COVER STORY
The Wedding Issue 2026
More than 40% of engagements in the U.S. occur between Thanksgiving andValentine’s Day, so this is the time of year many couples are startingto plan their weddings. We talked to area business owners involved inthe wedding industry to find out the…
LATEST NEWS
Lawmakers seek to regulate new data centers’ power, water usage
Amid concerns about data centers’ impact on prices, electricity supplies and the environment, two Illinois lawmakers have introduced a bill…
Union president asked for leniency for Grayson
The president of the union that represents deputies in the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office pleaded with a judge to be…
Marc Bell drops out of sheriff’s race
The only Democrat whose name will be on the March 17 primary ballot for Sangamon County sheriff decided Feb. 9…
Leland Grove police chief granted pretrial release
The day after Leland Grove Police Chief Dan Ryan was arrested for domestic battery and driving under the influence, Sangamon…
LLCC names new president
Lincoln Land Community College has named Curt Oldfield as its next president. Oldfield currently is president of Spoon River College,…
Valente versus Cahnman
Miguel Valente, a 25-year-old budget analyst in the Illinois Governor’s Office of Management and Budget is running in the March…
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NEWSLETTER
News
New craft grow operation in the works
Justin Conder is only 40 years old with a sturdy build and firm handshake, but gray already specks his otherwise…
Continuing her legacy
Members of Sonya Massey’s family, who declared victory with the recent sentencing of her killer to a 20-year prison term,…
“This is chemical trespass.”
More than 700 Illinois schools are within a quarter-mile of crop fields, yet state law doesn’t require pesticide applicators to…
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…
opinion
Editors note 2/12/26
Once a month Springfield welcomes the world. At 7 p.m. Feb. 19, the World Affairs Council of Central Illinois hosts Reyna Torres Mendivil, consul…
Letters to the editor 2/12/26
We welcome letters. Please include your full name, address and telephone number. We edit all letters. Send them to editor@illinoistimes.com. NOT JUSTICE I rent…
Put new spending ideas on hold
Gov. JB Pritzker announced a plan last week to “manage Illinois pension commitments through a set of proposals designed to build on the state’s…
America’s Parkopolis
The Scots poet Robert Burns famously said (I’m using the version in English) “Oh, would some power gift us / To see ourselves as others…
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Food and drink
Make your own crêpes
Equally well suited to a romantic night in or a Champagne-infused Galentine’s brunch, crêpes are a sophisticated yet playful choice…
Farmer’s cheese pancakes
Preserving food was vital for survival before modern refrigeration, especially for milk, which was plentiful in the summer but scarce…
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…
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Music
Weekend music cram
My goodness, there’s a lot going on this weekend and I’m just talking about days of significance…
February music fun
Fancy this. my fellow February friends. Suppose you live in a world that offers live music at…
January music finish
As we work our way through the last weekend in January, Old Man Winter and all his…
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ARTS AND CULTURE
Wreath-laying ceremony at Lincoln’s Tomb
Started by World War I Veterans and members of The American Legion in 1935, the Legion’s annual pilgrimage to the Lincoln Tomb in Oak Ridge…
Desperation drives Crime 101 characters, Good Luck is whiplash-inducing ride
Exceptional Crime a study of desperation Though it is being touted as an action film, Bart Layton’s gripping Crime 101 actually consists of multiple character…
Heart and soul: A legacy built on love
February holds two truths at once: It’s a month where we pay homage to Black history. We honor the names, the hands, the kitchens and…
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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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