COVER STORY
Behind the scenes at District 186 schools
The 2025 Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) Report Card that tracks performance at the state’s public schools showed that six Springfield District 186 schools had improved their designations and four schools’ designations had declined (“State report card improves for District…
LATEST NEWS
State looks to expand manufacturing training at community colleges
As the U.S. sheds manufacturing jobs, Illinois is accepting applications for $24 million in grant funding to establish training facilities…
Illinois joins WHO global outbreak network after U.S. withdraws
Illinois will join the World Health Organization’s Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network, or GOARN, to counterbalance the federal government’s…
Child care funding freeze could worsen shortage in Illinois, providers say
Pamela Franks, owner of Playful Steps Child Care, has been taking care of low-income children and their families in her…
Both data center plans move forward
Plans for a $500 million data center to be built by Dallas-based CyrusOne in rural southwest Sangamon County could receive…
Student loan borrowers in Illinois could face federal, state ‘tax bomb’ in 2026
For the first time in five years, certain forms of student loan forgiveness will be taxable following a change in…
Former Springfield police sergeant sentenced for DUI
A woman who almost lost her life because of a crash caused by Michael Egan said the 90-day jail sentence…
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NEWSLETTER
News
Sean Grayson receives maximum sentence
A Sangamon County judge on Jan. 29 gave former sheriff’s deputy Sean Grayson the maximum sentence – 20 years in…
Paula Crouch faces primary opponent
The woman appointed as the new Sangamon County sheriff in the wake of the July 2024 murder of Sonya Massey…
Terrance Jordan slated for superintendent
The Springfield Public Schools District 186 Board of Education has recommended Terrance Jordan to serve as the next superintendent, succeeding…
New SNAP work requirements go into effect Feb. 1, threatening recipient eligibility
New work requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program go into effect Feb. 1, threatening benefits for hundreds of thousands…
opinion
New wisdom for a dangerous world
“We live in a world – the real world, Jake – that is governed by strength, that is governed by force, that is governed…
Senate candidates debate
The top three Democratic U.S. Senate candidates faced off twice last week. The first debate wasn’t televised, so the live audience was quite small.…
Letters to the editor 1/29/26
We welcome letters. Please include your full name, address and telephone number. We edit all letters. Send them to editor@illinoistimes.com. THANKS FOR ELECTRIC RELIEF…
Bears’ Indiana gambit changes tone of legislators
Illinois House Democrats were told last week that a state capital projects plan designed to assist Arlington Height’s bid to lure the Chicago Bears…
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Food and drink
Braised lamb shanks
Meltingly tender and deeply aromatic, a meal of slow-braised lamb shanks provides a generous serving of stick-to-your ribs comfort food…
Hangover? Nothing beats “Old Sober”
Two decades ago, I attended an outstanding performance by the Derek Trucks Band at Tipitina’s in Uptown New Orleans. The…
One-pot rice dinners
Ready in under an hour, inexpensive and pantry friendly, these one-pot rice dinners are infinitely riffable and a dependable workhorse…
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Music
January music finish
As we work our way through the last weekend in January, Old Man Winter and all his…
Here we have music
Mush, my frigid friends, as we go full frozen tundra time to see what goes on in…
Music in mid-January
As the new year rolls along our community keeps up a steady flow of live music performances…
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ARTS AND CULTURE
Save one life at a time
“Whoever saves a single life is considered by scripture to have saved the whole world.” (Talmud, Sanhedrin 37a). These words were among the scriptures quoted…
Wrecking Crew needs innovation, The Morrigan a worthwhile shocker
Bautista, Mamoa nearly salvage Wrecking Crew With the coming of sound to the film industry in 1927, the movie musical was born. Studios were so…
Photographer to discuss his images of local bald eagles and more
In two short programs, local wildlife photographer Brian Bowles will present his images and talk with participants about how they can find and identify local…
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Best of Springfield®
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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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