News | Thursday, August 2,2012

Shocking development

County sued, deputy’s veracity questioned

A woman who was Tased a year ago by a Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy has sued the county in federal court.Tamara Skube, 32, says that Deputy Travis Koester used excessive force when he twice T

News | Thursday, July 26,2012

The Roadshow is over

THR heads for bankruptcy

By Bruce Rushton

Not so long ago, Jeffrey Parsons was on top of the world.J. Parsons, the west side store that sells everything from socks to shoes to hats to watches to pants to historic documents to gourmet cheese,

News | Thursday, July 19,2012

‘Show me your papers’

Protecting the nation by deporting Springfield dishwashers

By Bruce Rushton

The first sign of trouble came late last year, when employees at local Mexican restaurants started getting pulled over.The offenses were minor: failure to signal a lane change, stopping just a bit ove

News | Thursday, July 19,2012

Water, water everywhere

Springfield not sure if it will drink

By Bruce Rushton

The math looks good.The city of Springfield figures it needs 12 million gallons of water per day from a backup water source in case of severe drought. A gravel pit near Riverton already owned by the c

News | Thursday, July 12,2012

Outsourcing local news

Rockford “content hub” to write for SJ-R

By Bruce Rushton

While some of the most prestigious newspapers in the nation are tarred by a scandal involving fake bylines on stories produced by overseas writers, the State Journal-Register is making plans to start

News | Thursday, July 12,2012

Suing the state

Retirees file lawsuit

By Bruce Rushton

The state of Illinois has been sued by retired state workers who say that the state is illegally forcing retirees to pay health insurance premiums.In the suit filed July 10 in Sangamon County Circuit

News | Thursday, July 12,2012

Lawyers set to take over Great Western Depot

Renovations begin at depot where Lincoln said goodbye

By Bruce Rushton

While the rest of Springfield celebrated America’s 236th birthday, Pinky Noll and her husband, Jon, took history into their home by moving exhibits from the Great Western Depot into a carriage h

News | Thursday, July 12,2012

Sex offender gets 60 days

Former teacher had sex with student

By Bruce Rushton

Sangamon County Circuit Court Judge John Schmidt called a tough one last week.Before him stood Robert A. Nika, a former Southeast High School teacher who committed an awful crime and had already gotte

News | Thursday, July 12,2012

End of the roadshow?

THR and Associates call workers home

By Bruce Rushton

THR and Associates, the Springfield company that buys gold, silver and othervaluables in buying shows throughout the nation, has canceled its shows and toldworkers that they can apply for unemployment

News | Thursday, July 5,2012

Federal auditors visit Jerome

Village financial records scrutinized

By Bruce Rushton

U.S. Department of Justice auditors spent two days in Jerome last week reviewing how the village has handled federal Drug Enforcement Administration grants.The auditors declined to identify themselves