Judge sides with Illinois Times reporter on Open Meetings question

Does minimum wage boost help or hurt?

Higher minimum wage doesn’t mean fewer jobs, report says

Increasing the minimum wage doesn’t cause job loss as commonly thought, according to researchers pushing for a higher minimum wage in Illinois. State lawmakers will likely consider a bill this m

Black marshals get their due

Springfield author tours nation to share history

Bass Reeves once single-handedly arrested 19 horse thieves. A deputy U.S. Marshal from 1875 to 1907, Reeves made more than 3,000 arrests and even once arrested his own son who was wanted for murder. B

Ponzi victims seeking restitution and donations

Investigators try to round up stolen funds

He may be no Bernie Madoff, but James U. Dodge of Springfield still managed to scam dozens of people across central Illinois out of almost $1.8 million. And even though Dodge was convicted of two coun

Lawsuit claims Illinois illegally withholds treatment for kids

Proposes better treatment for behavioral disorders

A class action lawsuit against the state of Illinois alleges state welfare agencies illegally withhold treatment for children with emotional and behavioral disorders. The lawsuit could affect more tha

Developer blasts new Enos School plan

District 186 defends decision to build rather than renovate

A Springfield developer with plans to revamp part of the Mid-Illinois Medical District says Springfield School District 186’s plan to replace the current Enos Elementary School is likely to cost

Honor system for air pollution?

Draft permit for coal plant doesn’t require carbon capture

As state regulators prepare to issue a permit for a state-of-the-art “clean coal” plant planned for Taylorville, one environmental group criticizes the proposed permit for not specifically

Don’t blame community banks

Local banks didn’t cause the financial crisis, but they pay for it through increased regulation

It could have been avoided.The housing crash, the widespread home foreclosures, the credit crisis, the rampant bank closures, and ultimately the Great Recession of the past four years never had to hap

Are Nehemiah Homes public or private?

Tenant questions management practices, fights eviction

Aretha Thompson of Springfield said she and her two children were blessed to move into a house in the Nehemiah Homes neighborhood in March 2010. The subsidized housing development was a welcome change

The man behind ‘Old Stoneface’

DON HICKMAN Sept. 1, 1937 – Nov. 19, 2011