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Poor outcomes
On average, nothing so reliably predicts how well a kid will do in school than his family’s household income. The importance of poverty as an aspect of school performance was underlined by a recent study done by the Urban Education Leadership Program at the University of Illinois Chicago.

Charlottesville and common-sense gun solutions
My son points the stick like he’s just back from the shooting range. “Pow,” he says, a mischievous glint in his eye. He already knows the family policy his older brother rattles off ambivalently: no gun play. I know what I’ve done, ushering in the romance of taboo, leaving unsatiated that great boy-hunger to play cops and robbers.

Why so many Americans hate Trump’s tax reform
Sam Rayburn of Texas, who was a legendary Speaker of the U.S. House in the 1940s and ’50s, offered this piece of ethical advice for lawmakers who were conflicted over whether to vote for the people or the lobbyists: “Every now and then, a politician ought to do something just because it’s right.

LETTERS
COLORADO’S CANNABIS CONUNDRUM While Big Marijuana pours millions into Illinois to legalize marijuana, leftist lawmakers, giddy about a tiny new revenue source to aid their insatiable spending, ignore the unmistakable damage legalization is causing in Colorado.

A matter of trusts
And then last week, Pritzker released only the first two pages of his income tax returns going back three years. Pritzker told reporters for weeks that he hadn’t released the returns sooner because the task was so “complex.” Um, two pages ain’t “complex.

THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING
even, procrastinated for no good reason. And when the piper needs paying, the fortunate among us can simply pony up and pay fi nes for overdue materials from Lincoln Library. A lot of folks cannot, and so they are on the blacklist, barred from checking out library materials until their debt is paid.

PRESERVATIONIST PELL
chair Chuck Pell has received the 2017 Illinois Commission Excellence Award in Leadership from the Illinois Association of Historic Preservation Commissions. “It is extremely gratifying to be recognized by our peers from across the state,” said Pell, a Springfi eld architect.

Artists in motion
Last weekend, the Pharmacy Gallery and Art Space presented “Blur,” its most recent show featuring work by its member artists.

City officials sued over coal contract
A Springfield couple is suing Mayor Jim Langfelder, corporation counsel Jim Zerkle and two City Water, Light and Power officials, saying they wrongly convinced the city council to approve a 2016 coal contract that is costing ratepayers $5 million a year more than it should.

Persistent resistance
One month into the second year of Donald Trump’s presidency, resistance efforts in response to various policies of his administration have shown no sign of slowing.

Money for nothing
Just two of 10 road projects for which the city has obtained either money or letters of credit from developers since 2000 have been completed. And the city paid the lion’s share of the two projects that have been finished to help handle traffic generated by development on the city’s west side.

Jacksonville has a lot going on
“I would say it started in the 1970s. It was in the early 1980s when I started doing it, then it slowly progressed, and all of a sudden the other bars recognized the fact and started doing it too,” said Danny Kindred, the owner of Don’s Place in downtown Jacksonville.

Hometown artist
Bill is a native of Springfield and has earned a reputation as an outstanding artist. People easily recognize Bill, often seeing him sketching at a site in Springfield, creating his drawings of a building, a street corner or an entire block. Every year since 1979 he has sold his art at a booth at the Old State Capitol Art Fair.

Illinois books make the season bright
Books with an Illinois or Springfield connection make great holiday gifts, whether you’re looking for something for children, photographers, cooks, Lincoln buffs or sports enthusiasts. There are books that inspire, instruct and inform. There are ones that tell a story, and ones that take you on a trip back in time.

Gifts to remember
It isn’t always about what you receive or how much money was spent, but about the memories attached to a gift that sometimes ranks it up there with gifts to remember. As the holidays approach it is fun to think back about what gifts might have made a lasting impression, and what gifts we can give that may become memory makers.

Roast chicken like the royals
The news last week of Prince Harry’s engagement to Meghan Markle was a welcome break in a typically tenuous news cycle. During the interview in which they officially announced their engagement, the couple, clearly smitten with one another, described the culmination of their courtship as a cozy evening at home in their cottage, “just roasting chicken.

Franco’s Disaster a tribute to the artist in us all
There’s no question that Tommy Wiseau is a passionate “artist.” It’s not everyone who can say they financed, wrote, directed and starred in their own $6 million movie. There’s also no question that the man is delusional, or, at the very least, sees the world and his role in it through a very unique perspective.

Music is in season
On Friday at Craft Beer Bar, the friends, fans and family of John Brillhart gather to celebrate his life in song and music. Starting at 7 with Jay and Kimberly Larson, then moving on to Deep Lunar Blue, Tom Beverly and Square of the Roots, the night closes with the Downhomies, the musicians that most recently backed John.

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

BAND SPOTLIGHT | Textbook
Based out of Chicago, this quartet of possible punks (the musical kind) formed in 1998 using “’90s alternative and ’80s punk with a dash of midwestern roots-rock” to create a modern, American rock band worthy of the title.

THE CALENDAR
Learn stretches, breathing and postures you can do for challenges such as anxiety, feeling stuck, being overwhelmed, feeling helpless, low energy, emotionally numb and more. $25. amydenney. com. 801-7464. Peace Lutheran Church, 2800 W. Jefferson St., 546-7646.

HOLIDAY HAPPENINGSS | 43 years of Clara and her Nutcracker
http://sangamonauditorium.org.

HOLIDAY HAPPENINGSS | Merry and mischief
through Dec. 20. The walks offer local shopping at downtown’s charming brick-and-mortar stores, pop-up shops and restaurants, plus seasonal activities and attractions for all ages.