Cover Story
Springfield Clinic disrupts area health care industry
Two recently opened rooms overlooking Springfield Clinic’s main campus hold the promise of shorter waits for patients who need the blood vessels feeding their hearts examined or treated for potentially life-threatening blockages. Two miles away, a new Urgent Care Plus, scheduled to open in January near Springfield’s two acute-care hospitals, is designed to serve many…
Politicians ponder next moves
We’re less than nine months from when candidates can begin circulating petitions for the 2026 election, so we’re rapidly approaching the time when major figures will need to decide whether to run or not. Because of that, a lot of people are polling. The state’s two big dogs, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin and Gov. JB…
Nearly 300 new Illinois laws take effect in 2025
Time to study up, Illinois. When the clock hits midnight on New Year’s Day, 293 new state laws will take effect. Those include some of the defining bills of the 2024 legislative session and others that will change how people get IDs, evaluate job postings and even cancel gym memberships. In addition to the laws…
Budget pressures could impact K-12 funding
Public schools in Illinois have enjoyed several consecutive years of substantial increases in state funding, thanks largely to steady growth in state revenues and a new funding formula that lawmakers approved in 2018. But whether that can continue into the upcoming fiscal year is an open question that state lawmakers will have to face when…
United Way plays crucial role in addressing community’s challenges
The United Way of Central Illinois holds a unique and vital position in our community. It serves as a bridge between those who can give and those who are in need, fostering a culture of collaboration, compassion and collective impact. From mobilizing volunteers to uniting local nonprofits around shared goals, United Way plays a crucial…
Two timeless classics return to big screen
The Legacy Theatre is doing it again. This time it is bringing not one but two timeless film classics to the big screen this weekend. Here’s your chance to see Frank Capra’s 1946 holiday favorite It’s a Wonderful Life, starring Jimmy Stewart, on Dec. 20 followed by the 1944 MGM love story Meet Me in…
A morality tale in Juror #2, Tyler Perry falls short with Six Triple Eight, Fire Inside more than a fight film
Complex Juror an intriguing morality tale Clint Eastwood is on firm ground with his latest fim, Juror #2, a film that requires a huge leap of faith, but once it’s established, the drama that plays out is on par with its most obvious antecedent, 12 Angry Men. Nicholas Hoult takes on the titular role as…
Frank Lesko has two jobs, for now
Volunteers investigating one of the closest elections in area history have chronicled ballot irregularities to try to convince a judge that every vote cast in the Sangamon County recorder’s race should be recounted. With more than 100,000 votes cast, Republican challenger Frank Lesko edged out Democratic incumbent Josh Langfelder by a mere 31 votes. “What’s amazing is…
Referendum would give voters the option to recall future sheriffs
The odds appear to be against Democrats who are trying to convince the Republican-controlled Sangamon County Board to put a referendum on the April 1 ballot that would give voters the power to remove sheriffs from office. County Board member Sam Cahnman, a Springfield Democrat, said he will introduce his proposal to put the recall…
Editor’s note 12-19-24
That “little town of Bethlehem” is again lying still, now because tourists no longer flock there at Christmastime. For the second year in a row, there is no Christmas tree in Manger Square, and the Church of the Nativity is relatively deserted. This Israeli-occupied West Bank city just south of Jerusalem is not such a…
Letters to the editor 12-19-24
INVOLVE STAKEHOLDERS Ward 5 Ald. Lakeisha Purchase needs to involve all stakeholders in working on the ordinance (“Helping the unhoused,” Nov. 27). It doesn’t seem like she is, based on the article. Hopefully that will happen. We need to pull out the roots, not just the weed eating the exposed areas. Listen to the community…
Winter Solstice by daughter Damaris Jackson
Winter Solstice by daughter Damaris Jackson For those of us who still go out and yearn for signs of sun return on winter solstice, mystical, The balance-pause at end of breath; It seems that we should brush a nest In snow for pinecone eggs to rest, Or catch the hands of trees On fleetest impulse…
Baking with booze
“Why do you always put alcohol in desserts?” asked my 12-year-old in a singularly judgmental tone unique to adolescents. I paused with a bottle of brandy hovering over the edge of my stand mixer as it worked to cream butter and sugar. “Well, it’s cheaper than vanilla,” I responded. Indeed vanilla prices have been spiking…
Twas the weekend before Christmas music
Yo, ho, ho (plus another ho) and a bottle of Christmas cheer will get you here, there and nearly everywhere this weekend as we wind our way through the Yuletide season. With the big day on a Wednesday this year, our upcoming weekend of entertaining entertainment opportunities has been left unscathed from the actual celebrated…
