Page 1

Gun and hoses
Is that a crime? Sherman police thought so when they arrested Chad Bates, a battalion chief with the Springfield Fire Department, after he reportedly cussed at a cop in his neighborhood, then went home. The handcuffs came out when the cop went to Bates’ house and asked about his intentions.

Money to burn
It also could have been better, according to studies commissioned by the Sierra Club and the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce.

Trump’s border policies undermine our democracy
This river, one of the longest in the U.S., forms the entire Texas-Mexico border, meandering south and east 1,250 miles from our far-west desert city of El Paso to the semi-tropical tip of my state.

LETTERS
HOMELESS SOLUTION In the recent City Council debate on closing the Lincoln Library grounds at night, opponents argued it was wrong to kick the homeless out of a place they felt safe without giving them another safe place to go. (“Homeless have nowhere else,” Bruce Rushton, Illinois Times,.

Dems hope to stop Madison County’s slide to GOP
The area is heavily industrialized with the Wood River Refinery towering over everything. And the gorgeous and gleaming white county courthouse in Edwardsville reflects the wealth that trial lawyers, particularly in the asbestos field, have brought to (and extracted from) the area.

Springfield High students to study abroad
Three Springfield High School students are about to embark on a one-year experience that will have a lifelong impact. Mandy Lynn, Maia Ojugbele and Yasmin Martinez-Powell are Rotary Youth Exchange students who will soon leave behind the familiar to study abroad for the coming school year.

THE DYNAMIC DUO
We fi gured that landing a gig wouldn’t be much trouble for Jimenez, who announced last year that she’s had her fi ll of the General Assembly (and who could blame her). She’s done it all, from pioneering the job of chief of staff for Diana Rauner, a position that hadn’t existed before, to serving as a trustee for the Springfi eld Park District.

“ART MEETS WRITING” AT SAA COLLECTIVE
The artwork was selected by a panel of judges from over 300 submissions. “We had an overwhelming response from visual artists looking to be included in the exhibition. This concept was very attractive,” said SAA Collective gallery director Corrin McWhirter.

Interiority gets exteriorized at UIS Gallery
A smiley-face pin balanced on a wallmounted thermostat; an infant’s onesie reflected in an antique mirror; an offi ce lamp propping open a window shade.

Flying blind
It would be a stretch to attribute the demise of commuter airlines to the final journey of Air Illinois Flight 710. There were greater forces at play than a plane that went down in a pasture near Pinckneyville.

In love with Shakespeare
For 40 summers, the Illinois Shakespeare Festival, part of Illinois State University’s College of Fine Arts, has presented professional theatrical productions in the idyllic setting of Bloomington’s Ewing Manor Cultural Center. This season’s offerings consist of the Bard’s historical drama Henry V.

Lamb 101
Sunday dinner at my wife’s grandmother’s house, on the other hand, was always like a scaled-down version of Thanksgiving. At the center of the meal would be a roast of some sort, surrounded by a big bowl of seasonal salad, multiple vegetable dishes, potatoes, gravy and rolls.

Overbearing McKinnon, bland script sink Spy
Some performers have a tendency to want to dominate whatever production they’re in. A good director knows that actors such as this need to be kept in check, lest the spotlight constantly falls on them at the expense of the rest of the cast and the story.

August-ing music
This weekend Decatur is hosting their fabulously famous “Celebration” from Friday through Sunday. It all happens in the downtown area with eight show stages, a carnival, arts-and-crafts booths, gobs of food and drinks, plus plenty of vendors with various sundries to peruse during their 33rd annual event.

PUB CRAWL
Micah Walk Band with Arlin Peebles and Erin Darnell.

BAND SPOTLIGHT | Kim Richey
Kim Richey is, by all standards, a gifted singer and songwriter who carries herself with the presence of the artist supreme. Her life has been one of singular commitment to song but without pretension or demand, only a desire to make music that matters, whether it matters to anyone else or not.

THEATER | A hard-knock life
The Muni kicks off their fourth and final show of the 2018 season with Annie,.

THE CALENDAR
Featuring bands, food vendors, a parade, car show, 3-on-3 basketball tournament and more. blackswhitesandbluesfestival. org. 11th Street between South Grand Avenue and Kansas Street..

FESTIVALS | A celebration of community
Celebrate the residents of Springfield and neighboring communities during the second annual Blacks, Whites and Blues Festival. The two-day event will feature family activities, health education, live music, food, drinks, entertainment and more.

CHILDREN’S CORNER | Learning is fun
Elementary and middle-school age children are invited to ease back into education with complimentary back-to-school activities for children at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library on Saturday, Aug. 4 from 10 a.m. to noon.