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The long road
Ask Deidre Lockhart how tall she is, and she will tell you she’s just under 5-foot-10. You don’t even have to verbalize the follow-up question. With a tone that says “I get this all the time,” Lockhart will answer your look of disbelief: “I know — I’m not as tall as I appear,” she says.

Look out for the blimp that doesn’t blink
I’ve always wondered: What was the guy who invented bagpipes really trying to make? Well, at least that wheezing, whining invention turned out to be merely irritating, not actually dangerous. Leave it to the Dr.

LETTERS
What an excellent article [“Bigger isn’t always better,” April 16]. Karen Hudson shows what can be done by anyone with creativity and a conscience. Factory farms are disconnected from the community, the people, and thus lack accountability. The push for cheap food has sad environmental, social and ethical consequences that need to be reversed.

newspaperspoem #3
now that illinois times has gone to staples which nobody likes it’s lost its easy usefulness as birdcage bottomer I don’t have a bird but I hear complaints however those with serious birdcages or big litters of puppies might consider subscribing to...

Pat Quinn is popular so far, but that could change
Pat Quinn is the most popular Illinois governor in more than a decade. A new statewide poll conducted by Rasmussen Reports found that Gov. Quinn has a 61 percent job approval rating. The poll of 500 likely Illinois voters conducted April 14 claims that Quinn’s job approval rating is five points higher than U.

Modulation at Illinois Symphony Orchestra
After almost a year with no one officially at the helm of the Illinois Symphony Orchestra, the board of directors has hired a new interim executive director, Elizabeth Hare.

Obama sees green
Illinois environmental advocates say that as President Barack Obama goes green, so will the state’s bank account.

Former cop sues Vermilion County prosecutor
David Lewis, the former law enforcement officer who spent more than a year in the Vermilion County jail charged with 49 felonies, has hired a Springfield attorney to file suit against his accusers.

Channel 8 goes blank for some WSEC viewers
As of April 22, basic and standard Comcast cable subscribers found nothing but a blank screen on channel 8 — the former analog home of WSEC/PBS Springfield. The local station went digital, requiring patrons to sign up for digital cable service or install compatible equipment in order to view its programs.

Shimkus faces tough choice on carbon
U.S. Rep. John Shimkus, R-Collinsville, stopped in Springfield last week, and as expected, carbon was his hot topic. Shimkus, a 12-year member of the House energy and commerce committee, told the Citizens Club of Springfield that while he opposes both cap-and-trade legislation and a carbon tax, he favors the latter over the former.

Roland Burris returns to his roots
about an hour of drinking, making small talk about local political races, and prognosticating on the outcome of the following day’s election, the crowd in the banquet room of the Centralia House Restaurant abruptly bursts into applause when tonight’s guest of honor, Roland Burris, arrives just past 6 o’clock.

Boys will learn better with boys
In a quaint neighborhood on Springfield’s southeast side sits Springfield School District 186’s best-kept secret — Jefferson Middle School. On the surface, Jefferson resembles the city’s other middle schools; however, a peek inside quickly reveals clear differences that make Jefferson stand out.

Victory of the vegetable garden
While Washington, D.C. talks about “shovel-ready” projects, few projects are more “shovel ready” than that of vegetable gardening, said a University of Illinois Extension horticulture specialist.

Container gardening with flavor
A container garden on your patio, balcony or roof top, a hanging basket or window box, all can be converted from flowers to edibles, said a University of Illinois Extension horticulture educator.

There’s garden help waiting on the Web
Growing interest in home vegetable gardens from the White House to the house next door is likely to send many folks digging in the ground this spring. Chances are that when they do, sooner or later questions will come up.

Worming into good soil
We have all heard of the three “r”s: reduce, reuse and recycle. There is a fourth “r” of integrated waste management: rot. This “r” also eliminates waste from entering landfills. Rot refers to recycling food waste and other organic material through composting or vermicomposting.

Native prairie grasses make for a carefree garden
Native grasses can be welcome additions in the landscape, adding beauty, movement and sound. Let’s define “native” plant. The only truly native plants are ones that still grow where they originated. Most literature refers to native plants in the United States as plants that existed in an area prior to the arrival of European settlers.

2009 spring garden events
Enjoy these upcoming garden events and watch the IT calendar for others as the season progresses.

