This will be the first time that Springfield will host the Illinois Mission of Mercy, which has been held every other year since 2010. Since the inaugural event in Bloomington, thousands of folks have gotten fillings, partial dentures, cleanings, extractions and other procedures at no cost.

As I thought of my grandson I have been in tears watching the pictures this week of children who were forcibly taken from their mothers and fathers to comply with this president’s policies and orders. They have reportedly been sent to remote detention centers across the country.

While Republicans are a wholly-owned corporate subsidiary, unabashedly dedicated to the narrow interests of the moneyed elites, the Dems’ congressional elders, key party officials, entrenched consultants and corporate funders continue to push bland,...

STOP ‘BEAT THE TRAIN’ Great article on the railroad sidewalk fencing (“Don’t fence me in,” by Bruce Rushton, June 21). I too drive through that intersection every day on my way home.

Isn’t that a job for James Cornelius, curator of the Lincoln collection at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum? In fact, yes – Cornelius typically has been the one who trots out The Hat and other artifacts to reporters, prospective...

Since 2014, Springfield-based multipleplatform entertainment conglomerate HISO Music has been building its business steadily, to the point where it has started to feel growing pains. Now the company is preparing to open a new, self-contained complex at 1401 S.

Seven photographs of Monroe with Carl Sandburg collectively brought $15,000. A Sandburg bust proved exactly that and remains the property of the foundation, having failed to attract a required minimum bid during the weekend auction held at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Sin City.

Restoration of the Governor’s Mansion is wrapping up for a grand opening in July. The mansion is the third-oldest continuously occupied executive mansion in the United States and has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1976. It has a rich history, in its occupants and frequent restorations.

Daily tours are planned, and a new visitor center will include exhibits. “This will be a living museum, and we plan to share the stories of the children such as Florence Fifer, who rode her horse into the house, or Richard Yates, Jr., who saw his father guide the state as governor, and later became governor himself,” Blandford said.

Most of us are creatures of habit, and it’s easy to fall into the rut of eating at a handful of our favorite restaurants. Events such as 217 Food Week are a good reminder that there may be local places that you’ve never even tried.

Your money supports your community.

• Shopping American-made is something most people prefer to do. According to a recent Consumer Reports survey, more than 60 percent say they will pay up to 10 percent more for the privilege..

Alton is a curiosity-seeker’s paradise. Where else can you celebrate the 100 th birthday of the world’s tallest man, pay homage to an anti-slavery and press freedom martyr, marvel at antique torture devices and possibly commune with ghosts, only 85 miles from Springfield?.

A vibrant and fanciful painting of Carolina parakeets is juxtaposed with a taxidermy mount of this once prolific bird that was hunted to extinction. An original John Deere steel plow appears so simple, yet it broke the prairie soil and transformed agriculture.

As I write this, I’ve just come in from the garden, and it’s so hot outside that by 10 a.m. the morning sun was beating down, and even in the shade, sweat was freely running into my eyes. I’d started garden chores early in the day, knowing that by lunchtime I wanted to be inside and away from the blazing early summer heat.

Josh Brolin and his swagger return as agent Matt Garver, and he’s been given carte blanche to cripple the Mexican drug cartels by any means necessary.

Friday sets things off in a good direction when the Fabulous Hoedads show up at the VFW Stockyards on Sangamon Avenue and the Stone Cold Cowboys ride into the sunset at Weebles on Peoria Road.

This Austin-based guitarist, songwriter and singer gets welcomed and warranted comparisons to the late, great Stevie Ray Vaughan and combines other flavors of electric Texas-blues players as well, including shades of the also late and great Johnny Winter to create his very own sound.

Open Mic with Sam and Kortney.

When it comes to getting the most bang for your buck, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a more extensive small-town festival than Assumption Fest.

Theater & Comedy Anybody’s Story: 200 Years of Illinoisans and Their Stuff.

Catch the final weekend of The Muni’s stage adaptation of Sister Act,.

Don’t miss Beatles vs Stones,.