Touring the Home of Abraham Lincoln plus his Old Neighborhood

 

[VIDEO] I'm sure another video of a visit to this site in Springfield, ILL was shared here on this blog. Abraham Lincoln's home is a national historic monument located in Illinois' capital city.

The home you see here was where Lincoln lived until shortly before he became President of the United States. As you may know he was a legendary President of the United States often seen as the hero of the American Civil War and the man who freed the slaves.

I look forward to my own visit to this site and other sites down there in Springfield.

Stormy Kara: 🚉 Taking Transit to the State Fair

 

[VIDEO] One goal I have at least for my own YouTube channel is to take a day trip to Springfield, ILL. At the least I do want to visit the Illinois State Capitol and perhaps one day visit the Illinois State Fair.

Stormy Kara who is another YouTuber I follow took Amtrak down there - one of the midwest regional services Amtrak offers - and then took a local bus to the state fair. He definitely has an opinion on the Sangamon Mass Transit District and how they do things. While Springfield is Illinois' state capital city it's still not the "metropolis" Chicago is.

You see what I did there.

Anyway, his visit to the state fair has sparked my interest though the only time I know about is when political events occur there as often covered by the Capitol Fax. Politicians from the Democrats to the Republicans will have their days there and of course what happens there will have consequences as far as elections. For example, there is a hotly contested race downstate going on between former 2022 GOP gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey who hopes to take a congressional seat away from incumbent Republican Congressman Michael Bost.

Of course there will be more press if there is a Gubernatorial race as there was last year in 2022 and certainly in the Presidential race next year in 2024.

Regardless there is still plenty to do there at the state fair beyond politics. There are rides things to eat and of course agricultural exhibits which may well include a cow made of butter.

I really need to try to go next year.

Capitol Fax: Updates on Capitol renovations

One of the goals I've had is to go to Springfield, ILL and see the state capitol and I never realize that it's currently undergoing renovations. Rich Miller has some updates on the renovations which are taking place on the north side of the building in the state senate chambers.

Updates on Capitol renovations https://t.co/DJ8AuhCTkg

— Capitol Fax (@capitolfax) June 15, 2023

And allow me to share one tweet of what is going on inside the building. This time from the inside of the state senate chambers.

Here’s the inside of the Senate. It won’t look too different but will get more natural light from the ceiling. Pictures are taken on the floor from the president’s desk and from the gallery at the front pic.twitter.com/x1ZjsOnGp0

— Ben Szalinski (@BenSzalinski) June 14, 2023

I hope to one day see the finished project and share it on YouTube.

Lord Spoda visits Springfield, Illinois

 

[VIDEO] This video dropped on March 18, 2023. Lord Spoda visits a number of places throughout America and they especially visit State Capitols as they do here in Springfield and get a stamp on their state capitol passport.

Aside from the fact that Springfield, ILL is the seat of state gov't it's also a historic site associated with the 16th POTUS, a man named Abraham Lincoln. The man who freed the slaves who was a longtime resident of Springfield before he became President of the United States in 1861.

His home is still in Springfield as a nat'l park. His law offices are still there and nearby that is the building where he had spent most of his career as an Illinois state legislator. Also his grave is there, he has a tomb which Lord Spoda visits where Lincoln, his wife Mary Todd, and three of his sons are buried. Also there is a presidential library for Lincoln in Springfield as well.

Going back to his family, Lincoln only had one son who survived into adulthood named Robert Todd Lincoln who himself as Secretary of War (we call that the Secretary of Defense these days) and a US Ambassador. Sadly the three younger sons of Abraham Lincoln died before adulthood. 

Now I want to visit Springfield for real! 

CBS Chicago: Former POTUS Obama honored with historical marker in Springfield.

 

[VIDEO] In 2007, then US Sen. Barack Obama announced his successful campaign for President of the United states at the old state capitol in Springfield, Illinois. Of course as we know Obama was elected the 44th President of the United States. Another historical note in the above TV report from WBBM-TV, Abraham Lincoln started his road to the White House from this same building. It was here in this building that he served in the Illinois General Assembly.

