Breaking news
Illinois Times names CEO
As Illinois Times completes its transition to a nonprofit, Kate McKenzie has been chosen as the organization’s first CEO. McKenzie holds a master’s degree in Public Affairs Reporting from University of Illinois Springfield. She worked for Shaw Media publications, where she was editor of the Joliet Herald-News and Morris Herald-News, before taking a job with…
COVER STORY
Ancient roots, modern future
The air inside the sanctuary was thick with incense. A priest in embroidered vestments chanted ancient prayers as parishioners stood shoulder to shoulder. Some bowed deeply before painted icons of Jesus of Nazareth and the saints. Others crossed themselves repeatedly as…
LATEST NEWS
DSI names executive director, presents annual awards
The Downtown Springfield, Inc. (DSI) board of directors has appointed Jay Shanle as the nonprofit’s new executive director. “I’m incredibly…
New police chief for Leland Grove
The Leland Grove City Council unanimously approved hiring Kenton Oliver as the new Leland Grove chief of police at a…
County Board votes to table data center proposal
After almost three hours of constituents mostly deriding the idea of a data center in Sangamon County, the County Board…
Companies could be on the hook for work-related activities before and after shifts start, court rules
Illinois law does not specifically shield companies from having to pay employees for time spent completing required pre- and post-work…
Leland Grove police chief’s license to be suspended
Starting March 23, Leland Grove Police Chief Dan Ryan will not be able to drive a motor vehicle while he’s…
UIS faculty and service workers vote to authorize strike
Members of the University Professionals of Illinois (UPI) Tenure / Tenure Track and Service Workers unions of University of Illinois…
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NEWSLETTER
News
Logan County takes its time on data center proposal
A recently approved 60-day moratorium on accepting applications for data centers will help Logan County Board members become better informed…
Limited environmental assessment of data center
After months of hearings and discussions, the Sangamon County Board seems poised to approve plans for the county’s first data…
Illinois governor’s race will be a rematch in 2026
Republican voters in Illinois have once again chosen former state Sen. Darren Bailey as their candidate for governor, giving him…
“Business as usual” at BUNN, for now
When BUNN, in business in Springfield since 1840, announced on March 11 that it had been sold to food service…
opinion
Voter turnout analysis
The trend in special elections around the country for the past several months has shown spiking Democratic voter turnout and tanking Republican turnout. And…
Editor’s note
This is a milestone to celebrate – hiring our new CEO, naming a new editor and changing to a nonprofit company. It’s good, and…
Explanation for first responder hiring challenges
Thank you to Illinois Times for covering the city of Springfield’s annual budget (“An overview of Springfield’s finances,” March 4). Now that the budget…
Letters to the editor
HIGHER STANDARDS Thank you for the in-depth story about Leland Grove Police Chief Dan Ryan’s recent arrest (“Leland Grove police chief granted pretrial release,”…
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Food and drink
Two cheers for chives
The past week was a tough one for plant lovers. The first half of the month was unseasonably warm, precipitating…
An ancient food preservation method for today
Confit and rillettes are two traditional methods of food preservation. Dating back to ancient civilizations, these methods originated as a…
Irish soda bread
The sweet, raisin-studded soda bread that many of us Americans know and love is about as authentically Irish as corned…
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Music
Music through March
Here we go into the last weekend of March with weather that to say the least –…
March to the music
As we leave behind the recent blast of uninvited, somewhat unexpected and definitely unwanted wintry weather and…
St. Pat’s parties on
As we continue to march along through the times, the time has come to celebrate the Irish…
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ARTS AND CULTURE
Mike saved by veteran cast, Lethal is efficiently executed
Mike in desperate need of wit There’s a good idea rattling around in BenDavid Grabinski’s Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice. Before enduring this…
Vet tale
My student, married to a vet, told this story: A woman entrusted her precious cat to our clinic. The cat promptly got loose and disappeared. …
Sangamon County Fair Appreciation Night
FAIRS AND FESTIVALS | Night of music, food planned Sponsors, volunteers and community members are invited to a special evening of appreciation for those who…
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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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