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Pipes and patronage
Daniel Mills, son of U.S. District Court Judge Richard Mills, lost his license to practice law in 2009, three years after he was walked out of the state’s attorney’s office where he’d worked as an assistant prosecutor The state Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission says he’d been buying cocaine.

Prosecutor fails “A little girl lost”
Bruce Rushton’s meticulously researched and brilliantly written cover story, “A little girl lost,” Dec.

LETTERS
The manure, along with the antibiotics and hormones fed to the pigs, more than 130 pathogens found in manure and potentially MRSA and E.coli, would be stored in a pit similar to the size of a football field and taller than a basketball hoop.

DONUTS. MMMM.
The mayor says the city is coming up with a plan to market Route 66 and preserving the sign is part of that plan, whatever it might be. Our humble suggestion is that the plan involve donuts. Great big, fluffy donuts -- cake, cruller, jelly-filled, we don’t care, so long as they are donuts stuffed with gluten and sugar.

Couple claims discrimination
Alex and Taylor Walker say they were the subject of discrimination at the hands of a Habitat for Humanity store manager in Sullivan, where they said they were ordered out of the store last October after a quick embrace that left no doubt that they were gay.

DON’T FRET
Next week likely will prove a delight for all the senses as Bryan Bowers is scheduled to perform at 7 p.m. on Jan. 10 as part of the Music At The Museum concert series, which brings oft-overlooked acts to the museum on the second Thursday of each month for rock bottom prices.

Movies 2018: Indies thrive, studios stumble
Studios seemed to adhere to proven formulas more so now than at any time before, producing tentpole movies set out to meet audience expectations but eschewing risktaking narratives. One look at the films vying for awards at year end is all the proof you need.

The 10 best film scenes of 2018
Movies are about moments – big moments that erase our cynicism about cinema and remind us of its capacity to dazzle as well as touch us. This happens in a way only possible with a medium that seamlessly combines so many other art forms.

Art Association film series accents variety and artistry
This year’s Molly Schlich Independent and International Film Series – presented each winter by the Springfield Art Association – continues the yearly tradition of bringing the sorts of movies to the city that otherwise are rarely, if ever, screened at our local multiplexes.

The Mule a slight piece of post-modernism
Expert horticulturist Earl Stone (Eastwood) has always put his work before his family. Paying far more attention to his flowers, his ex-wife Mary (Dianne Wiest) and daughter Iris (Alison Eastwood) have completely cut him off. Making matters worse, his business has failed and he suddenly finds himself with nowhere to go.

Winter greens
Generally one thinks of salad as summer fare. Indeed, when the garden is bursting with produce and the tables at the farmers market are laden with rainbow-hued veggies, it’s easy to include them on the dinner table. However, this is the time of year when I simply crave salad.

Music in 2019
I just had to write out “twenty-nineteen” to see if I really believe that it is 2019 and it is here. This is the Year of the Pig in the Chinese zodiac, beginning on Feb. 5. For the Jewish New Year (it’s not until Sept. 29 on Rosh Hashanah), 2019-20 is the Hebrew Year 5780, if you want to take that route in counting time.

PUB CRAWL
Bluesmattic with Creek Walker, Ryman’s Way.

BAND SPOTLIGHT | Adam Maletich
Interested in and exposed to live music since he was young, Springfield native Adam Maletich steered things to another level by studying guitar and piano at Millikin University in Decatur, graduating in 2012.

Women leaders in the digital world
The book can be overwhelming in the terms and explanations that are likely foreign to those not versed in digital media. But that makes the book all the more interesting. There is no end to learning about innovative technologies as well as the possibilities and triumphs these women accomplished.

THE CALENDAR
Music at the Museum: Bryan Bowers.

CHILDREN’S CORNER | Crafts and activities for families
On Saturday, Jan. 5, join the Illinois State Museum for a “Super Saturday” event focused on collections. From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., children ages 5+ and their families are invited to participate in thematic crafts and activities that will educate attendees on the ways in which collections can be sorted and maintained at home and in museums.

FILM | A monthly cinematic surprise
Cinephiles are invited to take in The Legacy Theatre’s “Mystery Movie Mondays” beginning Jan. 7 and running on the first Monday of each month through May.