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Municipal bands, a summer favorite
Across Illinois and the nation, musicians in communities large and small keep the tunes playing for a devoted following, spending their precious time and using their own instruments on warm nights throughout the season. Mostly it’s for the love of it..

More floppies in a shoebox
Having found itself unable to solve the state’s big problems, legislators the other day took up a small one – the agreement to spend $2.4 million over five years for space in a converted furniture store in which to store records of the Department of Human Services.

Will you enlist in Trump’s war?
But, he says – alas – some unspecified foot problem (or something or the other) kept him from the privilege of actually getting to go fight in that war. Bad luck, I’m sure. But now that The Donald is the commander in chief, his inner warrior has been given a second chance to bloom, and this time he’s fully enlisted.

LETTERS
MISSING PUZZLES, ADVICE I enjoy your publication. Having said that, I’m extremely disappointed your three puzzles (Crossword, JoshJosh, Sudoku) and the “Advice Goddess” column were missing from the June 8 edition. These are usually placed on the inside of the last page of every issue for at least the last year or so.

An irresistible force vs. an immovable object
Rauner will never again get another “opportunity” like this one. The Democrats have historically protected Chicago and the city needs more help now than ever before. Going after the city is, by far, Rauner’s “best” leverage to force the Democrats to cut a deal with him.

Trump slashes budget for museums and libraries
Medicaid, education, the environment and social services are some of the high-profile issues affected by the Trump FY 2018 budget proposal. There are many additional impacts on small federal agencies, including the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).

Calvin Christian back in court on federal charges
Christian is charged in U.S. District Court in Springfield for a dozen alleged felonies in Sangamon and Morgan counties, but federal prosecutors say that Christian also has been crossing state lines to defraud merchants with bogus credit cards.

Telling Trump the importance of truth
Without hesitation, David Barnett, a Trump supporter and developer from New Berlin, explained his view of the social and political dissension within the country. “It’s difficult to find the truth these days,” he said. “Everybody’s got an axe to grind.”.

Lincoln papers melodrama plays on
A Zeutschel planetary capture system is a fancy term for a scanner, the kind that’s used to convert paper to pixels. No offense to Xerox or Samsung, but this is no ordinary copying machine.

Smart talk on the radio
I believe that Illinois is a lot more connected than people portray it to be,” said Niala Boodhoo, host of the daily NPR talk show “The 21 st ” which airs live Monday through Friday at 11 a.m. on Springfield’s NPR Illinois as well as in DeKalb, Peoria, Bloomington and Urbana.

Easy as pie
The saddest part about this is that most folks today clearly have no idea what good pie tastes like. We’ve become so detached from the original that we’ve come to accept and even enjoy these gritty, tasteless wedges that are put before us just because they’re sweet and huge and pretty.

A courtroom thriller to make you think
John Grisham, who has shared many podiums with Turow on the subject of capital punishment, writes in a frenetic style. His characters sometimes face danger around every corner and often seem more like James Bond than Perry Mason. Grisham can also be a little angrier in his books and often makes his personal views on legal issues the focus.

Weisz captivating in My Cousin Rachel
As a warning, I suggest you not be late, as a great deal of vital exposition is dispensed within the first five minutes. A young orphan named Philip (Louis Suc) is taken in by his much older cousin Ambrose and raised with love on his landed estate.

PUB CRAWL
Captain Geech and the Shrimp Shack Shooters.

BAND SPOTLIGHT | Greg Finger Band
Growing up in the suburbs of Cincinnati, a young Greg Finger became fascinated by the sounds he created on an old, out-of-tune upright piano his parents purchased for him while he was still in grade school. The possibilities contained in the mysteries of music-making drove him to learn different instruments and dream of what could be.

Fair music and more
Here we go with the annual Sangamon County Fair entertainment plus many more doings around our fair city. Need I remind you that your job is, yet again, a difficult task when it comes down to deciding how to spend your precious time by choosing what live music event to drag your lovely self to see.

SPORTS & RECREATION | Step into the 1860s
Step back in time on Saturday, June 17, and take in an afternoon of America’s pastime in accordance with 1860s rules and uniforms. The Vintage Baseball Festival will begin at noon and features three old-school baseball games played by three local teams.

THE CALENDAR
PresidentLincoln.illinois.gov. 558-8844. Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum, 212 N. Sixth St., 782-5764..

FAIRS & FESTIVALS | Fair pricing for all
The Sangamon County Fair has made some exciting pricing changes for the 2017 season. General fair admission has been lowered, and will cost $10 on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and $5 on Sunday. Admission is free to patrons ages 3 and under every day.