Well if I ever go to Springfield this is one sight I want to visit and share on my YouTube channel.

WGN: ‘One Illinois’ theme of post-COVID-19 state fairs in August

 

[VIDEO] One aspect of my Springfield Project would likely include the Illinois State Fair in Springfield which thankfully will take place this year. There wasn't one last year because of the pandemic and I like the theme of One Illinois as announced in this report from WGN.

Illinois is a huge state and there's a lot more to the Land of Lincoln than Chicago or the Chicago area. There have been Republican proposals downstate to spin off the City of Chicago or even Cook County into its own state. It seems that's how deep the divide could be on occasion.

One way to look at this is how often do Chicagoans go into other parts of the state? How often do Chicagoans even go to Springfield to visit?

With this said I don't plan to visit the State Fair this year, however, next year is an election year. Both Republicans and Democrats will have their own rallies at the State Fair. It would be interesting what political stories come out from the Springfield Fair in 2022.

Capitol Fax: State could designate an official microbe

Saw this at CapFax yesterday. Very interesting hopefully there is a biologist or doctor here who will recognize this microbe

Illinois on the verge of designating an official state microbe https://t.co/vlrYDuzy0j

— Rich Miller (@capitolfax) May 28, 2021

Lt. Governor of Illinois

Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton

The woman you see above is Lt. Governor of Illinois Juliana Stratton. She was formerly a member of the Illinois House of Representatives representing Chicago's near south side when she had been tapped by then gubernatorial candidate J.B. Pritzker as his running mate in the 2018 Democrat primary. Well she with Pritzker are at the top of state gov't in Illinois. She's the first Black woman to become Lt. Governor.

This great post provided by the Illinois state house caucus blog gives us a historic run down of this office. The Lt. Governor succeeds the governor in office upon death, resignation or impeachment. The most recent time this has occurred is with former Gov. Pat Quinn who succeeded to the office of Governor upon the impeachment and removal of Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

Before the 1970 state constitution was written the Lt. Governor like the Vice President of the United States would also preside over the upper house of the legislature. So per the federal constitution the Vice President is the presiding officer of the U.S. Senate, and before 1970 the Lt. Governor presides over the Illinois Senate.

Since the 1970 constitution was enacted a Senate President is elected amongst the membership of the Illinois Senate to be presiding officer in the state's upper legislative house. So what does that leave the Lt. Governor to do? Well it's listed on the Lt. Gov's state webpage:

In this role, her portfolio includes leading the Justice, Equity and Opportunity Initiative, and chairing the Illinois Council on Women and Girls, the Governor’s Rural Affairs Council, the Military Economic Development Council and the Illinois River Coordinating Council. Lieutenant Governor Stratton currently serves on the Executive Committee of the National Lieutenant Governors Association as the Treasurer.

Basically aside from that portfolio you can make of this office what you will if you get elected. Stratton is one of 48 people to have been elected Lt. Governor. Most recently the first woman to hold the office of Lt. Governor - Corinne Wood - has passed away.

If you want to see what Lt. Gov. Stratton is doing feel free to follow her on Twitter or IG

Springfield project

 Allow me to start with this video from WTVP a PBS affiliate for Peoria/Bloomington-Normal, Illinois. It shows the old state capitol which according to this vid has connections to two future presidents. It's not a very difficult guess for one of them. Also bear in mind the old state capitol of Illinois is connected with the 44th POTUS Barack Obama who announced his candidacy for the Presidency there in 2007. 

Springfield Project restart?

TerryFarmer.com

 Since I'm attempting to come up with places to visit for The Sixth Ward YouTube channel whether The Field Museum (which is reopening soon) or U.S. Capitol, I'm looking into the "Springfield Project" again. It's something I had tentatively planned for last year then coronavirus shutdown things.

I found this website ILStatehouse.com through Capitol Fax years ago and though it seems it hasn't been updated since 2010, this history of the Illinois State Capitol is quite fascinating. I wish there was more about the authors of that site however.

