRS & FESTIVALS Drinkin’ with Lincoln Spring Street Fest.

FAIRS & FESTIVALS | Awe-inspiring art
The 56 th annual Old Capitol Art Fair will take place in downtown Springfield on Saturday, May 20, and Sunday, May 21. The fair will feature fine art for sale in a wide variety of mediums, created by approximately 160 participating artists from around the country.

BOOKS & AUTHORS | Turtle time
On Saturday, May 20, don your green or best turtle-themed outfit to celebrate World Turtle Day three days early at the Vachel Lindsay Home State Historic Site. Children of all ages are invited to the historic home to hear and learn about Vachel Lindsay’s poem titled “The Little Turtle” and act out the poem using puppets.

CHILDREN’S CORNER | Outdoor family fun
This Saturday, unplug from your phones, iPads, computers, video games, televisions and other electronic devices and celebrate the beginning of summer during this fun outdoor exercise event hosted by the Springfield Park District.