Illinois death penalty repealed

Advocates say work isn’t over

The death penalty has been abolished in Illinois, but advocates say the fight isn’t over.On March 9, Gov. Pat Quinn signed Senate Bill 3539, which abolishes the death penalty and redirects money

Mayor candidates break from the past

Proposals to increase minority hiring, cut spending and promote economic development

Reform is the theme in the race for mayor, as the candidates begin outlining their plans to change how the city operates. At a public forum on March 3, three of the four candidates for Springfield may

Houston calls for better enforcement on blight

Mayoral candidate vows to address vacant properties

Springfield has too many abandoned buildings, according to mayoral candidate Mike Houston, but he says he has a plan    Standing in front of the dilapidated, boarded-up house at 826 N.

Springfield weathers economic storm better than other cities

Springfield took an economic hit during the recent economic recession, but the city fared better than much of the country, according to new data from the federal government.Data released Feb. 24 by th

Quinn calls for cuts to social services

‘Debt restructuring’ would still leave providers suffering

Gov. Pat Quinn wants to borrow billions of dollars to pay the state’s backlogged bills, but social service providers could still face cuts.Illinois owes billions in overdue payments to mental he

Advocates: ‘Don’t prosecute teens for consensual sex’

Bill would change law for Romeo and Juliet

If Romeo were alive today, he would be a sex offender.That’s the situation with Illinois sex offender laws, say reformers calling for changes to laws they say unfairly stigmatize low-risk teenag

Will the next mayor please step forward?

So many candidates, so few bold ideas

Every candidate has ideas for what they will do when they are elected mayor. Spend more wisely, they say. Encourage business growth, develop the medical district and bring in more tourists. Get rid of

Death penalty fight not over

Capital punishment proponents call for public referendum

Though a bill to end the death penalty in Illinois awaits only the governor’s signature, proponents of capital punishment are calling instead for a public referendum on repeal.Saying the death p

Parking war

Proposed parking fine increase causes clash in city council

Parking in Springfield is cheap. Visitors from Chicago sometimes joke that it’s cheaper to get a parking ticket here than to simply pay the meter in their city. But that could change with a prop

Illinois health reform continues

GOP threats of repeal haven’t swayed state