CASH FOR A PASS

Members of Illinois’ congressional delegation this week put their collective weight into moving Springfield’s 10th Street rail consolidation forward. They sent a letter to U.S. transportat

ROCK THE BLOCK

The Enos Park Neighborhood Improvement Association is bringing back a lost form of community revelry: the block party. Their neighborhood block party, called Rock the Block in Enos Park, is a celebrat

HOW ABOUT A HOME?

The crash of the U.S. housing market was no fun for anyone. Foreclosures put millions of people out of their homes and the resulting economic crash was felt around the world. But the bright spot is th

SUMMER FOOD

School’s out for summer, and that means kids from low-income households across the city may not get enough to eat. But thanks to federal aid, public schools around the nation can offer summer fo

FEEDING THE MASSES

The Central Illinois Foodbank used to have to turn away volunteers – not because they weren’t needed, but because the Foodbank’s old facility on Moffat Avenue couldn’t accommod

GUNS ON HOLD

While the Illinois General Assembly passed a bill last week allowing concealed carry of firearms, don’t break out your holsters just yet. The bill still requires approval by Gov. Pat Quinn, who

LEADING LOCATION

Go ahead and complain about having nothing to do while you’re in Springfield, Chicagoans. We’ll just smile and nod as we think of you sitting in traffic for an hour. That’s because w

ART PROGRAM NEEDS FUNDING

Springfield’s Lanphier High School is one of many schools suffering from cuts to its art program. Lanphier’s Art Department has been cut for the upcoming school year. With a supplies budge

STATEHOUSE TAN BAN

Having successfully pushed for a ban on tanning for teens under age 18 within Springfield, Ward 5 Alderman Sam Cahnman continued his push into the Illinois Statehouse. On Monday, the Illinois Senate v

GOODBYE, COMPUTER

What do you do with that old computer that can’t handle the newest games or that old scanner you’ve used a total of four times in the past decade? In past years, most people probably would

Guilty as charged

How Christopher Harris got caught

Christopher Harris couldn’t have asked for better breaks.Not even a ninja could expect to slay five people with a tire iron and walk away without a scratch, especially not in a cracker-box house

Metaphors and murder

Closing arguments have it all

Lawyers argue Johnny Cash and forensics as case goes to jury.

The end is near

Defense rests, prosecution roars

The alleged love of Christopher Harris’ life didn’t show up in court on Wednesday to testify on behalf of the man accused of murdering her family.

Backdooring it

Defense maneuvers around setback

Tuesday morning started poorly for the defense in the murder trial of Christopher Harris.

Taking the stand

Prosecution pounds Harris

It is always a risk for a defendant to take the stand in a criminal proceeding. Christopher Harris showed why on Friday.

The curtain closer

Prosecution's case likely done

A murder trial has something in common with a fireworks show. In both cases, eye-catching flares – or witnesses – grab attention early on. Then a certain rhythm sets in.

The right to remain silent

But Harris didn't shut up

As a murder suspect, Christopher Harris was less than astute.

Tabitha survives, lawyers duel

Prosecution nears end of case

Photos of Tabitha Gee’s head were bad enough. But CT scans of the toddler’s shattered skull after she was beaten with a tire iron and left for dead were, if anything, worse.

Mistrial winds

Prospects of early end raised

Twice now, the prosecution has stumbled. Twice the defense has acquiesced, allowing proceedings to continue without strenuous objection despite opportunities to demand a do-over.

A booty call after a blood bath

Harris acted normally after slaughter

Christopher Harris may or may not have beaten the Gee family to death with a tire iron. But the sight of blood and battered bodies didn’t interfere with his libido.

Inside the House of the Rainbow

Housing for ex-cons under fire following recent crimes

In a humble house by the railroad tracks, a recently released ex-con sits idly on a worn-out couch, smoking a cigarette and ashing in a tuna can. He’s explaining his views on society with an air

Illinois leaders campaign for federal immigration reform

Several prominent public figures in Illinois are pushing for passage of a federal immigration reform bill, which President Barack Obama called “the best chance we’ve had in years to fix ou

Wanted: A new sheriff

The Republican primary for Sangamon County sheriff is nine months away, but the candidates have been prepping for years.That Wes Barr is running to replace Sheriff Neil Williamson isn’t surprisi

Stalemate sells steaks

Statehouse controversy helps downtown’s economy

Michael Higgins loves America.The owner of Maldaner’s restaurant in downtown Springfield pays his taxes, votes and keeps abreast of current events, perhaps moreso than the rest of us, by going t

Planning a better Springfield

The Springfield-Sangamon County Regional Planning Commission maps the future

No little girl tells her parents she wants to be a zoning analyst when she grows up. The job is figuring out whether a local government should allow proposed changes to a piece of property, which soun

Fatherless Day

Dads claim they’re not deadbeat but beat dead

While many dads celebrate Fathers Day, many others are struggling to develop and maintain a relationship with their children. Illinois Fathers is a network of non-custodial parents and grandparents en

State goes easy on coal mines

Mining permit renewed despite history of pollution violations

What do you get if you’re facing millions of dollars in fines for water pollution over the course of a decade?If you’re the Springfield Coal Company, you get your permit renewed by the Ill

Sundial marks a century of Rotary

Area clubs celebrate 100 years of service

Springfield’s Rotary Clubs are bringing a human sundial to Southwind Park. Located between Erin’s Pavilion and the Great Lawn, the Rotary Sundial Garden will feature a solar module shaped

Convicted by a jury of his peers

Calvin Christian goes to court

Springfield’s most notorious traffic scofflaw or victim of police persecution – take your pick – had his day in court Monday and came away guilty as charged.But Calvin Christian III

Senate passes ‘Obamacare’ bill

Implementation of health insurance reforms awaits House vote

The confusing world of health insurance could get a lot easier for Illinoisans in October, when the federal government opens a public health insurance marketplace here. The state would only get to tak

News Quirks 6/20/13

An end to doughnut breaks• Police in Lowell, Mass. agreed to allow global-positioning systems in patrol cars to track officers. The Lowell Patrolmen’s Union had expressed concerns about the

News Quirks 06/13/2013

Curses, foiled againFederal agents tracking a man who claimed he was selling 700,000 stolen identities identified Nathaniel Troy Maye, 44, as their suspect after a witness informed them he received a

News Quirks 6/6/13

Curses, foiled again• Looking to steal copper wiring to sell as scrap, Dalton Newhouse and Charles Raymond Norris, both 22, used rifles to shoot down high-tension power lines in West Virginia&rsq

News Quirks 05/30/2013

Curses, foiled againu  A man ordered coffee at a Dunkin’ Donuts drive-through in West Haven, Conn., but when he pulled up to the window, he got out of his vehicle, announced a robbery and s

News Quriks 5/23/13

Curses, foiled again• Authorities charged Carolyn James, 55, with assaulting her 96-year-old mother in Dickson City, Pa., after a neighbor recorded James slapping the invalid woman on the back an

News Quirks 05/16/2013

Homeland insecurityObjecting to the bipartisan immigration bill, U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, declared that radical Islamists infiltrating the United States “are trained to act Hispanic.&rd