Untitled Document The idea of replacing Springfield High School with a $57 million new building in a cornfield on Springfield’s west side is so lame, so yesterday, so pre-O]]> Untitled Document Frustrated builders call it the last straw — a union-originated Springfield ordinance to require those who get city grants to contribute to an apprentices]]> Untitled Document When Hillary Clinton scolded Barack Obama the other day in Iowa, talking about his inexperience and listing his mistakes, I saw a picture of a mother lecturing ]]> The Esquire Theatre was brand new, and several other businesses had located near it on Springfield's burgeoning southwest side. "South Grand and West Grand Distr]]> Now that the Illinois General Assembly has acted to restore Gov. Rod Blagojevich's budget cuts — using a one-time-only gimmick to supposedly fund the deficit — it's time to ]]> Why has Gov. Rod Blagojevich declared war on Springfield? His latest assaults on the local economy make many ask, "What did we do to deserve this?" Those searching for answers say his a]]> Here’s an idea: Instead of reluctantly agreeing to run for governor as a means of rescuing the Republican Party and then trying to survive four years without damaging h]]> There is still time for Judy Baar Topinka to talk straight to the people of Illinois. That’s the only thing that might help her win this disappointing campaign against Gov. Rod Blagojevich and h]]> Just over a decade ago, in October 1995, Springfield saw a huge outpouring of civic energy into what has become known as “the trip to Atlanta.” That’s when 39 of Springfield’s ]]> Illinois farmers have a big problem on their hands: They’re about to harvest a huge crop. The U.S. Department of Agriculture started the bad news when it predicted a few weeks ago that total U.S]]> Untitled Document Roland, the editor, recently told me, the senior writer, that he wouldn’t mind having an occasional piece from the Illinois Times archives as a way t]]> Untitled Document An experienced plantsman once told me the best time to prune: “Whenever the shears are sharp.” My approach to gardening has followed a similar bent.]]> The Prairie Capital Convention Center is the sleeping giant of downtown Springfield. Now 30 years old and showing signs of wear, the big gray box is about to wake up and make itself known in]]> Untitled Document Looking out over the crowd at the Historic Sites Commission’s Mayor’s Awards for Historic Preservation, I began to think that maybe historic preserv]]> It was yet another report of the U.S. government’s participation in human-rights abuses. On Sunday, 60 Minutes reported on the CIA’s practice of]]> Untitled Document Eric Scott Volkel-Barno is a person who likes to help people. He especially likes to help people who are helping other people. A quiet person who tries to live ]]> Untitled Document Punctuation and grammar, used well, can not only make us communicate better, and look better for having done so, they can also make us feel better. Commas and c]]> Untitled Document People who have lived somewhere else are best at understanding how complex and cumbersome Springfield’s trash system is. When Ward 2 Ald. Gail Simpson liv]]> As America looks around for someone to blame for the current economic mess, bankers are the easiest target in sight. “No one wants to hug a banker,” reads a recent Newsweek hea]]> Though I knew how the story turned out, as I read I kept hoping that one of the safety inspection reports on Centralia Coal Co. Mine No. 5 would move somebody to action before it was too late. In the ]]>