New urbanism the Springfield way

The capital city is brimming with grand ideas about how to grow the city’s core and push back against sprawl. So why hasn’t anything happened yet?

Springfield is bursting with new urbanists. While the phrase “new urbanism,” coined in the 1980s, often frightens people who think that new urbanism entails mandating an organi

Union to Quinn: Don’t cut staff, don’t release inmates early

John Black, a correctional officer at Logan Correctional Facility in Lincoln, says he can sum up the morale among his fellow prison workers in just one word. “Sucks,” sa

Service disconnected

Illinois slashes supportive housing programs as feds beef up housing funds

Brenda Johnson, executive director of Helping Hands, says officials at the Springfield homeless shelter are simply “trying to control what we have control of” to adjust to a 27

Paper vs. plastic

Why are unemployed debit card users charged fees?

Pay poor tax of $15. The directive no longer applies solely to Monopoly players — it’s also happening to Illinois’ unemployed workers. Last fall, the Illinois De

Not so fast

Existing freight tracks will impede Springfield high-speed rail development

Despite Springfield’s freedom from many of the rush-hour nightmares that plague other cities, traffic-paralyzing trains barreling through town at all the wrong times remain among th

Home sweet hospital

St. John’s outpatient surgery center to offer tranquil atmosphere

People who don’t like hospitals typically cite their cold, institutional feel as the reason.

What price speed? FAST TRAINS

After previous derailments, Illinois plans for high-speed rail are back on track

President Barack Obama announced his plan for a national network of speedy passenger trains in April by painting a scene familiar to high-speed rail utopians. “Imagine board

Save the children

Child care service providers are not waiting on lawmakers

Tamara Moore left active duty with the Navy to return to college and spend more time with her three children. One of the factors that influenced her decision to give up a good military sa

State’s federal stimulus czar did poor job managing funds

The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO), which leads the state’s business development efforts, appears to have been poorly managed during the tenure of the agency&r

Love and Haiti

Springfield nonprofit serves some of the poorest citizens on earth

With all the poverty that exists in the United States Brent De Land, who founded the local nonprofit Haitian Development Fund, sometimes doesn’t know how to ask people to give his or