Regardless when I do my Springfield Project this is one of those places I would like to visit to see our General Assembly in action. It's just very rare to see how Illinois state gov't works.

Should history be abolished in Illinois' schools?

[VIDEO] When I first heard about this I thought it was madness. He doesn't want history to be taught in our schools. In fact the headlines I saw was that he wanted it abolished until there was a an "appropriate alternatives" are created. State Rep. LaShawn Ford in his statement you see in this soundbite from CBS tells us the many groups from Blacks to Latinos to LGBTQ are not accurately portrayed in their historic contributions.

History was one of my favorite subjects in school. I like learning about the many different things that have occurred through history. There are quite a few stories we can learn from. At this current time US history seems to be under attack as our nation hadn't adequately dealt with certain aspects of the Civil War and its aftermath in addition to issues of slavery.

I'm also reminded that while many of our founding fathers had owned slaves it's best to remember their many accomplishments in their day. As far as the contributions of the many different groups of people in our history, as opposed to "abolishing" history this should be an opportunity to encourage our students to look beyond what's in their textbooks and do further research on certain aspects of history that interests them.

Future plans for the Springfield project

nhigh/flickr

One of the things I'd like to do for this blog is pay a visit to Springfield, Illinois. It was something of a goal to see Illinois state government in action. Although to be fair I've never had the chance to look at a government that actually does affect me which is Chicago city government. The only thing I've been able to do in Springfield so far is pass through.

I already announced in March that any potential plans to visit Springfield has been put on hold due to the coronavirus. Thankfully we're at a point now where restrictions have been eased to the point where people can dine outdoors for example. I want to note that instead of this ongoing pandemic the headless has been dominated by the unrest due to issues involved police brutality and misconduct towards minority citizens.

This has only served to strengthen my resolve to see some aspects of how at the very least state government works in Illinois. As was my plan even back in March, in the near future my goal is to visit Springfield, IL and document my experiences on the YouTube channel for The Sixth Ward.

On another note another thing I'd like to do in Springfield is to visit the Illinois State Fair. Although Chicago politically dominates Illinois, the rest of the state is largely agricultural. Unfortunately due to the ongoing concerns by state government with regards to the coronavirus, any state fairs have been cancelled for this year.

It's probably a blow to both parties since well in an election year this is a major event for this state's political establishment. However, because we're still within the limits of a pandemic regardless of where the numbers are as far as infections or deaths this unprecedented crisis has caused plenty of plans to change.

We’ve continued to listen to our epidemiologists and follow the data. Illinois is on the right track because all of you are #AllInIllinois. Let's keep it up!

📷: @FortuneMagazine https://t.co/lJAl7O7Jbp pic.twitter.com/hURXMgXmre

— Governor JB Pritzker (@GovPritzker) June 13, 2020

Regardless I hope that in the future things go back to normal and I will see the Illinois General Assembly in action.

"Springfield" project postponed...

IL State Capitol - Daniel X. O'Neil

I've been wanting to do a project for this blog. No real angle to it other than to document that one time I set foot in Springfield, Illinois - the state capital. One thing I wanted to do was to check out the Illinois General Assembly in action and see both chambers the House of Representatives and the Senate in session.

Well the coronovirus outbreak has slowed down my plans temporarily. I learned that a young lady who was studying abroad in Italy - which is heavily affected by the coronavirus outbreak - came back home with the virus. She took an Amtrak train from Chicago to her home in St. Louis and that became a big thing.

Now that I've learned that there are 105 cases of this infection in Illinois as of Monday. Since schools in this state have been shut down and now dine-in restaurants and public gatherings of over 50 people have now been canceled I'm seeing how serious this pandemic has been. Our normal lives have been disrupted by this.

With this being said once we're in the clear of this virus I hope that I can truly restart my plans to visit Springfield and hopefully when the General Assembly is in session. Hopefully I can document for your enjoyment on this blog and on YouTube through The Sixth Ward our state's legislators in action.

