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Teslas, SUVs – meh
Couches on wheels, made in America, the bigger the better. My love affair with cars no one else wants began with a optioned-out 1974 Ford LTD Brougham, baby blue with navy vinyl top.

Better ways to hold presidents accountable
“I ask how and why this decision was reached,” Utah Sen. Mitt Romney said in the Senate recently. He was calling for an investigation into President Trump’s decision to pull U.S. forces out of Syria.

Arroyo resigns, fallout continues
First, we learned that Rep. Luis Arroyo (D-Chicago) had been arrested on public corruption charges. About an hour later, federal prosecutors claimed that Arroyo had attempted to bribe a state senator, who has been cooperating with the feds since 2016..

LETTERS
For those who have concerns about accountability, we do charge for lost and damaged materials, and checkout is prohibited for those with more than $10 in fines and fees. This policy stands for our youth materials and would continue should we go completely fine-free.

History of a hidden neighborhood
The book will no doubt inspire its readers to take a drive to see some of the places Mitchell describes. Devereux Heights comprises 15 streets north of Sangamon Avenue (take Piper Road) and west of Dirksen (take Mayden). The area is named for Henry Devereux, who started a mine in the vicinity in 1904.

DRUG TRAFFIC
When the Decatur City Council voted 6-1 in September to disallow sales of recreational marijuana within city limits, it also voted against putting the question to the people in a referendum.

NAMING RIGHTS AND WRONGS
Call it the Lord Voldemort rule. Without uttering the name of Adam Lopez, disgraced former school board member, the Springfield school board on Monday approved policy changes to prevent another trainwreck that was the Adam Lopez Country Financial Basketball Tournament.

No deal
“It’s not just money – I promise you,” Springfield Education Association president Aaron Graves said the day after the union rejected the district’s offer in a 448-300 vote. The union represents 1,200 teachers, classroom aides and other district employees whose contract expired in August.

Double vision
Academic achievement at district high schools lags behind state averages. Parents are voting with their feet as they choose to live outside the district or enroll kids in private schools. Segregation remains and demographic trends are ominous.

Sunchokes
This lyric has been running through my head these days while working at Nonesuch Restaurant. Nonesuch’s concept and mission has been to cook solely with Oklahoma ingredients. It always feels a bit like Christmas morning when the deliveries of local produce come in through the back door.

November cometh
First, let’s pay our respects to a recently departed musician, as Ben Pope, popularly known as Whiskey Ben, passed away on Oct. 13 at the age of 48 from a heart attack after a gig with his longtime musical cohort, Lil’ Higgy.

LIVE MUSIC
Nate Cozadd and Josie Lowder Acoustic.

BAND SPOTLIGHT | Josh Abbott Band
These rockin’ country fellas from Lubbock, Texas, take their hometown music legacy seriously and present a raucous live show backed by strong songwriting and mighty musicianship.

THE CALENDAR
Holiday Boutique and Sweet Shop.

FOOD | Clean your plate
Comfort Food Week is making a timely arrival just as the autumn air takes on a bit of a nip. These chilly days go hand-in-hand with steaming pots of bean soup, savory mashed potatoes and gravy and creamy macaroni and cheese – all the stuff that’s good for the soul – and some area restaurants are ready to ladle out that taste-of-home goodness for you.

Theater | Diggin’ in the Dirt
When singer-songwriter Tom Irwin discovered an old book of handwritten notes in his family’s farmhouse, he had no idea where it would take him. The book was a diary written in 1893 by Harry Glen Ludlam, a 16-year-old boy whose family sold the house to Irwin’s greatgrandfather.