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Should township merge with the city?
For years people have talked about the inefficiency and absurdity of two different governments serving the same geographical area, like the City of Springfield and Capital Township. But no legal mechanism existed to abolish the township or merge it into the city.

ERA in the Statehouse, then and now
When I realized how many years had passed, I was ashamed of my state. How could blue Illinois, surrounded by a red sea in the 2016 election, have taken all this time to pass what seems so basic? How could Illinois not have approved the same rights...

A Wall Street sin tax
Unbeknownst to most people, the dominant investment banks today have been converted into casinos. Rather than amalgamating capital to finance the real economy, the bulk of Wall Street transactions are purely speculative – such as gaming foreign...

LETTERS
DOUBLE-STANDARD GAME Wind a conservative up and they’ll go off looking for a “single-edged double standard” that is being used against them. It’s very effective. The latest is the flap over a comedian calling Trump’s daughter a bitch. Big, big DS cons are crying.

Let this one play itself out
Let’s start with her alleged $170 million “bribery” scheme by a medical marijuana company, which Loncar claimed she helped expose. She claimed her “meddling” caused Rep. Lang to retaliate against her. This is not a new allegation. Loncar emailed me in 2015 to allege a $168 million “pay-to-play” scheme involving the company.

TUCK-POINTING MADE EASY
“I had wanted somebody to tuckpoint just the front part of my house and they wanted $8,000 for it,” said Denny. However, when he attempted to apply the cement himself, he found it more diffi cult than expected. “It felt like it was going to take me a month!” A light bulb soon went on over his head.

Party like it’s (Vachel Lindsay’s version of) 2018
During the course of the evening, Lindsay’s poetry will be recited by Job Conger and a performance art piece by Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum actor Ted Keylon will culminate with the spectacle of a golden ball descending from The...

TITANS OF BUSINESS
The event will feature products and services offered by kids chosen from 168 schools in nearly 40 rural towns and communities throughout the region, the organization says.

Storage wars
The stars of the show are two interment books from Oak Ridge Cemetery that contain burial records of Abraham Lincoln and kin. The city recently paid $30,000 to restore the crumbling books.

BACK TO THE BACKLOG
A sense of relief returned to Illinois government last week. For the first time in years, lawmakers agreed to a budget by their May 31 deadline, and they did it with little partisan acrimony. But larger problems still loom.

Our favorite Thai topper
I have been very fond of the Magic Kitchen’s tiny fried eggrolls and accompanying peanut sauce as long as I have lived in Springfield. In fact, I am so much in love that I never share my order. I want a whole order myself and any of my dining companions who want eggrolls need to order their own.

Lake Rumble, Dumb Fest and Moore
There’s a newly-minted happening occurring around Lake Springfield this summer called “Rumble around the Lake.” Created and hosted by the Lake Council Organization, a group representing private clubs based on the lake, the whole shebang goes for nine weeks from 6 to 9 every Thursday evening.

Poignant Adrift a personal survival story
I think the reason we like fact-based survival movies is that we can’t help but put ourselves in the place of whatever poor soul it is we see on screen and ask, “Would I be able to do that?” Whether sewing up a gaping wound, going prolonged periods...

PUB CRAWL
Jordan Collins, Kate Laine, Arlin Peebles, Ben Bedford, Erin Darnell.

BAND SPOTLIGHT | John Byrne Band
Originally from Dublin, Ireland, this highly-regarded American-Celtic folk musician spent his formative years in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and his career spans both areas.

THE CALENDAR
Rees International Carillon Festival.

BOOKS & AUTHORS | Adolescent Abraham
On Saturday, June 9, visit Lincoln’s New Salem State Historic Site to attend a book signing in celebration of Young Lincoln,.

DANCE | A colorful children’s ballet
Don’t miss the Springfield Youth Performance Group’s production of Alice in Wonderland on Saturday, June 9 at the Hoogland Center for the Arts. The engaging and energetic ballet will feature new choreography by SYPG artistic director Caitlin Helton Scherer plus more than 55 local, young performers.

CHILDREN’S CORNER | Art and activities in the garden
In 2016, Our Vibrant Community and genHkids teamed up to design a community garden mural to compliment the community garden located on the west side of the Gus and Flora Kerasotes YMCA.