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Statues, Lincoln and football
"Forever Marilyn," her skirt a flutter as in the Seven Year Itch, entices kids of all ages to wander beneath and stave upward in to her metallic crotch.

Community must engage with police
There is a way forward with criminal justice: examine what works, and strengthen it; examine what doesn’t work, and change it. Law enforcement and the community share the responsibility and share the consequences, so they need to work together on this examination, strengthening and change.

Help identify author of death threats
You may have seen a brief news story about it, but several state legislators reported receiving an identical mailer in late April with the headline: “Dead People Can’t Collect Fat Pensions.” The envelopes were postmarked in Champaign, but that’s a central collection point so the letters could’ve been mailed from anywhere in the region.

LETTERS
I remember the very early days of PrideFest in Springfield (“PrideFest draws thousands,” May 23). The LGBTQ community in Springfield is brave, determined and has been a role model to LGBTQ communities throughout the state. Springfield, Bloomington, Decatur and Peoria are proud! Rick Garcia Via illinoistimes.

DOLLAR GENERAL WINS
Let’s say you want to build something but the land isn’t properly zoned. For Dollar General, that hasn’t been a problem for a store at the intersection of 11th and Ash streets, where construction began a month before the city council on May 21 approved a rezone from industrial uses.

PROMENADING
For now, at least, Springfield has given up on a grand promenade leading down Capitol Avenue to the hallowed dome where legislators work their magic.

A big box checked off
Fixing Poplar Place will cost $22 million, according to estimates from the redeveloper, which dubbed the project Livingston Homes in applications for tax credits that would be sold to generate funds for demolishing some structures and renovating others.

Baseball’s salesman
A Chicago White Sox, Chicago Cub and St. Louis Cardinal fan walk into a bar. They cannot agree on very much when it comes to baseball but they share one common belief. The years when Harry Caray was announcing their games were quite exciting. They loved Harry or they hated him, but they always listened.

Autism didn’t stop him
The 22-year-old Hernandez earned his registered nurse (RN) degree this month from the University of Illinois Chicago College of Nursing’s Springfield campus. He was chosen by his fellow students to speak during their pre-graduation pinning ceremony on April 27.

Springfield, the entertainment capital, 1800s-style
Springfield residents are entertained at our various venues: the Hoogland, the Muni Opera and the Legacy Theater. Shows also come to the Bank of Springfield Center, what Bob Hope during a performance there in 1979 called a “gorgeous garage.

Mail order hits and misses
Once upon a time, in the early years of my life, before downloads and streaming, there were record clubs and book clubs. The now-defunct Columbia House Record Club gave me my first opportunity to screw up my credit rating. Seduced by the offer of eight tapes for only a penny (I’m talking eight-tracks here – it was the late 60s.

Brightburn a tepid, missed opportunity
When you have to write stories on a consistent basis for the same character, you’re bound to run out of ideas. After cranking out tales for Batman, Spider-Man and their respective stable of characters for over 20 years, DC Comics and Marvel Comics both ran into this problem and handled it in similar ways.

May into June Music
Sadly, we start this week off with a death in our musical family, as Dave Wright, a lifelong supporter of roots music - and blues in particular - passed away on Sunday, May 26, after a battle with cancer.

LIVE MUSIC
Carly Beth, No Cash Value, Blushe, Jessica Knight, Dexter Anodyne.

BAND SPOTLIGHT | Secret Society ReUnion
Plenty of previously popular local bands have reunited, but it’s hard to imagine a more anticipated and requested reunion than this one from Secret Society.

MUSIC | 47th anniversary concert
In celebration of their years of singing together, Pastor Jerry Jones and The Fantastic Jones Family will perform a 47th anniversary concert at Fresh Visions Community Church, along with gospel vocal group Maurice Yancey and One Accord of Newport News, Virginia.

THE CALENDAR
Fri, 12-11pm Sat, 12- 3pm Sun. Kids area, bags tournament, good food, cold beer and carnival rides..

CHILDREN’S CORNER | Illinois State Museum
A feature of the Illinois State Museum’s summer program is a series of five search activities which will enable families to have a fuller experience of the exhibits in which they are interested. A new search will be available every two weeks throughout the summer.