News Margaret Groening, the mother of the mother of Matt Groening, the Portlander who created of The Simpsons has died in Portland at age 94. The names of Margaret "Marge" Groening and her husband, Homer, who died in 1996, will live on forever as part of American culture, and in Simpsons reruns. (Although at least in the photo in her obit, Marge did not really sport a blue beehive hairdo).The announcement ...   More

News A long debate has finally and decisively been settled.Matt Groening, "The Simpsons" creator and Portland native, tells Smithsonian magazine that he named the famous fictional city after the Oregon city.The relevant section of the interview: [Groening:] Springfield was named after Springfield, Oregon. The only reason is that when I was a kid, the TV show “Father Knows Best” took place in the town ...   More