Hopefully when I'm ready to do it I won't put it off and only think about it when that time comes. Plans will be made and it's going to happen. Time will tell.

Be safe all! 

Speaker of the House elected January 2017

[VIDEO] This video from Artistmac on YouTube is over two years old and shows a roll call vote to re-elect Michael Madigan as Speaker of the state House of Representatives. Madigan has held this job since 1983 - except for a two year break from 1995 to 1997.

It's been in the news lately that we will have to elect a new leader to the Illinois state Senate in January because of the retirement of state Senate President John Cullerton. I get the feeling it wont get great coverage in the Chicago media though it's something I'll be looking for by January once the process is started.

Since being the state Senate President is a significant legislative leadership position I would be curious would would throw their hat in the ring for that position. The new Senate President would be up there with Speaker Madigan and the Republican minority leaders of both chambers of the state General Assembly.

I'm sure there will be further posts about that seen over at Rich Miller's CapFax.

BTW, I still have some time to schedule myself a quick trip to Springfield, Illinois in the future. Something that I would like to document for this blog.

Springfield's response to the Chicago teacher's strike #twill

It's interesting to not only see some news about negotiation, especially about trying to negotiation issues that don't belong in a collective bargaining contract. However, the all powerful speaker of the state house of representatives is demonstrating that while he support CTU he won't attempt to advance any bills for them during this strike. Via Capitol Fax

Madigan defers consideration of CTU-backed bills until spring session https://t.co/fOlMBzNKzM

— Rich Miller (@capitolfax) October 30, 2019

BTW, I do have to add I had no idea the mayor opposes an elected school board. It was noted in the post linked above.

Meanwhile today marks 10 days out of school for CPS students.

Chicago Teacher's strike updates

I haven't done a great job at keeping up with the strike so far on this blog. Classes have been cancelled all week for CPS students due to this impasse between the city and the teacher's union. Here are some items that might interest you from during the week via CapFax.

Governor's mansion history from Curbed...

I liked this history of the state's Governor's Mansion and of all the work done to that Springfield house since it was first built. Of course all is noted in light of the renovations that will start this month and end just in time for the holidays. Via Curbed Chicago

After $15 million update in 2018, the Governor’s Mansion will close for more renovations. https://t.co/ktq0b7Th5o pic.twitter.com/Iqjcl1NPJ0

— Curbed Chicago (@curbedchicago) October 4, 2019

One thing to remember is that Gov. J.B. Pritzker will pay for these renovations out of his pocket!

When I visit Springfield, Illinois

410 E Jackson Street Springfield, IL

Another stop when I finally pay a visit to Springfield, the governor's mansion which just last year was finally reopened after a period of rehabilitation.

Here's some recent news about the mansion courtesy of Capitol Fax. More renovations are coming so if you plan to visit soon be advised that the mansion is closed

Mansion to close for more renovations https://t.co/kHpQBgCZ2i

— Rich Miller (@capitolfax) October 3, 2019

From the state's Governor's Mansion page you can learn most about visiting our state's equivalent of the White House.

CapFax: Illinois State Fair sets all-time revenue record

Rich Miller at CapFax looks at the performance of the Illinois State Fair having set an all time revenue record. Now I wish I had gone to this year's fair in Springfield.

Illinois State Fair sets all-time revenue record https://t.co/b2kkySolDY

— Rich Miller (@capitolfax) September 19, 2019

Success of the 2019 Illinois State Fair

[VIDEO] The Illinois Channel interviews Illinois State Fair Manager Kevin Gordon with regards to the success of this years state fair. I've talked about the success of this years fair on this blog during the course of last month. Also note that the IL Channel's YouTube channel showed other events from this year's fair particularly the more political events that took place at the fairgrounds in Springfield.

As an aside the other state fair in DuQuoin, Illinois also did very well this year according to a post from The Capitol Fax blog.

Du Quoin State Fair grandstand ticket sales rose 26 percent, revenue up 37 percent https://t.co/gt2EUry9UX

— Rich Miller (@capitolfax) September 4, 2019