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Reforming state’s contract system is harder than you think
“All Constitutional officers should issue executive orders, comparable to George Ryan’s Executive Order #2 (1999), prohibiting their campaign funds from accepting contributions from state employees under their control.” Former Gov.

Independents use teamwork to beat back the chains
Retail sales endured the steepest holiday season drop since the Great Depression last year, falling 9.8 percent from the previous December. But while news was bleak for most retailers, a close look at the breakdown of those declines offers valuable clues to enhance the local economy.

Here’s what’s up with the governor of Texas
Texas politics has long been a source of great amusement for the people of our state, but it’s often a source of bafflement for people beyond our borders. So, sometimes there’s a need to explain what’s going on here, and this is one of those times. In this case, the explanation is simple: Our governor is a goober.

grandkidspoem #7
rachel eight has been holding school for grandma mother little brother she lines us up we have to formally enroll last night’s class was spells we each wrote five then were told which were efficacious her mom’s to make a child do something the first...

BETTER OFF SHRED
“He is very wrong,” she says. “If someone’s identity was stolen and it was traced back to Liberty, they’d be liable.” On the flipside, if dumpster diving crooks were to obtain your identity by sifting through your personal refuse, you’d have no one to blame but yourself.

SPATULAS
The trade deal had apparently been some time in the making. Illinois’ Dick Durbin,.

Orange juice
If you saw Zach McCoy without his baggy jeans, oversized T-shirt and baseball cap, you would assume he’s more interested in Lord Voldemort’s latest plot against Harry Potter than the new Lupe Fiasco album.

Inner city blues
For anyone who thought that the federal stimulus plan would be manna for the needs of city and state governments, think again.

Making babies at SIU
Jim Kontio knows what it’s like to lose. After he and his wife Meganne married, the couple quickly decided that they wanted a baby. They were both older, Kontio says, and realized that they were running out of time.

For better perennials, divide and conquer
This is one of my favorite times of the year — crabapples and tulips in bloom, peonies budding and perennial plants popping up all over the garden. It is also the time of year when we realize that our perennial gardens may have an unkempt, overgrown look to them.

When losing is good
Angie Griffin never considered herself obese, but when her Body Mass Index revealed she fell into that category, she knew something had to change. Together with her husband, Derek, Angie signed up from the YMCA’s first ever Lose Big contest, an event designed to mimic NBC’s popular weight-loss reality show, “The Biggest Loser.

The raucous office of Lincoln and Herndon
The Lincoln-Herndon law offices must have been like the “fun cabin” at summer camp: always messy, rarely dull and the best place to hear something interesting. William Herndon was Lincoln’s last law partner and nine years his junior.

Celebrate Cinco de Mayo
It’s kind of disillusioning. First it was finding out that St. Patrick’s Day isn’t a big deal in Ireland.

The Soloist is out of tune
Suffice it to say that Wright and company have their hearts in the right place but their efforts to deliver an inspiring tale of redemption are only half realized. Downey Jr. is Los Angeles Times.

Movie times
Kerasotes listings are for Friday, May 1 through Thursday, May 7. 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 3:40 p.

Nothing But the Truth
When she refuses, an overzealous special prosecutor (Matt Dillon) moves to have her jailed for contempt. While incarcerated, she holds fast to her beliefs, even though her marriage crumbles, she becomes alienated from her young son and her own lawyer (Alan Alda) begins to question her actions.

Hide the watermelons, honey, here comes Gallagher!
If I say, “Gallagher,” what picture springs to mind? If everyone just said, “Smashing watermelons with a big mallet-thing,” I think we’re thinking of the same guy. He’s the one-name comedian who, regardless of his insightful and hilarious standup routines, is best known for his Sledge-O-Matic antics and outrageous props.

BAND SPOTLIGHT
With longtime area players Rick Hardin on vocals and guitar, Mike Gillette on bass and sax, and Mike Rapier on rhythm and lead guitar, plus relative newcomers Cory Brown on keyboards and Jeff Tucka on drums, Tombstone Bullet forms an outstanding and authentic-sounding blues combo.

PUB CRAWL
Submit calendar listings at www.illinoistimes.com.

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

DANCE
What does a realtor, a programmer, a banker, a disc jockey, a doctor and a manager have in common? They wear tights and dance ballet Friday night at the Hoogland Center for the Arts for the hilarious production titled “Men in Tights” to raise money for the Springfield Ballet Company.

MUSIC
Karen Lynne Deal directs the Illinois Symphony Orchestra’s season finale, The Planets,.

Science & Religion
Benedictine University at Springfield hosts a public panel on evolution, creationism, intelligent design and Catholic, Judaic and Islamic worldviews. Panelists include: Father Christopher House, director of the diocesan Office of Vocations. Rabbi Barry Marks, Dr.

Work & Labor
Labor struggles are remembered during a gathering in Springfield this Friday featuring speakers Al Pieper, retired field organizer from SEIU Local 73, and Dr.

Animals & Pets
Sunday afternoon, Robbie’s houses a birthday bash for two-legged folk in honor of a four-legged friend, who is actually a three-legged dog. Tres is Doug Mayol’s 15-yearold Pomeranian, adopted from the Animal Protection League in 2002.

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 9th day of April, 2009 a Certificate of Ownership of business was filed in the Office of the County Clerk of...

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

NEWSQUIRKS
David Maksimik, 59, successfully robbed a bank in Darien, Conn., but while making his getaway, he rear-ended a car. He abandoned his car and caught a bus, then a taxi and finally a ride from his sister to get home to Stamford, where he found his 53-year-old roommate dead.

THEADVICEGODDESS
Last year, I fell for this guy, “John.” We hung out and flirted via e-mail, but he never asked me out. This fall, after he left on a monthlong trip, I started dating “Mike,” later discovering he’s one of John’s best friends. Things with Mike started getting rocky.