BANKING ON HEALTHY SNACKS

It’s not often that one bank donates to another bank, but these aren’t your typical banks. Employees at Illinois National Bank in Springfield are holding a healthy snack food drive for the

TRASH TO TREASURE

Lee Elementary School students turned juice pouches into pencil cases, chip bags to lunch boxes and candy wrappers into backpacks as part of a national initiative that combines fundraising and recycli

WOMEN’S RIGHTS WATCH

Woineshet Zebene was 13 when she was kidnapped, beaten and raped by four men in her small village in Ethiopia. She was attacked a second time by the group’s leader and was nearly forced to becom

THERE SHE IS, MRS. SPRINGFIELD!

If your marital status (or numerous incriminating photos) prevents you from competing in the Miss America pageant, but you’ve yet to reproduce a big-haired, doe-eyed child suitable for “To

GET YOUR GARDEN ON

Want to start a garden but have no space? The Illinois Department of Agriculture has just the thing. The department is offering garden plots at the infield of the Illinois State Fair Grandstand race t

NOOSE BAN BILL

Reaction to the infamous “noose incidents” of summer 2009 was rightfully indignant. Now that impassioned energy is being channeled into a push for state legislation to ban the display of &

THE AIR UP THERE

Late comedian Mitch Hedburg used to joke that an escalator can never break; it can only become stairs. “You would never see an ‘Escalator temporarily out of order sign,’ just ‘

CABBAGE PATCH KIDS

Most kids turn their noses up at cabbage. The look, the texture, the smell — it’s just no match for chicken fingers and pizza.But what if there’s a bonus? The Springfield Civic Garde

CHILLY? TRY CHILI!

When you’re buried in snow, a hot bowl of chili goes a long way toward curing the winter blues. Springfield’s Sparc developmental disability advocates are holding their 21st annual Sugar a

LOVE SONGS AND LARGESSE

How often do you get to take your significant other out for a romantic evening? What if you could have a nice date and support good causes at the same time? Peyton Tosh, a civic-minded teen from Jacks

Assaults at Springfield nursing home illustrate statewide problem

Task force reports on ‘toxic mix’ of frail elderly with mentally ill

Incidents of assault at a Springfield nursing home highlight safety concerns as a state task force on nursing home reform calls for sweeping changes.In 2009, Springfield police were called to Springfi

New energy codes leave home builders in the dark

Zinn Construction, a custom home building company based in Sherman, builds eight to ten homes per year, along with a few remodeling projects. But new energy efficiency codes, approved by the state las

Redpath caught red-handed

Springfield police officer gets 15-day suspension for “use of force”

Darius Billops has spent his fair share of time behind bars. The 29-year-old from Springfield has collected a laundry list of indiscretions, starting in 1998 with traffic violations like driving witho

Communities demand solutions for pension burden

Coalition calls for statewide public safety pension reform

If you’ve paid property taxes in Springfield, you’ve contributed to a police officer or firefighter’s pension fund.According to Mayor Tim Davlin, almost 100 percent of property taxes

Grow Your Own Teachers faces drought

Successful program pairs unlikely educators with community classrooms

Instead of becoming a college student, Fallon Rowl became a single mom.She got pregnant right after she graduated from Southeast High School, and for the next three years worked several office jobs to

NCAA basketball comes to Springfield

UIS hosts Great Lakes Valley Conference finals

This weekend, as Jim Naumovich returns to his hometown, he’ll bring the Great Lakes Valley Conference men’s and women’s basketball tournaments along with him.Springfield native Naumo

A sticky situation

Bill would stop regulation of hobbyist honey producers

The state’s beekeepers are buzzing to gain some independence. A new bill would ensure that small honey producers are able to sell their products at farmers markets, fairs or roadside stands with

Popular farm chemical goes on trial in Springfield

House committee gathers evidence on atrazine

For Leon Corzine of Assumption, north of Pana, atrazine is as essential to farming as soil, water or sun. Corzine, along with wife Susie and son Craig, is a fifth-generation farmer who grows corn and

ILLINOIS PRISONS: Standing room only

Overcrowding is costly and dangerous

They were imprisoned for prostitution, robbery and drug trafficking. They were dog fighters, arsonists, sex offenders and repeat drunk drivers. Almost 2,000 criminals of nearly every stripe short of h

Let the sunshine in

Environmental groups say Illinois has untapped solar energy potential

Investing in solar energy could bring the state as many as 17,000 new jobs, one environmental expert says.As the fifth largest producer and consumer of electricity, Illinois is not living up to its su