One of the most pernicious ideas that copyright maximalism has spread is that preventing people from freely accessing creative material is not just a good thing to do, but should be the natural state of affairs. This has made questioning whether copyright is really the best way to support artists and promote creativity hard. Against […]
ALTON - This weekend’s storms might have passed, but there's another twister coming in the form of “The Real Land of Oz.” The theater company 3 Purple Coats Productions is celebrating its 10th anniversary with a new, elevated production of the musical that made them famous in the Alton area. “The Real Land of Oz” is a retelling of “The Wizard of Oz” and was written by Leah Becoat, the founder of the production company. “You want people to be touched by your work,” Becoat said. “I think people will be moved or touched because there are so many things that speak to adults and youth.” Becoat began writing at age 8 to cope with severe eczema, and it quickly became her passion. She opened 3 Purple Coats Productions with her two sisters in 2013; the company’s name is a nod to their surname. In the 10 years since then, Becoat has written a youth show every summer, with additional productions throughout the year whe
GODFREY – The RiverBend Growth Association has chosen Godfrey-based Karen Wilson State Farm as the July 2023 Small Business of the Month. As its business name suggests, this local State Farm Insurance office is owned by Karen Wilson. Located at 225 Tolle Lane in Godfrey, Wilson has been in business for 20 years and currently has three employees. “I downsized to two team members for a while,” Wilson noted, “but realized that a third person is crucial to an efficient and customer-focused office. We feel this has been beneficial to all. She said that continuing education is required because of the licensing her team members must have. “However, coming from the world of education, I always encourage continuous learning. Seminars, trainings, self-help books, webinars are a very important part of our culture. “We are a woman-owned and operated business and proud of it. Although we are all familiar with the company I represent, I am the business owner.
Forbes arts and travel contributor Chadd Scott discusses how large arts institutions support the arts and artists in St. Louis — and how those support systems compare with other cities in the Midwest. Two recent recipients of regional artist grants, musician Kasimu Taylor and video and performance artist Carlos Salazar-Lermont, discuss realities around funding specific projects and sustaining themselves as artists.
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — Drinking water from nearly half of U.S. faucets likely contains “forever chemicals” that may cause cancer and other health problems, according to a government study released Wednesday. The synthetic compounds known collectively as PFAS are contaminating drinking water to varying extents in large cities and small towns — and in [...]
Who has the most new solar capacity? Obviously big states do. But what if you adjust for population and look at solar module shipments per capita? It turns out it's mostly still the big states that are solar leaders: California, Texas, Georgia, and Illinois. But Nevada has them all beat by a mile.
TROY – The Illinois Department of Transportation announced today that intermittent daytime lane closures will take place on both directions of Interstate 55 from the Interstate 270 overpass to the Macoupin County line, weather permitting, beginning Monday, June 26, through Friday, June 30. Work will be suspended between 6-9 a.m. on the southbound/westbound lanes and 3-6 p.m. on the northbound/eastbound lanes. These lane closures are necessary for the evaluation of the pavement. Drivers are urged to reduce speed, be alert for changing conditions, obey all signage, and refrain from using mobile devices while approaching and traveling through the work zone. For IDOT District 8 updates, follow us on Twitter at @IDOTDistrict 8 or view area construction details on IDOT’s traveler information map on GettingAroundIllinois.com.