Tweet this
I say this after a recent Twitter spat that, apparently, happens a fair amount these days, the sort that seems inconsequential yet says something about a world in which we have traded conversation for email or texting, preferably in 140 characters or less.

A full pension payment? Don’t be fooled.
While this may be technically true, it is misleading because it ignores the actual contribution that is required to fund the pensions. The state’s action is equivalent to someone paying only the required minimum payment on a credit card and claiming they made the “full” payment.

The state of higher education
State higher education appropriations peaked in fiscal year 2002 at $2.4 billion. Adjusted for inflation, that would be almost $3.5 billion today. In the current fiscal year, which ends June 30, higher education (including MAP grants) received $1.79 billion, barely more than half of where we were at our peak.

LETTERS
CAPITAL BILL A WIN FOR TRUCKERS A whirlwind end to a historic legislative session has resulted in two important pieces of good news for Illinois trucking companies: a new capital bill to fix our infrastructure and the end of a misguided truck fee that only added to the work we have to do to address our roads and bridges.

Killer wants out of McFarland
But Schmitt had demons. Now, with a record of mental illness that culminated in killing, he wants to live free in Springfield, where he promises to get keep taking prescribed drugs to curb violent tendencies.

Victim in cop fight unavailable
The trial had been set for June 17. The hearing at which prosecutors won a delay last week wasn’t scheduled or otherwise posted on the docket in advance, and so the public had no way of knowing about the proceeding until it was over.

Her flag
Marilyn Artus, a visual artist from Oklahoma City, was in Springfield as part of a 14-month collaborative art project commemorating the 100 th anniversary of the ratification of the 19 th Amendment giving women the right to vote.

Old neighborhood taverns
“As soon as I enter the door of a tavern, I experience oblivion of care, and a freedom from solicitude,” said 18th-century English author Samuel Johnson. “There is nothing which has yet been contrived by man, by which so much happiness is produced as by a good tavern or inn.

Taverns and Tales
The book opens with a disclaimer that the volume “was compiled from several sources, many of whom had been drinking,” but the publication gives a sense of the Springfield tavern tradition and the long history associated with the establishments and the families that have operated them.

New ISM director nationally recognized
The Illinois State Museum has hired a leader in the museum field to serve as its director. Cinnamon Catlin-Legutko will assume her new position Sept. 9. She comes to the Illinois State Museum from Bar Harbor, Maine, where she directed the Abbe Museum for a decade.

Celebrate cabbage
Under his tent at the Old Capitol Farmers Market on a recent Wednesday morning, farmer David Gregory, of Gregory Orchard and Gardens, had perfectly pale green spring cabbages arranged next to fresh green broccoli, kohlrabi and new potatoes. Mr.

Toy Story 4 avoids sequel pitfalls
Of course, Woody (voice by Tom Hanks) is the centerpiece of the movie, as he’s having a hard time adjusting to his new home. He and the crew, including Buzz (Tim Allen), Jessie (Joan Cusack), Rex (Wallace Shawn) and Hamm (John Ratzenberger), have been adopted by five-year-old Bonnie (Madeleine McGraw) and for the most part, they’ve adapted well.

June music made
Look out ahead, here comes June in for a couple more weeks, with outdoor events all looking at the radar to avoid unwelcome raindrops in large quantities. We’ve dodged a few storms and took a few too, but off we go into the wild world of June music making, heads up and hearts in.

BAND SPOTLIGHT | Austin Meade
This 25-year-old songwriting, guitar-slinger native of Austin from near the Texas Hill Country (now based in College Station, Texas), surely plays beyond his years. With a prescribed presence from the classic guitar rock of the 1970s as a backdrop, his clever and thoughtful songs ring out with a true Americana rock-n-roll character.

LIVE MUSIC
J.C.B. Entertainment Karaoke.

THE CALENDAR
Heartache Tonight: A Tribute to The Eagles.

Art | Community Block Party
The Springfield Art Association (SAA) is hosting a community block party where you can paint the streets of downtown. Each registrant will receive a 6x6 foot square to paint solo or with family, co-workers, clubs or sports teams – up to six painters can work on one square.

Theater | Shakespeare meets the Jazz Age
This comedy, written by William Shakespeare in the 1590s, portrays the events surrounding the marriage of Theseus, the Duke of Athens, to Hippolyta, including the adventures of young Athenian lovers and a group of amateur actors who are controlled and manipulated by fairies who inhabit the forest.