AltWeeklies Wire
Sister Soldiersnew
For two veterans of the 1544th Maintenance Company, a year in Iraq meant mortars, memorial services and Mary Kay cosmetics. The 1544th had the second-highest casualty rate of Army National Guard units serving in Iraq.
Illinois Times |
Dusty Rhodes |
05-12-2005 |
War
Songwriting Geniusnew
Although John Darnielle, who records as the Mountain Goats, once disdained the reductive narcissism of confessional singer/songwriters, he has come to embrace the creative possibilities in his own life story.
Illinois Times |
Rene Spencer Saller |
05-09-2005 |
Reviews
Tribute to a Mother Who Gave Birth in a Barracknew
A Japanese-American daughter wonders about her birth in a U.S. concentration camp during World War II.
Illinois Times |
Yoshimi Yoshimura Golden |
05-09-2005 |
Children & Families
Tags: childbirth
Illinois Residents Want Seized Land Backnew
City of Springfield officials have revived a controversial project to create a lake, which pushed dozens of families from their land. Environmentalists want the land to be used as a preserve; former landowners want their property returned.
Illinois Times |
Todd Spivak |
05-09-2005 |
Politics
Delivery of Poinsettia to Priest Got Him Framed, Man Saysnew
Parolee Tommy Munoz says his arrest for attempted burglary after he tried to deliver a Christmas flower to a church rectory was the result of police misconduct.
Illinois Times |
Dusty Rhodes |
05-09-2005 |
Crime & Justice
'Midwesterner' Represents a State of Mindnew
A transplant from Texas to Illinois watches her sons morph into Midwesterners and ponders on what that means.
Illinois Times |
Dusty Rhodes |
05-06-2005 |
Commentary
A Voice Like Sorghumnew
No matter how dramatically Vic Chestnutt's sound has evolved, his style is unmistakable, stamped with an acerbic wit and an oversized heart. Also reviewed is the Radar Brothers' The Fallen Leaf Pages.
Illinois Times |
Rene Spencer Saller |
05-06-2005 |
Reviews
Alpaca Farming Spikes in Illinoisnew
Illinois farmers jump on the alpaca bandwagon but learn that it’s easier to produce baby alpacas than to make a profit.
Illinois Times |
Joan Villa |
04-22-2005 |
Business & Labor
Folk Music for the 21st Centurynew
Spectacularly foulmouthed and surprisingly tender, Martha Wainwright demands to be confronted on her own terms.
Illinois Times |
René Spencer Saller |
04-22-2005 |
Reviews
Why Is Illinois So Stingy to Its Oldsters?new
Medicaid reimbursements to Illinois nursing homes rank 47th in the nation. Nonprofit nursing homes are especially hard hit -- and they’re protesting the governor’s refusal to address this problem.
Illinois Times |
Fletcher Farrar |
04-22-2005 |
Commentary
Familiarity Doesn't Necessarily Breed Contemptnew
The golden boy of ’90s indie rock is getting older, and his latest gives evidence that he's matured.
Illinois Times |
Rene Spencer Saller |
04-15-2005 |
Reviews
Former Squirrel Nut Zipper Has It Allnew
Andrew Bird is to the violin what Jimi Hendrix was to the guitar, which is to say not merely a virtuoso but also a visionary. Also reviewed is Snowglobe's Doing the Distance.
Illinois Times |
Rene Spencer Saller |
04-15-2005 |
Reviews
Are You an Idiot? Blame the Medianew
Broadcast journalism has never been this awful. That's because most of the major broadcast outlets have been gobbled up by a handful of companies in recent years.
Illinois Times |
Rod Helle |
04-15-2005 |
Media
Tags: media
Architecture Critic Whacks New Lincoln Museumnew
Chicago Tribune critic Blair Kamin described the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum as a "mawkish indoor theme park," but he apparently failed to notice the exhibits that engulfed, enlightened and enchanted this visitor.
Illinois Times |
Dusty Rhodes |
04-15-2005 |
Art
Tags: Disneyfied
Time to Speak Out Against Nuclear Powernew
People concerned about a safe environment and a sane energy future should speak in opposition to the construction of a second nuclear power plant in Clinton, Ill.
Illinois Times |
Fletcher Farrar |
04-15-2005 |
Commentary
