Spending cap will ‘strangle’ state services

The Illinois General Assembly passed a tax increase and a cap on government spending this month, but at least one budget expert says the spending cap will strangle public services as costs rise.The ta

Weighed down

A struggling parent company creates tension at the State Journal-Register

The State Journal-Register is as much a part of Springfield as Abraham Lincoln. In fact, the city’s only daily newspaper even carries an accolade from Lincoln on its editorial page. Formed in 19

Just get started

Finding fresh enthusiasm for health and wellness

It happened so subtly that I hardly noticed. From junior high through the beginning of college, I got fat. At just over six feet tall and weighing more than 270 pounds, I was positively obese –

State union accepts halved raises

Agreement prevents layoffs and saves state $50 million

Prison advocates: Reinstate early release

Group wants fewer prisoners, more funding

Illinois should reinstate early prisoner release to address major problems in the state’s correctional system, says a reform group that monitors state prisons. The John Howard Association of Ill

‘He could win people over with a wink of an eye.’

TIMOTHY J. DAVLIN Aug. 27, 1957 – Dec. 14, 2010

The solemn drone of bagpipes fills the cold winter air as hundreds of pensive mourners shuffle into the towering white stone church. Inside sits a family coping with the sudden, unexplainable loss of

‘He loved the fire service.’

PAT WARD March 17, 1932 – Oct. 17, 2010

No one has had a greater impact on the Springfield Fire Department than Pat Ward, say his friends and family. The former city commissioner was behind every major leap forward in the city’s fire

The deadly adventures of a southern Illinois gangster

During the Prohibition Era of speakeasies, swanky gangsters and machine gun massacres, Illinois was home to some of the most powerful and respected figures in the underworld. When it comes to Illinois

Late state payments decimate social services

Projected 52,000 social service jobs lost

Hope for drug addicts

Drug courts save money, change lives

Her uneasiness is reflected in the short, quick steps she takes as she approaches the judge’s bench. This thin, frail woman of about 30 years is in court on drug charges, and her frazzled hair,