It is a sad and sickening sound, that of another good reputation gurgling down the drain. Only a few weeks ago, Roland Burris was remembered as a trailblazer in Illinois politics, who had served ably in two statewide offices. Now he will forever be regarded as, at best, a fool, at worst a criminal liar.

When I first sat down to write an invocation for the Downtown Springfield, Inc., banquet, I found myself humming an old, familiar tune: When you’re alone and life is making you lonely, You can always go downtown. When you’ve got worries, all the noise and the hurry seems to help, I know, downtown.

The 300,000 members of the Baha’i Faith living in Iran under near-constant persecution are heroes to me and scores of other Baha’is who live in central Illinois. The lies, attacks and atrocities heaped upon Iranian Baha’is since the 1979 Islamic Revolution would be unimaginable, were they not so well documented.

our children remind us of stories we never should have forgotten how could I have left a small child in front of city day school in the bitter double digit wind chill not checking that she got inside how when she found the doors locked she stumbled...

Gov. Pat Quinn’s choice of Jerry Stermer as his new chief of staff tells us a lot about what’s going to happen soon. As the head of the advocacy group Voices for Illinois Children for the past 22 years, Stermer has been a tireless advocate for progressive tax reform and expansion of human services and education programs.

The installment of Pat Quinn as governor may give new meaning to the old phrase “changing of the guard.” For starters, Quinn prefers the minimalist approach to security — as opposed to impeached former governor Rod Blagojevich, whose frolicking 40member Executive Protection Unit earned him some unwelcome media scrutiny.

Last week, in our catalog of the new cottage industry known as Blagojevich T-shirts, we missed another local artist who began marketing tees proclaiming Illinois the “Republic of Blagovia” way back when impeachment was still just a twinkle in Patrick Fitzgerald’s eye.

One of the final Ted Rall cartoons to appear in Illinois Times before being discontinued last summer depicts a group of men in Afghan clothing, holding weapons and sitting on a tank near a sign that reads: Taliban Comeback Tour. “Obama will send 10,000 more troops here,” says one of the men, holding a cell phone.

In February 2006, a resident of Howe Developmental Center died from having a pap smear. For most women, such a test is somewhat uncomfortable.

The bitter cold subsided and we finally got a nice snow. I went walking under the streetlights with four-year-old Xavier. We caught snowflakes on our tongues, found sticks to scratch our names in the pristine whiteness and followed our own tracks home where I sat down with John Knoeple’s new book, Walking in Snow.

Beginning Feb. 22, people from across the nation will head to St. Louis for a chance to see a backgammon board. The gilded board, from Beijing’s Palace Museum, dates back to 1426 and will be displayed at the Saint Louis Art Museum. Power and Glory: Court Arts from China’s Ming Dynasty.

Making your way in the world today takes everything you’ve got. Taking a break from all your worries, sure would help a lot. Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name, And they’re always glad you came. You want to be where everybody knows your name.

For those of you who were wondering, the French words Mardi Gras actually translate into “Fat Tuesday,” a reference to the day before Ash Wednesday which signifies the beginning of Lent, a period of fasting and preparation for those of the Christian faith in anticipation of the Easter holiday.

Once upon a time when faced with the church-designed idea of Lent, many poor, party-loving people were not about to venture into several weeks of forced fasting and designated denial without a major whoop-ti-do beforehand. Thus was born the celebration of Mardi Gras.

WINTER FEST featuring: Gypsy Collabo, StillAway Lane, Hart Felt Sorrow, The Mhurs More.

will host the Capital City Sound Explosion, a show choir competition. $10 admission. Southeast High School 2350 E. Ash. For more info, call 525-3130 or email twilliam@springfield.k12.il.us.

The salsa is rooted in Africa. Its home is in Puerto Rico, but it rose to popularity in New York City. This evening, three-time ESPN Salsa Champions Abel Pena and Zulmara Torres are bringing the passion and moves of the salsa to Springfield. Performing the routine that won them the 2005 Championship, the duo is sure to set the dance floor on fire.

When black soldiers were encouraged to sit on the sidelines during the Civil War and two world wars, they insisted on fighting for their country. The Illinois State Military Museum is honoring the black soldiers who served during the Civil War, World War I and World War II with a display and presentations.

NOTICE UNDER ASSUMED BUSI- NESS NAME ACT STATE OF ILLINOIS COUNTY OF SANGAMON TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: Notice is hereby given that on the 28th of January 2009 a Certificate of Ownership of business was filed in the Office of the County Clerk of Sangamon County, stating that PATRICIA L.

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE 7TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT SANGAMON COUNTY - SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS Countrywide Home Loans, Inc.,PLAINTIFF Vs. Ellen Chase; et. al.

Police investigating a credit card theft in New Britain, Conn., identified Joel Rubin, 42, as their suspect. They said that after using the stolen card belonging to a co-worker to make an $11 purchase, Rubin handed the clerk a store discount card in his own name.

My girlfriend of almost a year recently moved in with me. I’m 42; she’s 29. The week after she moved in, her friends made fun of our age difference and my supposedly looking too old for her. She’s undecided about much in her life, and this increased her confusion.