The Citizens Club of Springfield convened in November with a panel of political reporters to discuss the 2024 election and what it means. The panel featured retired reporter and columnist for The State Journal-Register Bernie Schoenburg, Illinois Times reporter Scott Reeder and Peter Hancock from Capitol News Illinois. The discussion was moderated by Kent Redfield, professor emeritus from the University of Illinois Springfield.

Jacob Laurenzana is a senior at the University of Illinois Springfield. He received a scholarship from the World Affairs Council of Central Illinois to attend the World Affairs Council of America's National Conference in Washington D.C. November 19-22. He spoke to Community Voices about his experience at the conference and why being informed about international affairs is valuable. To learn more about the World Affairs Council of Central Illinois click here.

Yoga in the classroom could become a weekly occurrence for Illinois students as Senate Bill 2872 goes into effect on January 1, 2025. The bill provides instruction on relaxation activities which will be incorporated weekly for 20 minutes in Illinois schools. Dr. Jennifer Martin and Dr. Alex Wolfe spoke to Community Voices about the bill, how teachers can incorporate relaxation practices in the classroom and the physiology behind exercise and meditation that lead to increased academic achievement.

The Illinois Symphony Orchestra will perform its annual holiday concert Friday Dec. 13 in Springfield and Saturday Dec. 14 in Bloomington-Normal. ISO Music Director Taichi Fukumura and Founding Executive Director of Springfield Youth Performance Group Taryn Grant, spoke to Community Voices about the various collaborations featured in the concert and how they keep holiday traditions fresh. For more information and ticket details click here.

Kathy Lamsargis is the author of the book “Marbles in a Fishbowl,” which details her memories with her grandparents and the life lessons they shared. Lamsargis spoke to Community Voices about her inspiration for the book, how it can be incorporated into classroom lessons and the importance of sharing stories.For more information on the book visit: https://kathylamsargis.net/

The University of Illinois Springfield School of Politics and International Affairs and the Center for State Policy and Leadership hosted a panel discussion titled, “Foreign Affairs in the 2024 U.S. Election and Beyond,” which featured UIS professors Adriana Crocker and Ali Nizamuddin, along with assistant professors Brandon Bolte and Isabel Skinner from the School of Politics and International Affairs. AJ Simmons, research director for the UIS Center for State Policy and Leadership, moderated the event. The panel discussed the state of foreign affairs and how the U.S. might respond in the future during a second Trump presidency.

Dr. Dana Crosby is chair, program director, and professor in the Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery at SIU School of Medicine. She is also Director of Rhinology and Endoscopic Skull Base Surgery as well as Director of Otolaryngic Allergy. She spoke to Community Voices about what drew her to this medical specialty, what all Otolaryngology encompasses, and how chronic issues with the senses impact quality of life. Dr. Crosby also talks about working with residents as they prepare to become surgeons.

A staple of the holiday season, the Salvation Army’s red kettles are stationed at the entrance of numerous stores, but the organization is seeking more volunteers to draw attention to those kettles by ringing bells. Salvation Army Envoy Jeff Eddy and board member Michael Thomas spoke to Community Voices and explained how people can volunteer and how donations are distributed in Springfield.

"The Election is Over. Now What?" That was the name of the panel discussion held by the UIS School of Politics and International Affairs, featuring UIS professors Matthew Geras, Isabel Skinner and Jason Pierceson. Jennifer Fuller from Capitol News Illinois moderated the discussion which provided analysis on the outcome of the election and what we are likely to see in future elections.

Springfield Theatre Centre's production of RENT runs 12/6/24-12/8/24 and 12/13/24-12/15/24. RENT is a rock musical loosely based on Puccini’s opera La bohème. The musical tells the story of a group of starving artist bohemian friends living on Avenue A in NYC under the shadow of HIV/AIDS epidemic in the late 1980's. LaDonna Wilson is the director of this production and Jasmine French portrays one of the main characters Maureen Johnson. They spoke to Community Voices about their experience with theater in the Springfield community, the serious themes in RENT, and what people can expect from the production. They also discussed partnering with The Phoenix Center and IDPH to do a coat drive and have testing available during the run of the show. Find tickets and details here.