LATEST NEWS
City Council to weigh ShotSpotter renewal
ShotSpotter, an acoustic system that detects gunshots, will be up for debate and possibly a final vote by the Springfield…
Candidates file for Springfield City Council seats
Monday marked the first day to file candidate petitions for the municipal elections this spring, and hopeful candidates lined up…
UIS to host talk on environmental impact of data centers
The University of Illinois Springfield is hosting a presentation on Wednesday, Oct. 21, focused on the environmental impacts of artificial…
Sean Grayson’s conviction will stand
Sean Grayson’s murder conviction for the 2024 shooting death of Sonya Massey will remain on the books after his death…
COVER STORY
Vigilante justice
Jeff Bast, who goes by Millstone the Klown on social media, says he is protecting children. His online following has brought scrutiny to people on the sex offender registry – and fear and lost work to people around them. Lucy Reid took down the signs in broad daylight. They had been posted around Winchester for…
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NEWSLETTER
News
Illinois medical debt relief program surpasses $1B goal in two years
The state has erased over $1.4 billion in medical debt for almost 700,000 Illinoisans for pennies on the dollar, two…
Small but spirited crowd at No Kings Rally
Saturday’s No Kings rally brought passion and spirit to the steps of the Illinois Statehouse, although the crowd was smaller than…
Neighbors seek answers in ongoing Washington Street apartments saga
Neighbors shared their concerns and outrage during a recent public forum discussing the status of an environmentally hazardous, vacant, apartment…
Frank Lesko challenges Doris Turner
Frank Lesko wants voters to send him to the Illinois Senate to cut the cost of government. Doris Turner wants…
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Previous Issues
opinion
Ethics laws and good advice
The Legislative Ethics Commission Chair said last week that the LEC will meet soon and discuss whether to recommend changes to state ethics laws…
Ghosts
You know how some movie stars are when they try to make a comeback. Yeah, they’re a little old now, and not all the…
Landlord registry would harm tenants
A landlord registry in Springfield will vastly increase rents for many low-income tenants. Consider this scenario: A man buys a house in 2016 for…
Letters to the editor
NEED A LANDLORD REGISTRY While Molly Wallace was gathering information for her article, there were many tenants and employees who work with or for…
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Food and drink
The secret to tender meat
With soaring grocery prices, I’ve been passing up the expensive, well-marbled T-bone steaks for more affordable proteins. Top-notch ingredients will…
How to make homemade caramel
Making scratch-made caramel can be daunting. Between the intimidating prospect of boiling sugar and the risk of it seizing up…
Sweet starch science
In 2022, I worked in the research and development lab at Audrey Restaurant in Nashville. Our owner-chef, Sean Brock, and…
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Music
Mid-October music making
As we move away from a warm October and head into more seasonal weather, some cool events…
Hardcore sax and drums
The Get Free Music Series, presented by the Music Program of University of Illinois Springfield, continues its…
Chicago Farmer to perform Oct. 16 at Arlington’s
Cody Diekhoff – aka Chicago Farmer – is a central Illinois-based singer and songwriter. He and Micah…
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ARTS AND CULTURE
Hope grows here
A singular mission drives Julie Henderson: “I don’t want my daughter to ever have to hearthe words ‘you have breast cancer’.” That’s why Julie, a…
Ali Siddiq at UIS Friday, Oct. 23
A truly great comedian is like an orchestra conductor. The instruments are not the jokes but the audience itself: the laughter of the crowd is…
Carlinville chosen as Hallmark’s Merriest Christmas Town in nationwide contest
What began as a community photo opportunity on the lawn of the historic Macoupin County Courthouse turned into a Christmas surprise worthy of a Hallmark…
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Best Of Springfield 2025
See the results Every year, we ask our opinionated readers to tell us about their favorite people, places and things in the Springfield area. Over the decades we’ve been doing this, we’ve continued to tweak both the process and the results issue to try to keep things fresh and interesting. While anything food-related typically dominates…
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We are dedicated to giving our readers a source of news and opinions on local politics, communities, culture and the arts. We have the Springfield area’s most comprehensive calendar of events – coverage of movies, dining, music, visual arts and the printed word. We offer stories you won’t find anywhere else on topics ranging from city and state government to marijuana to prison reform to education.
