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Snakes alive
Most anyone who acquires any species of python – they range from less than four feet, like mine, to 30 feet, like those owned by folks who should be arrested – considers the moniker Monty, for obvious reasons. Also for obvious reasons, pythons can be picked up on the cheap.

The joy of politics
That was pretty much the reaction I got the other day when, in the middle of a conversation about how confrontational, adversarial and downright unpleasant politics has become of late, I suggested that it could be both fun and a source of satisfaction.

Fallout from federal raids targeting Senator Sandoval
So, yeah, this is definitely serious stuff. Imagine the evidence the feds had to provide to the Justice Department headquarters and to a federal judge in order to pursue and then obtain a sweeping warrant like that one.

LETTERS
First, the city has made a concerted effort to eliminate trees downtown. On Capitol Avenue from the Capitol building to the Lincoln Home neighborhood, there is only one tree on city easement. The rest were removed and replaced with bricks. Second, CWLP trims trees without regard to aesthetics, and the city fails to do anything about it.

Study abroad changes lives
“I learned so much about myself and discovered how to deal with situations in a different way,” says Maia Ojugbele, a Rotary Youth Exchange student who spent a year in Taiwan. Maia, Mandy Lynn and Yasmin Martinez-Powell are all Springfield High School students who traded a year at SHS for a year overseas.

THE GREEN LINE
What do the state Supreme Court and Roodhouse have in common? Both lie in areas that have gotten picked on during the war on drugs, according to the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, and so residents, or past residents,...

All charged up
It was about five years ago, the mayor of Normal recalls, that that a barely known entrepreneur came to town looking for bargains. The Mitsubishi plant was closing after more than 25 years of building cars in the town about half the size of Springfield and 60 miles north of the capital city.

A fond food memory
While attending dental school in Chicago back in the 70s, I was on a limited budget and always on the lookout for good but cheap dining experiences. One of my favorite discoveries was a small storefront restaurant in suburban West Dundee called Mama di Pinto, named after its chef owner, Virginia Pinto, who died last year at the age of 101.

Thoughtful, flawed Joker a cry for mental health reform
Taking place in mid-1970s Gotham City, Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) is a man who’s been brushed aside by society. Working as a clown for hire and caring for his invalid mother (Frances Conroy) in the rundown apartment they share, his goal is to be a standup comedian.

A play and BOA
The invitation is always open to enjoy the arts scene in town and specifically the music makings as reported here and in the calendar listings. Isn’t it wonderful we’ve gotten to the point that you just can’t see it all every weekend? I think that’s the way it should be and am pleased that it is.

LIVE MUSIC
Michael Burnett and Catfish, Neil Dressen.

BAND SPOTLIGHT | Jesse Dayton
Talk about some guy who has done it all and keeps doing more, Jesse Dayton has lived the life of a bad-ass, guitar slingin’, rock ‘n’ roll, country singin’, gettin’ ‘round the town dude for 30-some years.

THE CALENDAR
Lincoln Library Fall Book Roundup.

SCIENCE | Astronomy
Since 1980 the astronomy and physics program at the University of Illinois Springfield has hosted the Friday Night Star Parties and offered opportunities to view other astronomical occurrences such as lunar and solar eclipses and comets. UIS associate professor of astronomy and physics John Martin will lead the parties this year.

ART | Opening Celebration
Terrain Biennial is an international exhibition of site-specific art made for front yards, empty lots, balconies and porches. Artists repurpose those private spaces and turn them into public exhibition spaces to foster dialogue between neighbors and to also offer new perspectives for artists and viewers alike to experience.