Forget about recycling for a minute. Being “green” is more than just keeping glass out of the landfill.That was one message of the 10th Annual Green Symposium, a conference held in Springfie...

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Reacting to my “In defense of the politician,” a veteran State of Illinois employee told me that he thought it would be fun to work under a governor like Jerry Brown. Younger readers might be interested to know that Illinois very nearly had its Jerry Brown, in 1982 and 1986, when the 11-year U.S> Senator lost to to James R. “Big Jim” Thompson. That 1982 race saw AESIII lose by 5,074...

Republican Kirk Dillard recently raised the issue of which kind of family ought to be living in the Executive Mansion in Springfield. It is a question we ventilated in in 2009. (“Life in the Big House.) Clearly, it was not a question on the minds of the two most recent occupants of the house. Mr. Blagojevich famously disdained it (for the kids’ sake, he insists). Of late Mr. Quinn has avo...

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What does the future hold for Springfield? That depends largely on what happens with the proposal to consolidate rail traffic on the 10th Street rail corridor.If the project withers without funding, d...

As Illinois does the annual legislative dance this time of year, all sorts of ideas get tossed around, ranging from the austere to the ridiculous. Sen. Shane Cultra, a Republican from Onarga, tossed out an idea in the latter category this week when he said that parents of obese children should lose their tax deductions for those kids. It was said in the context of a bill to tax sugary beverages in...

May 11-12, 2013 turned out to be a gorgeous weekend! It did not rain the Saturday before Mother's Day as weather forecasters had predicted. Dr. Dolittle Day at Henson Robinson Zoo was sunny and warm (with just the right touch of wind, notice the flag above) -- a perfect day for folks in central Illinois to be treated to a free day of wildlife at the zoo. Thanks, zoo! This little guy (...

Flip-flops are on my mind. And no, I don’t have a shoe or foot fetish. My feet just love to be comfortable and naked; my toes just love to be free. And warm weather means I can break out the flip-flops and sandals. Thanks be to the Egyptians. Thanks to America for falling in love with them – a huge variety are for sale everywhere. AND thanks be to Illinois Times -- we staffers can do the fl...