Why have I suddenly become such a cockeyed optimist? Because Hope Institute for Families and Children (formerly known as the Hope School) and its neighbors on Hazel Lane have finally started talking — peacefully. Unless you’ve been following this sordid saga, you can’t possibly appreciate the magnitude of this breakthrough.

Often it is said that the gambling question in Illinois has already been decided, so let’s get on with it. Well, not quite! What was decided in 1989 was to have 10 casinos, not video poker on every corner or a casino in Chicago.

Out in Arizona, an old tombstone bears an epitaph for a young gunslinger: “I was expecting this/But not so soon.” Gunslinging, of course, is a high-risk business. But today, some of us can expect to have the following marker on our graves: “Here lies a guy/Killed by a potpie.

If this is any indication of the future, I think Republicans, and the NRA and the gun lobby in particular, need not worry any more about our Democrat Congress and president putting restrictions on guns.

baby wee-weed on my shirt just as I was going to change her it was just a little squirt baby wee-weed on my shirt but too quickly to avert ere I knew I was in danger baby wee-weed on my shirt just as I was going to change her.

The Democratic Party was given a clear mandate in the past two election cycles, but they completely blew it last week. The Senate has more than a three-fifths majority, the House is just shy of a veto-proof majority.

Public radio and television stations across the nation have been hit hard by the recession, losing membership support, program sponsorships and grant funding. Dr.

Last Sunday, amid state budget haggling, lawmakers passed an innovative threepronged energy package that toughens Illinois Commerce Commission ethics rules, promotes energy efficiency and assists lowincome families with utility bills.

After debating well past midnight Monday morning, Illinois lawmakers scurried out of Springfield leaving the state’s gaping $11.6 billion budget hole largely unfilled. In addition, Gov. Pat Quinn insists, if the state doesn’t find a way to increase revenue and shore up the deficit, education, healthcare and social services will see major cuts.

Feller recalls that while he was attending the 2002 winter baseball meetings in Nashville, a prospective employer asked a question right out of the job interview playbook. “So where do you see yourself in five years?” the recruiter asked. Feller’s response, a most ambitious one, seemed to come from the same text.

This weekend the Old State Capitol will be inundated with soldiers, doctors and historians. The historians will be real, but the soldiers and doctors will be reenactors participating in the site’s first Civil War medicine encampment.

The other night while dozing I heard the buzzing of a mosquito. After about five minutes the culprit was glued to a flyswatter. Of all the bothersome insect pests, however, mosquitoes are probably the most troublesome. While most mosquitoes are merely a nuisance, some can transmit diseases including West Nile encephalitis.

The entryway was immaculate, suitable for an office building. The Goodwill shop itself the same, as was Edgar’s Coffee House. Nothing even remotely “down-at-the-heels” anywhere! Edgar’s Coffee House could even be called stylish. Separated from the store by a partition, the walls are deep, warm ochre.

Needless to say, the kid’s bitten off a bit more than he can chew. The adventure that Carl and Russell set off on is wondrous, fraught with peril and suffused with delight. Directors Pete Docter and Bob Peterson fill the screen with one knockout vision after another.

Kerasotes listings are for Friday, June 5 through Thursday, June 11. All times are subject to change. For updates on Kerasotes films, call 1-800-FANDANGO. For reviews of other films, visit www.illinoistimes.com..

Not so long ago the fledgling SOHO Music Fest was an awkward but earnest attempt to raise funds for a local charity while presenting local rock bands to a somewhat uncaring and apathetic community.

This is one high-flying, world-traveling, monster-grooving, fun-rocking band that just gets better and better as they continue living the dream of making music as a way of life. Since beginning the adventure in 1999 they’ve released four full-length CDs while performing all over the country from local joints to big-time festivals.

Be My Doppelganger, The Wide Awakes, Horrible Things, The Zombots.

If you visit or work downtown, here’s a free noon hour program you should catch at some point during your daily dallying or labor. The Springfield Arts Council hosts several musical, theatrical and performance artists on the Old State Capitol Plaza at various dates during the summer time.

Submit calendar listings at www.illinoistimes.com.

Theatre in the Park hosts the Songwriter’s Circle at Lincoln’s New Salem State Historic Site this weekend. This concert highlights Petersburg artists and their talents. Singer/songwriter Paul Ingle brings a mixed bag of music to his presentation.

Historian and freelance writer Jason Emerson presents The Madness of Mary Todd Lincoln.

Except for the occasional exhibition match, catching a glimpse of pro athletes in Springfield is kind of like a recording a double eagle in golf — it’s extremely rare. That’s what puts the State Farm LPGA Classic at Panther Creek Country Club well above par among other local entertainment options.

NOTICE UNDER ASSUMED BUSINESS NAME ACT STATE OF ILLINOIS COUNTY OF SANGAMON TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: Notice is hereby given that on the 20th day of May, 2009 a Certificate of Ownership of business was filed in the Office of the County Clerk of...

Four men trying to steal a pickup truck in Jefferson County, Ark., didn’t get very far because it wouldn’t run. Undeterred, they were pushing the vehicle when a sheriff’s deputy spotted them near the county jail. Sheriff’s officials told the Pine Bluff Commercial that the vehicle wouldn’t start because it was being used for parts.

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE 7TH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT SANGAMON COUNTY — SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS WELLS FARGO BANK, N.A.

I’m a single, divorced mother who met a wonderful man. Last week, he wanted me to come over. Because of my children, my only option was to pop by during my son’s junior high baseball game. I dropped my son off, but instead of parking and watching the game, I drove to this man’s house and we had sex.