LATEST NEWS
Intricate Minds has new downtown location
Last year, overdose deaths in Sangamon County decreased for the first time since 2019. So far, 2026 is on pace…
First Presbyterian plans open house to celebrate renovations
After three years of fundraising and renovation, the First Presbyterian Church onthe corner of Seventh Street and Capitol Avenue in…
Erin Conley not seeking reelection to city council
Ward 8 Ald. Erin Conley announced Sunday she won’t be seeking a third term on the Springfield City Council, leaving…
Family raises ALS research funds in honor of former Rochester teacher
Elizabeth Kennedy still remembers when her mother, Stephanie, first started experiencing neurological hurdles stemming from ALS. “My mom started experiencing…
COVER STORY
Changing demographics in Beardstown
Young people bearing the flags of countries in Latin America and Africa, along with girls dressed in traditional folkloric skirts, walked under the banner of a Latino civic organization in the recent Beardstown Fall Fun Festival parade, although it may be the last time the longstanding group participates. Claudia Zabala, an ESL middle school teacher,…
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NEWSLETTER
News
Former Norb Andy’s under contract
The mansion built by Virgil Hickox in 1839 at 518 E. Capitol Ave. has been vacant since Anchors Away, the…
Want to be an election judge?
Slots are still available for people interested in serving as an election judge on Nov. 3, according to the chief…
SMTD takes steps to replace Junction Circle transfer center
The Sangamon Mass Transit District is moving forward with an estimated $12 million project to build a new transfer hub…
Data center lawsuit could be tossed out
Circuit Judge Adam Giganti could soon decide whether a lawsuit regarding the Sangamon County Board’s approval for the county’s first…
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Previous Issues
opinion
Welch budget comments raise eyebrows
Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch raised some eyebrows after he attended a meeting in suburban River Forest to talk about the proposed “O’Hare Flyer”…
Letters to the editor 10/8/26
We welcome letters. Please include your full name, address and telephone number. We edit all letters. Send them to editor@illinoistimes.com. WHY SO NEGATIVE? Springfield…
Paid influencers and political ads
My associate Isabel Miller and I worked on a story last week about paid influencers in campaigns. We decided to look into it after…
Letters to the editor
BIG WIN Last spring, Jamie Toole (at the time chief storyteller of the Springfield Lucky Horseshoes) came and spoke at an Enos Park neighborhood…
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Food and drink
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…
Glorious gratins
A gratin, according to the late chef Julia Child, is simply a preparation in which the top of a sauced…
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Music
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…
The giver of Springfield
The Springfield Choral Society will host a festival that honors a Springfield native, Julius Rosenwald, under the…
Going for October music
My goodness, this is what we dream of for October weather with the reality being even better.…
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ARTS AND CULTURE
Maintaining our fervor in ordinary time
Today on the Jewish calendar marks the beginning of a new lunar month, the second month of the liturgical year. The month of Tishri, which…
Megan Stoller interview
From helping patients navigate cancer treatments to helping families tackle head lice, Megan Stoller has found herself in two very different worlds of healthcare. Recently…
A drive-through diaper giveaway
Laurel United Methodist Church volunteers will distribute free diapers to anyone in need on Saturday, Oct. 17, and Saturday, Nov. 21, between 9:45 a.m. and…
> More Arts and Culture
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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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.