Let’s plant the town red…
Springfield in Bloom — the communitywide beautification program that challenges homeowners, businesses and nonprofit groups to bring beautiful new color and life to their street-side yards — is now in its fifth year.

Plant a rain garden
A lot of rain falls on impervious surfaces that can’t soak up water. Instead of allowing all of this water to uselessly drain away, home gardeners can create an aesthetically pleasing area that will allow the water to drain back into the ground, away from the house.

How to lure insect beauties to your butterfly garden
Butterflies add surprise, beauty, color and motion to a garden. Why not invite them to your backyard? Butterflies are nature’s decoration. Planting a butterfly garden is a great way for children to learn about the life cycle of butterflies and learn to share an interest in nature.

Virginia Woolf still sounds new after all these years
Okay, so for those of you who are looking for a night of fun and games, big acting and an American theater classic at the same time, get your tickets to spend an evening with George and Martha. This weekend is the first production of Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?.

The Informers is muddled; 17 Again is nothing new
The most surprising thing about the movie is that Jordan effectively juggles the various storylines, giving each strand adequate screen time. Too bad none of them are properly developed. William Sloan (Billy Bob Thornton) is a film producer who happens to be cheating on his wife, Laura (Kim Basinger), with Cheryl (Wynona Ryder), a local news anchor.

Movie times
Kerasotes listings are for Friday, Apr 24 through Thursday, Apr 30. All times are subject to change. Bracketed show times indicate Saturday and Sunday matinees. Please note that Parkway Pointe plays no late shows Sun-Thu, and the first show Fri, Mon-Thu is 3:30 p.

April shows into May flows
I hope you’re keeping up with the long list of festivals, concerts, gigs, dates, shindigs, and whatever else you care to call them, happening all around us. I’m not sure what dam burst upstream in Event River, but the shows are a- flowing in April and rushing headlong into May and I, for one, have not kept up with the rush.

PUB CRAWL
8:30pm-12:30am. Hipbone Sam, Country Bruce Baise

BAND SPOTLIGHT
In 2003 when local rock band Tipsy Gypsys intermingled with area hip hop group Collabo, out came a Gypsy Collabo. The fun-loving, music-making bunch soon released a CD, Live at Five,.

THE CALENDAR
Submit calendar listings at www.illinoistimes.com.

ART
Saturday afternoon plan a two-hour visit to the Chatham library to meet and hear local artists Chris Britt, Louisa Boshardy (Hybiscus pictured above), George Atkisson, Bob Dixon, Jeff Garland and Michael Dunbar speak about their artwork showcased at the opening of the library’s new civic art collection, Promise in Vision.

FESTIVAL
You won’t want to miss the huge celebration of creativity this weekend as The Revolution Music and Art Festival unites for its second year, taking place at Feitshans School. Twenty-one bands, both local and from out of town, will perform.

HEALTH
The convention center opens its doors Monday and Tuesday to a statewide gathering of assistive technology manufacturers, disability service providers, individuals, caregivers and families of people with disabilities to showcase technologies available to assist a range of needs.

BULLETIN BOARD
Learn the latest about environment-friendly homes and gardens at the Green Home and Garden Show this Friday and Saturday at the fairgrounds. Sixty exhibits, hourly workshops and national speakers on green building will help you learn about energy efficiency and conservation.

PUBLIC NOTICES
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 31st day of March, 2009 a Certificate of Ownership of business was filed in the Office of the County Clerk of...

NEWS QUIRKS
A pizza delivery driver alerted police after he spotted a man carrying laptop computers through a broken window at a computer store in Anchorage, Alaska. The Anchorage Daily News reported that cops chased the fleeing car until it crashed into a concrete pole and then arrested Peter Enmon, 44.

Real Estate Foreclosures
IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE 7TH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT SANGAMON COUNTY — SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS FLAGSTAR BANK, FSB , PLAINTIFF VS JAMIE JACKSON AKA JAMIE ARELETTE JACKSON; UNKNOWN HEIRS AND LEGA- TEES OFJAMIE JACKSON, IF ANY; UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NON RECORD...

THEADVICEGODDESS
I’ve been engaged to a girl for two years. For about two weeks, she’s been texting a sales guy she met through work, and the text messages are in the hundreds per day. I found out from our cell phone bill, then snooped on her phone. Last night when we were out, I read one when she went to the bathroom.