COVER STORY
Tourism is up, but downtown is hurting
From his view on East Adams Street, Prairie Archives owner Robb Paul has witnessed firsthand how downtown Springfield has evolved. His secondhand bookstore at 522 E. Adams St. has been in the same spot since 1992, straight across from the Old…
LATEST NEWS
Strategy, not charity
“Why Foreign Assistance Matters” was the topic of the April 14 World Affairs Council of Central Illinois program at Illini…
Tackling chronic absenteeism
A new joint initiative between the Sangamon County State’s Attorney’s Office and the Regional Office of Education is taking a…
Logan County to consider data center regulations
Logan County officials could take action in May to change local zoning requirements to both accommodate developers of large-scale data…
Faculty at UIS reach tentative agreement to end strike
Faculty at the University of Illinois Springfield ended a more than two-week strike on Monday after reaching an agreement with…
New leadership for Sangamon County Democrats
A Chatham resident and union activist will head the Sangamon County Democratic Party for the next two years, succeeding longtime…
Sangamon Auditorium to reopen in October with major upgrades
After more than a year without performances, there’s finally a date to circle on the calendar: Sangamon Auditorium is set…
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NEWSLETTER
News
‘Credit card chaos’? Financial institutions bet big on repeal of first-of-its-kind Illinois law
“Credit cards may not work for sales tax or tips starting July 1.” By now, you’ve heard that claim, but…
A welcoming place
By 2024, Greg Kanter had been out as a gay, ordained rabbi for nearly three decades, a pioneer of sorts,…
A heated city council meeting
What former Springfield police chief Michael Walton said after speaking to the City Council on April 7 remains in dispute,…
Springfield slated to lose ambulance provider
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect comments from Springfield Fire Chief Nicholas Zummo. LifeStar Ambulance Service Inc.,…
opinion
Letters to the editor
GOOD PLAY, BAD JOKE I saw the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee musical put on at the Hoogland Center for the Arts. I…
Invest in residents first
Downtown Springfield is the heart of our city, but more importantly, it is a neighborhood. It belongs first to the people who live here,…
A case for data center growth
This month’s CyrusOne zoning petition vote was not partisan, and the Democrats on the Sangamon County Board split evenly on this vote. The Board…
Poll finds support for data center regulation
In a mid-March poll, 68 percent of likely Illinois voters said they would support legislation to “regulate data centers to minimize their impact on…
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Food and drink
Classic French toast
Brunch season is upon us! Whether you’re in the mood for laid back and lazy or showstopping and decadent –…
Ooey gooey goodness
Now in my third year at Champaign’s Prairie Fruits Farm and Creamery, I stay busy working at Caprae, our farm-to-table…
Strawberry season
Many may be surprised to learn that strawberries are not technically a fruit or even a berry. Botanically, strawberries are…
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Music
April ending music
As we wind up our last weekend in April for live music adventures, the weather looks good…
Get Free Music Series: The art of the squirrel call
Now beginning its third year, the Get Free Music Series is a local showcase for free jazz…
Music blooms in April
With this warmer than usual weather, we’re seeing early bloomers of outdoor shows ever so slightly. It…
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ARTS AND CULTURE
Body lasts too long, Mummy far more than a monster movie
Body becomes a bit ripe On Monday, April 20, an op-ed appeared in the New York Times with the headline “Movies are Bullying Us with…
Symphony
When I was small my mom would lie on the couch on Sunday afternoon with a cloth over her eyes and listen to the symphony…
Voices of America
Voices of America Festival “I, Too, Sing America” | Fri., April 24, 7:30-10:30 p.m. Foundation Hall, Old State Capitol Voices of America Festival “This Land…
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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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