Page 1

Former guv inspires creativi-T
Hooray, it’s T-shirt weather! Oh sure, the thermometer does not entirely agree, but trust me, we’ve never had more reasons to shuck the wooly turtlenecks and show off our tees.

Filling Lincoln’s shoes, size 14
This week is without precedent in our city’s history. Not only are we celebrating the 200th birthday of Illinois’ favorite son in the community he famously called home, the newly elected leader of the free world, President Barack Obama, also an...

Stopping Wall Street’s culture of excess
Bankers have never been much loved, but gollies, this Wall Street bunch seems hellbent on being loathed.

Sonnet to a furious raccoon
you do not understand the ways of men who have a fondness for the furry wild and keep you not through meanness we beguiled you from your natural haunts into a pen we led you fed you fattened you and then carried you in tonight to please a child we...

LETTERS
NHTSA considers a crash to be speeding-related if the driver was charged with a speeding-related offense, or if the responding officer indicated the driver was driving too fast for conditions at the time or was exceeding the posted speed limit. In 2005 speeding was a contributing factor in 30 percent of all fatal traffic crashes nationally.

1320 S. State Street PO Box 5256, Springfield, IL 62705
CONTRIBUTORS Amy Alkon, Julianne Glatz, Jim Hightower, Tom Irwin, Jacqueline Jackson, Chuck Koplinski, Dan Perkins, Rich Miller, John Sherffius, Jennifer Fishburn, Roland Sweet SENIOR DESIGNER Joseph Copley .........................jcopley@illinoistimes.com.

The Lincolns’ first home in Illinois
When Abraham Lincoln, his father, stepmother, and step-brother first came to Illinois from Indiana, they settled in a log cabin about three miles west of Decatur on the Sangamon River. The history of that longgone cabin is a tangle of folklore and interesting facts.

OYSTERS BINGO
Oyster aficionados say that the best, and sexiest, way to eat them is au naturel — freshly shucked, briny, sleekly slipping from their shell into your mouth with their liquor, with only a breath of lemon, or a dash of hot or cocktail sauce. I don’t disagree.

The rest of the local weeklies
In a column last month I mentioned a few of our standard weekly club shows, giving them the annual plug-in-print. Since then I’ve been accosted by more than one patron of the Springfield scene, wondering why I left out the many other weekly gigs going on around town.

PUB CRAWL
Dates, times, and locations are subject to last-minute changes, so we suggest calling before attending the event..

Lost Boys
The Lost Boys found themselves taking a short, well-deserved break from live shows in December and January, but they’re back with a pile of new songs, both covers and originals, rockin’ harder than ever.

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

THE CALENDAR
In today’s job market, a room filled with multiple employers interested in your talents and skills seems like a fantasy, but UIS is making the dream come true at the 11th annual Springfield Collegiate Career Fair. The fair is the most high-profile event to be held at UIS for students seeking employment.

THE CALENDAR
Bring campaign signs and bells to march in the Lincoln’s Birthday Candlelight Parade. The Springfield Jaycees organized the evening parade as a simple and old -fashioned way for residents to be a part of the Lincoln Bicentennial festivities.

THE CALENDAR
Jamieson and Elizabeth Jenkins were two African- Americans who helped change history. The couple lived in Springfield and worked for the Underground Railroad organization assisting slaves on their way to freedom. This year their story is being told at a dramatization titled “The Abolitionist Church and Lincoln’s Friends.

LEGALS
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 20th of January 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 DISTRICT SANGAMON COUNTY - SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS Countrywide Home Loans, Inc.,PLAINTIFF Vs. Ellen Chase; et. al.

NEWSQUIRKS
Curses, foiled again A man entered a store in South Portland, Maine, at 2:30 p.m., wielded a knife and demanded money. When the clerk refused, the robber vowed to return. The Portland Press Herald reported he showed up at 4:30 and tried to throw a planter through the store window, but it bounced back.

THE ADVICE GODDESS
I’m a 21-year-old college student. I don’t have trouble attracting guys, but I’m looking for someone who won’t just like me for the outside. Online, before a guy even asks your name, he wants a picture.