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Business as usual
In 2015, in a rare lucid moment (see “A place for business to live,” Aug. 6, 2015), I suggested that Mayor Jim Langfelder’s just unveiled economic development commission include not only the usual businesspeople and pols but labor economists,...

If you want to change things
One of the gifts of living in a representative democracy is that voting is only one of the rights it confers. For ordinary people who want to make change – who in some way want to alter their neighborhood or town or state or even the nation – the promise exists that by dint of their own efforts they can do so.

Why does Amazon get corporate welfare?
No one has imagined corporate domination more expansively nor pushed it harder or further than Jeffery Preston Bezos, and his Amazon stands today as the most advanced and the most ambitious model of a future under oligarchic control, including control of markets, work, information, consumerism, media and beyond.

LETTERS
In light of the recent complaints or accusations against some people in the Illinois legislature, I was shocked to learn that the so-called Illinois Legislative Ethics Commission is composed of eight lawmakers themselves.

‘It’s hard to see a path’ for Ives’ success
The ultra-conservative firebrand now says she has stopped passing re-election petitions. But if a recent poll is any indication, Rep. Ives might want to keep her House re-election bid alive because the state’s Republican Party may not be nearly as divided as some GOP politicians have been claiming it is.

The little museum that could
After nearly three years as a Union soldier, Dickerson had been through several battles, but the most disturbing thing he’d seen during the Civil War was a skeleton hanging from a tree, he wrote in a letter to relatives during the Atlanta Campaign. There was Confederate money in the dead man’s pockets.

Stair climbing duo
Stair racing, also known as tower running, is their sport. They travel all over the United States for races. They’ve marked themselves as the Springfield Duo, and many times they come in first and second. In their elite category, usually around 20 people run and Purcell and Osborn start first because they are much faster than the others.

Killer gets 38 years
The tragedy began when a car Brown was riding in struck Rice’s parked car at the intersection of South 19 th and East Kansas streets, causing minor damage. It ended with Brown firing 19 shots, six of which struck Rice, who had been living in Minneapolis but grew up in Springfield.

Mayor trumpets anti-hate measure
In California, the mayor of Salinas, along with the United Farm Workers and immigrant groups, opposed a welcoming city resolution that passed the city council last summer.

Sluggish market for high-end houses
Uncertainty over the state’s fiscal situation, fueled by Illinois’ record-setting budget battle and huge backlog of unpaid bills, is having a noticeable impact on the sale of high-end homes in the area.

Avoid the mess that is Suburbicon
I have come to realize what many of my friends and relatives have known for years – I’m not the smartest guy in the world.

What on earth is a Dutch Baby?
What I was served instead was a scrumptious savory pancake the size of a dinner plate, riddled with bits of crisp bacon and topped with melted Gouda cheese. It was terribly delicious and quite filling. Just as I was beginning to wonder if I’d be able to finish it all, he jumped up and asked if I’d like another, perhaps a sweet one?.

Greek blues come to Springfield
Vocalist Pavlos Vasileiou has been performing in Athens, Greece, as leader of the band Rebitiki Istoria for 35 years.

November on the move
For me personally, early-to-mid November is filled with memories of loved ones lost, including a grandmother, father, brotherin-law and best music-playing pal. Now we add the name of John Brillhart, a good, caring and longtime friend, an excellent singer-songwriter and passionate curator of Americana roots music, to the list of dearly departed.

BAND SPOTLIGHT | GirlBilly
Back in 2013, when Corey Wagar (vocals) and Tori Allen (fiddle, vocals) first got together, their fire burned for success in the music business.

PUB CRAWL
Find more details and gigs in our online calendar at.

THE CALENDAR
Largest holistic festival in the tri-state region. Fifty-plus vendors, complimentary lectures and more. $5 admission. midwestholisticfest.com. Illinois State Fairgrounds Illinois Building, 801 Sangamon Ave., 782-6661..

THEATER & COMEDY | A story within a story
Don’t miss Brooklyn The Musical,.

LECTURES & MEETINGS | Protecting bees
On Wednesday, Nov. 15, attend a presentation by natural history and conservation photographer Clay Bolt that features images and stories about the rusty-patched bumble bee and other native North American bees.