| Thursday, May 3,2012

Local attorney buys historic depot

Great Western depot to remain open for public

The State Journal-Register has agreed to sell the historic Lincoln Depot to local attorney Jon Gray Noll and his wife Pinky. “It’s an exciting project,” Pinky Noll said. “Th

News | Wednesday, May 2,2012

Bumps in the roadshow

THR and its owner face lawsuits, bad checks

By Bruce Rushton

THR and Associates says it will make good on thousands of checks written on an account that was unexpectedly closed last week.Meanwhile, the Springfield-based company and its owner, Jeffrey Parsons, w

News | Thursday, April 26,2012

Where would Jesus park?

Sacred Heart-Griffin students clog streets

By Bruce Rushton

Eric Reiss knows the cars by heart, right down to the license plate numbers.Where, he wonders, is the gold Toyota today?“A wonderful little girl drives it,” says Reiss, who lives at the in

News | Thursday, April 26,2012

Plenty of room at the inn

Sangamon County’s juvenile detention center goes unused

By Bruce Rushton

Sangamon County is considering options for its juvenile detention center that remains largely empty a dozen years after it opened.Possibilities include closing the center or remodeling space so that a

News | Thursday, April 19,2012

Not playing in Peoria

Civic leaders say they’re concerned about SJ-R and Peoria newspaper

By Bruce Rushton

Religious leaders and elected officials in Peoria have intervened in collective bargaining between employees and management at the Peoria Journal Star, sister paper of the State Journal-Register.In a

News | Thursday, April 19,2012

Where are all the paychecks going?

GateHouse and SJ-R mum on jobs sent outside U.S.

By Bruce Rushton

Jobs once done in Springfield have been sent overseas by the State Journal-Register, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.The Department of Labor last month agreed with workers facing layoffs in

News | Thursday, April 19,2012

Illinois sues Sangamon County over records

County hasn’t released documents on injury at detention center

By Bruce Rushton

Sangamon County authorities are refusing to release records to the state Department of Children and Family Services, which is investigating a serious injury suffered by a DCFS ward at the county&rsquo

News | Thursday, April 12,2012

The computer ate the evidence

Emails were erased, and the legal tab approaches $2 million

By Bruce Rushton

The credibility of employees at the Sangamon County jail has been questioned by attorneys for the estate of Amon Paul Carlock, who died after a struggle with jailers in 2007.In addition, emails that m

News | Wednesday, April 11,2012

What would Col. Sanders do?

Chick-fil-A generates controversy at UIS

By Bruce Rushton

Chick-fil-A may be roosting at University of Illinois Springfield, and not everyone is happy with the prospect.“Have we been in contact with them?” says Derek Schnapp, UIS spokesman. &ldqu

News | Thursday, April 5,2012

A museum divided

Springfield’s star attraction has growing pains

By Bruce Rushton

On paper, the story isn’t pretty.Just seven years old, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum is on its third executive director. Attendance is down and money is tight.The instituti