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A Texas tale
The talk show personality with bluster – he’s called Barack Obama a racist and said that relatives of 9/11 victims complain too much –has been laying off staff at his Texas-based production company in recent years. Revenue, Beck has said, isn’t what it used to be.

Big job ahead for deputy governors
Pritzker’s deputy governors are each overseeing a block of related state agencies and departments and track their progress on goals that the governor wants those entities to meet. They’ll also ensure that the agency and department directors are all cooperating with each other whenever and wherever needed.

LETTERS
ELECTRONIC MONITORING IS A BARRIER In honoring the legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., I am grateful that the civil rights movement led to the dismantling of segregation and discrimination against people of color.

SECRETARY SUSPENDED
Benton told police she made sexual contact with a 17-yearold student who attended the school in February or March of 2018. The now 18-year-old victim confirmed the encounter.

A past worth remembering
Racial tensions hit a low point in Springfield’s history in mid-August of 1908. Provoked by a claim of rape that was eventually recanted two weeks later, a mob of white men burned down black-owned homes and businesses after learning the man accused of rape had been driven out of town in a vehicle owned by a white restaurant owner.

WE WON
We fi rst requested settlements back in 2015. The state Department of Corrections, however, didn’t have them. Rather, the settlements were made and held by Wexford Health Sources, the company that holds the contract to provide medical care to inmates.

THINK TANK SOLUTIONS
To no one’s surprise, IPI says Gov. JB Pritzker’s idea of making the state’s income tax progressive is the wrong way to go. “States with a progressive tax see disparities between the wealthy and the poor increasing, rather than shrinking. Their economies, jobs and wages grow slower than in the 17 states without a progressive tax.

Law takes aim at firearm sales
Cullerton removed the hold just days before the incoming Democratic governor took office, denying Gov. Bruce Rauner the opportunity to veto it as he had previously done on a similar piece of legislation. While on the campaign trail, Pritzker pledged to sign the bill if it were to reach his desk.

All in the family
A nephew who worked a $10-per-hour temporary job at the public works department in the summer of 2017 is no longer on the city payroll, nor is Travis Hamlin, a former budget analyst with the city’s Office of Budget and Management who is the mayor’s nephew-in-law.

Healthy habits start early
It’s never too late to adopt better eating habits and experiment with natural, fresh and whole foods. Avoiding processed foods and added sugar are keys to eating a more nutritious diet. People of all ages can benefit by eating more vegetables and unprocessed foods.

Staying active in winter
My second child was born late last summer, and when an early autumn snow fell we proceeded to burrow down in our little house like a family of cozy squirrels. The holidays came and went, but I could still be found snuggled up with the baby on the couch, munching away on sweets.

Preventing youth sports injuries
Athletic activity in youth offers many benefits, including the development of fitness, motor skills and social skills, as well as learning structure and teamwork, and fostering a lifelong appreciation for physical activity.

Making exercise fun
Many of us make a list of New Year’s resolutions that may or may not be attainable, and all too often people vow to go to the gym or lose weight, both of which are rather vague. According to the Fitness Industry Association, most of the gym members who sign up in January have quit or stopped going to the gym after six months.

How I got my groove back
Some people figure out how to be Superman, but they don’t know how to be Clark Kent. That could be said about the singer that excels on the stage but has no clue how to have a personal life or real conversation.

Reaching too far?
The English poet and playwright Robert Browning wrote: “Ah, but a man’s reach should exceed his grasp. Or what’s a heaven for?” This phrase has been cycling around in my head these past few days.

Glass: A frustrating, intriguing failure
Comic book enthusiasts are very defensive of their favorite medium. They contend there’s much more to the superhero stories they love so much, and they’ll go to great lengths to explain this to you in detail if you have the patience to listen to them.

Giving and jiving in January
The frigid temps last Sunday (yes, it was “f-ing” cold out, and, ahem, that stands for “freezing”) did not cool down the warm reception given to the WhirlWind 2018 event organized to raise funds for the victims of the tornado damage done in Taylorville this past December.

LIVE MUSIC
4th and Monroe with Trina Stremstefer.

BAND SPOTLIGHT | Brushville
When they came out of the pack of new area bands like a supercharged rocket on fire some five years ago, this group of talented musicians became one of the hottest acts around.

THE CALENDAR
Moore with special guest Riley Green live at the BOS Center. Tickets are $27.75- $47.75 and are available at the BOS Center box office, by phone at 800-745-3000 or online at ticketmaster.com. Bank of Springfield Center, 1 Convention Center Plaza..

MUSIC | A night at the symphony
The Illinois Symphony Orchestra’s “Nordic Nights” will feature clarinetist John Bruce Yeh. Yeh was the first Asian musician appointed to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) and its longest-serving clarinetist. He joined the CSO in 1977 and was named assistant principal and solo E-flat clarinet and served as acting principal clarinet from 2008-2011.

ART & ARCHITECTURE | Inhabited at the SAA Collective
Inhabited, an exhibit at the Springfield Art Association’s Collective gallery, features the works of Skyler McGee, Rick Larimore and Kate Worman-Becker. Using diverse techniques and drawing inspiration from the world around them, these artists use the natural world to bind together the spaces we inhabit.