News | Thursday, September 6,2012

Do not pass go, do not collect $200 – no, wait

Jeffrey Parsons, owner of a failed business empire built on buying and reselling gold and silver, has dodged a stint in jail for defying a court order to declare bankruptcy and disclose, under oath, h

Fall Guide | Thursday, August 30,2012

Eight fun things to do

By Bruce Rushton

It barely snowed last winter. It barely rained this summer. And who knows what fall will bring?Flexibility is key when it comes to autumn in central Illinois. The perfect picnic plan could be scuttled

News | Thursday, August 30,2012

Norma Rae comes to Springfield

Union gains foothold at SJ-R

By Bruce Rushton

Newsroom employees at the State Journal-Register are asking for union representation.The United Media Guild last week submitted petitions signed by employees to the National Labor Relations Board, whi

News | Thursday, August 30,2012

Parents behaving badly

New dimension to custody tug-of-wars

By Bruce Rushton

After more than a year of pushing state lawmakers, the family of Steven Watkins and their supporters have a law that allows judges to revoke driver’s licenses of custodial parents who refuse to

News | Tuesday, August 28,2012

Sangamon County cuts DUI officer

Cost concerns cited

By Bruce Rushton

The Sangamon County sheriff’s office plans to end adriving-under-the influence program that pays the salaryand ancillary costs for an officer assigned full-time to DUIenforcement.“We won&r

News | Thursday, August 23,2012

What a difference a year makes?

At MacArthur Park, it depends on whom you ask

By Bruce Rushton

A little more than a year after the start of a housing inspection blitz, nearly all of the MacArthur Park apartment complex in Springfield has been inspected.City officials acknowledge some progress a

News | Thursday, August 23,2012

THR shuts down

Stores close

By Bruce Rushton

THR & Associates this week closed stores in Springfield, Jacksonville and Urbana as the company heads toward bankruptcy.The troubled Springfield-based company, which has been bouncing checks and o

News | Thursday, August 23,2012

An eye for the ladies

Inappropriate contact by former cop alleged

By Bruce Rushton

Former Jerome police officer Steven Stirmell kept nude photographs of himself on the police department’s computer system and also made unwelcome advances toward women, according to investigative

News | Thursday, August 16,2012

Keeping track

Candidates vie for auditor’s post

By Bruce Rushton

Quick: What are the duties of the Sangamon County auditor?If you said “keeping track of money,” you’d be right: The auditor serves as the county’s bookkeeper and monitors finan

News | Thursday, August 16,2012

From sea to shining sea

FBI probes THR & Associates

By Bruce Rushton

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has launched an investigation into THR & Associates, the Springfield-based firm that has bounced thousands of checks across the nation at buying events set up t