Doris Turner says that 65 percent of the people within the Third Ward do not have sidewalks, something she hopes to change if elected to the alderman post in the April 5 election. Infrastructure and p]]> When MacArthur Frazier, the owner of Mac’s Lounge, 1231 E. Cook St., first heard last week about the state’s new tax increase on beer, wine and hard alcohol — included as ]]> Lawmakers who opposed Illinois’ civil union law in 2010 now face a renewed battle – this time for their reelection.  “We want lawmakers to understand that if they oppose civil r]]> Debate over short-term loan businesses on MacArthur Boulevard has erupted anew three years after the Springfield City Council restricted the proliferation of businesses that profit from making install]]> Illinois would make public the tax data of publicly traded companies under a bill passed by the state Senate last week, but business interests say the move would put some companies at a competitive di]]> The Barrel Head, a popular tavern at 1577 W. Wabash in Jerome, has shut down amid a foreclosure battle with Illinois National Bank.A closed sign appeared on the tavern door on Labor Day weekend and re]]> 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]]> It’s not every day that a serial killer helps a writer solve a crime, so when Diane Fanning, a Texas true-crime author, received a letter from convicted killer Tommy Lynn Sells admitting to a mu]]> Momentum is already building for just the change prescribed earlier this week when Enos Park, a historical but declining Springfield neighborhood, unveiled its redevelopment strategy. The master plan ]]> District 186 Superintendent Dr. Walter Milton dreams of a Springfield public school system full of “choice,” with a series of magnet schools, which accept students regardless of where they]]> Sangamon County state’s attorney John Milhiser is considering criminal charges against Springfield workers who cut down a tree on property owned by a relative of one of the city employees.&ldquo]]> While a brouhaha over anonymous emails has resulted in the resignation of a top aide to University of Illinois president Michael Hogan, there have been no apparent consequences for a University of Ill]]> Scribbled in blue and yellow chalk on the cinderblock wall of a garage plunked in the middle of a Divernon cornfield, these nine words remind Illuminati Motor Works — a team of local engineers, automotive technicians, and car enthusiasts — what’s at stake. “Somebody has to do something, that somebody is us.” Scribbled in blue and yellow chalk on the cinderblock wall of a garage plunk]]> As Michael Redpath celebrated his last day of freedom with a gathering at his North End home, his neighbors quietly rejoiced. Several women who]]> As the Blagojevich administration and AFSCME gear up for another round of court proceedings regarding the closing of the Pontiac Correctional Center, Taylorville is “gravely” ]]>