News | Thursday, June 13,2013

Planning a better Springfield

The Springfield-Sangamon County Regional Planning Commission maps the future

No little girl tells her parents she wants to be a zoning analyst when she grows up. The job is figuring out whether a local government should allow proposed changes to a piece of property, which soun

News | Thursday, May 30,2013

Senate passes ‘Obamacare’ bill

Implementation of health insurance reforms awaits House vote

By Patrick Yeagle

The confusing world of health insurance could get a lot easier for Illinoisans in October, when the federal government opens a public health insurance marketplace here. The state would only get to tak

News | Thursday, May 30,2013

State won’t pay to defend rogue prosecutor

No reimbursement for state’s attorney who allegedly framed two for murder

By Patrick Yeagle

A former state’s attorney who allegedly framed two men for murder won’t have his legal defense costs reimbursed by Illinois taxpayers, thanks to a unanimous decision handed down last week

Summerguide | Thursday, May 23,2013

Loco-motion

Springfield’s race schedule is crazy!

By Patrick Yeagle

The gallons of sweat, aching muscles and months of training have led to this: race day. You’re at the starting line with dozens, hundreds or even thousands of other people, your mind amped up an

News | Thursday, May 23,2013

Fracking bill draws harsh criticism in Statehouse

Protestors claim deceit over controversial drilling process

By Patrick Yeagle

In the formerly quiet towns of western North Dakota, there are new strangers arriving every day. New housing is being erected at a breakneck pace, and newfound wealth is flowing quickly into the rolli

News | Thursday, May 23,2013

Oil wells not so well

Edinburg couple soured on oil production at their farm

By Patrick Yeagle

Paula Cook has had it with oil. She and her husband, Jim Cook, live on the 65-acre farm Paula’s ancestors owned 100 years ago. Located outside Edinburg, about 20 miles east of Springfield, the f

News | Thursday, May 16,2013

Juvenile Justice shows progress

Fewer youth in prison, but mental health care still lacking

By Patrick Yeagle

When the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice was created in 2006, the state’s youth prisons held 1,500 juvenile offenders. Today, there are fewer than 900 kids behind bars in Illinois juveni

News | Thursday, May 16,2013

Betting on bikes

City may adopt bike plan as infrastructure improvements begin

By Patrick Yeagle

Kevin Greene of Springfield still remembers getting his first bicycle as a child. “It took me a long time to figure out how to ride a bike, but once I learned, I never looked back,” Greene

News | Thursday, May 9,2013

Bringing people back downtown

The effort to revive the heart of Springfield

By Patrick Yeagle

When Jasper Madonia started working in downtown Springfield in 1939, the downtown was a different place from today. He describes a bustling place so busy that he had to push his way through the crowds

News | Wednesday, May 1,2013

Courting favor

Court reporters question handling of cases

By Patrick Yeagle

On the night of Dec. 7, 2011, a Southern View police officer saw a vehicle run a stop sign and then belatedly stop in the middle of the road, right in front of his cruiser. The officer pulled th