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Tick tock
Since opening in 2005, the ALPLM, now in search of a director, has had four directors without “interim” in their job titles. A hat said to have belonged to Abe is a laughingstock.

How presidents get their facts
Here’s a basic truth about people who make decisions on public policy: They rarely have all the facts they want.

Despite looming scandals, Pritzker focuses on his agenda
But during an interview with me to mark his one-year anniversary in office, the governor pointed to his reaction after Sen. Tom Cullerton (D-Villa Park) was indicted, now-former Sen. Martin Sandoval’s (D-Chicago) Statehouse office was raided and now-former Rep.

LETTERS
In last week’s Guestwork, “Don’t tear down downtown” (Jan. 16), I was very pleased to see a stand being taken in favor of a downtown university presence, but against the wholesale destruction of entire blocks of historical structures and businesses that make up the scale and very fabric of downtown.

SKATING AWAY
Who doesn’t like parks? From Yellowstone in Wyoming to Riverside Park on Peoria Road, we should be grateful for green space wherever we can fi nd it. The family of Elijah Iles, early Springfi eld settler, understood that, and so we have Iles Park in the city’s heart, named for benefactors who donated land where pickleball and peace reign.

OLD KILLER IS BACK
As the world worries about spread of the mysterious coronavirus, Springfi eld is invited to learn about another killer disease, no longer mysterious but potentially as deadly: measles. A September outbreak in Samoa infected 5,000 and killed 81 people, many of them children under 5.

Coalition pushes Clean Energy Jobs Act
Members of the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition, including the legislative sponsors of the Clean Energy Jobs Act, or CEJA, spoke Tuesday, Jan. 21, at the James R. Thompson Center in Chicago. They said the issue is urgent because of the ongoing effects of climate change and a recent ruling by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, or FERC.

New year, new you
Some people start the New Year with gusto, resolutions firmly planted, determined to make big changes. Often the goals relate to health and fitness. Some prevail. Many do not. If that is you, go for it.

Sugar and the American diet
Sugar was first domesticated in New Guinea 10,000 years ago. Sugar cane spread to Asia and Europe, but was initially only available to the wealthy. Christopher Columbus first introduced sugar cane to the New World during his second voyage in 1493. Sugar cane grew well in the hot, humid conditions in the Caribbean.

Why you should learn to cook
It became apparent to me at an early age that it would be easier for me to learn how to cook the foods that I wanted to eat rather than chance finding someone who would cook for me. At this point in my life, as a 62-year-old who enjoys the pleasures of the table, cooking is second nature.

Resilience
It’s been more than a decade since Dr. Kemia Sarraf, a physician and mother of four, founded genHkids, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the health and wellness of children and families in central Illinois.

Please, help me get some sleep
According to the National Sleep Foundation, approximately 40 million Americans experience difficulties with falling or staying asleep every year. Insomnia is associated with difficulty remembering and performing tasks, irritability, depression and anxiety, and fatigue.

Health opportunities
Prairie Heart Foundation State of the Heart Celebration.

It’s all in your head
Despite the fact that exercise has many powerful physical and psychological benefits, approximately 50% of people who begin an exercise program are not exercising within six months.

Addressing dressing
For those who have resolved to nourish their bodies better this year and perhaps trim off a few of those holiday cookies, salads seem to be a logical meal choice.

A kinder, gentler (to a degree) Bad Boys
Surprisingly, not only did I make it through this overlong, 124-minute exercise in urban destruction but actually found myself chuckling a couple times and enjoying some of the impressive action work on display.

Music moves us
As we travel through this old world, I think we can safely say music moves us in many ways and thereby, in many ways is a main mover of human emotion, carrying some spark that mends, muses and motivates. In other words, music is cooler than a popsicle or last Sunday night’s outdoor temps while warming whatever it is that attracts us to the tunes.

LIVE MUSIC
Nectar, The Telephone Junkies + more.

BAND SPOTLIGHT | John Paul Keith
Since this brilliantly blessed singer-songwriter-guitarist burst from the Memphis music scene in 2009, he continues to play for keeps, keeping it real and really playing music.

Julius Rosenwald, hometown hero
Diagonally across from the Lincoln Home stands another important home in Springfield’s history – the home of Julius Rosenwald, who was born in Springfield in 1862. Rosenwald may not be a name that is immediately recognizable; he insisted on little acknowledgement for his many philanthropic efforts.

THE CALENDAR
Jan. 25, 9am-3pm. Hosted by the Central Illinois Reading Council. Open to the public. Teachers are asked to bring their tax ID number. Capital Area Career Center, 2201 Toronto Road, 529-5431 x164..

FOOD | Seasons of Change on Henry’s Farm
Slow Food Springfield’s annual film festival will feature a screening of the film Seasons of Change on Henry’s Farm,.

POLITICS | What’s in store for 2020?
The purpose of the Citizens Club of Springfield is to promote public, civic and cultural welfare in matters concerning public issues and events, provide aid in public understanding of issues, encourage public participation through forums on topics of interest and cooperate with other agencies and organizations in those objectives.