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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

4th and Monroe with Trina Stremstefer.

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.

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..

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.

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.