News | Thursday, January 17,2013

Springfield fire captain arrested a third time

Promoted despite DUI history

A captain in the Springfield Fire Department could be disciplined after his third drunken driving arrest since 2005.Capt. Thomas A. Dodd, 51, was arrested on Dec. 30 shortly after 6:30 p.m. when an em

News | Thursday, January 10,2013

Priestly predilections continue

But diocese screening process does not

By Bruce Rushton

Sexual no-nos among clergy are nothing new in the Diocese of Springfield.The diocese in 2005 hired a Methodist to figure things out when a priest was severely beaten after soliciting sex in Douglas Pa

News | Thursday, January 10,2013

City approves benefits for civil-union partners

But secrecy remains

By Bruce Rushton

After a delay caused by a court setback, the Springfield City Council has extended health benefits to civil-union partners of municipal employees.But the council’s action might still be illegal

News | Thursday, January 3,2013

Tied up at the moment

Cuffed priest granted leave

By Bruce Rushton

Rev. Bernard Thomas Donovan at St. Aloysius Church in Springfield makes a 911 call to request help escaping from his handcuffs.

Remembering | Thursday, December 27,2012

End of a newspaper era

DAVID C. COPLEY Jan. 31, 1952-Nov. 20, 2012

By Bruce Rushton

David Copley was last.He presided over Copley Press, one of the last large family-owned newspaper chains in America, and had no heirs. The company got its start in Illinois in 1905, when Ira Copley, h

Remembering | Thursday, December 27,2012

A second chance ends

SHARY ELIZABETH ALWARDT March 4, 1989-Nov. 16, 2012

By Bruce Rushton

Shary Elizabeth Alwardt never gave up.She was born with a hole in her heart, which was bad enough. She also had pulmonary hypertension, a rare condition in which arteries that carry blood to the lungs

Remembering | Thursday, December 27,2012

The cycle of life

GROVER E. EVERETT Nov. 3, 1941-Nov. 15, 2012

By Bruce Rushton

Grover Everett had at least one James Bond moment.It came at a Lincoln air show in 1988, while Everett was still in his skydiving phase. He was second in line, jumping right after someone who was goin

Remembering | Thursday, December 27,2012

Champion for the masses

MARY LEE LEAHY April 28, 1940-Dec. 12, 2012

By Bruce Rushton

Mary Lee Leahy fought for underdogs.Best known for representing state workers in a landmark Supreme Court decision that ended overt patronage in government, the Springfield attorney who succumbed to p

News | Thursday, December 20,2012

No joking matter

Police sued after cops laugh

By Bruce Rushton

A Springfield man has sued officers from Springfield and Jerome, claiming that police used excessive force while arresting him a year ago.A police microphone captures officers Michael Brown and Chance

News | Thursday, December 20,2012

The sky’s the limit

Airports are cash cows, except for Grandpa’s Farm

By Bruce Rushton

As the nation hurtles toward a fiscal cliff, the Illinois Department of Transportation has released a study showing that airports are economic catalysts.The study’s authors, it seems, have never