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NEED A PLAN
Nine days. That’s how long it’s been since a city-owned water main put five feet of water in the basements on Monroe Street — and the businesses hit hardest still don’t have answers (“Derailed but not deterred, Sept. 4). Not a claims process. Not a timeline. Not a plan.
The crews who fixed the pipe did their jobs, around the clock, and they deserve the credit. But fixing the pipe was half the job. The Bus Stop poured five months and their savings into a grand opening that never happened, and today their recovery plan is a GoFundMe and a fundraiser their alderwoman, Lakeisha Purchase, had to host herself — while she says she’s still waiting on the city’s recovery plan. Read that again: the alderwoman is waiting, too.
After the Adams Street fire, Café Moxo left downtown. That’s the pattern when recovery is slow: the pipe gets fixed, the business leaves. Which one is the city planning to repeat?
If you want downtown Springfield to be more than a construction zone with memories, share this until somebody at city hall answers the question: what’s the plan for the businesses?
Charles Buckley
Via Facebook.com/illinoistimes
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
Thank you for featuring one of central Illinois’ most generous and dedicated blood donors in David Blanchette’s piece “Saving lives one pint at a time” (Aug. 6). ImpactLife is fortunate to have the support of David Butt as a “Donor For Life.” During his years as an emergency management director for Springfield and Sangamon County, Butt dedicated his career to ensuring the local community was prepared for any disaster or emergency scenario. And he continued that mission outside of working hours and in retirement as a dedicated blood donor who has made more than 400 whole blood and platelet donations.
Donors who give blood with ImpactLife support patient needs for more than 130 hospitals and emergency medical services teams in our four-state service region, including the Memorial Health and HSHS Illinois health systems. Butt has impacted thousands of lives across our region as a donor and advocate for our mission. It will be fitting to see his outstanding record as a blood donor recognized through his induction to the Fresenius Kabi Blood Donation Hall of Fame later this year.
Blood providers rely on consistent, reliable patterns of blood donation to ensure our ability to provide a strong and stable blood supply, especially during the challenging summer months. We appreciate your focus on blood donation and on David’s noteworthy achievement as a blood donor, and we hope others will be inspired to follow his example by visiting bloodcenter.org to find opportunities give blood and help save lives in their own community.
Katie Marchik, Impact Life COO
Davenport, Iowa
NEED ACCOUNTABILITY
I was a prosecutor for many years and a trial judge for probably 150 felony trials. The problems noted in this article are not only in “special prosecutor” offices (“The wrong side of justice,” Aug. 13). In Illinois have we already forgotten that there was a time when more people in our state were wrongly convicted by prosecutorial misconduct than were awaiting execution?
Even with all of the documented examples of attorney misconduct, I don’t believe one attorney has ever been charged with misconduct. Illinois is not alone in failing to address this problem. Most states across the nation turn a blind eye to this behavior.
Stuart Shiffman
Springfield
FALSE ALARM
If some people would stop pushing the “elections are rigged” and “illegals are voting” bullshit, the need wouldn’t be there (“Keeping the peace,” Aug. 13).
Lisita Jimenez Bandy
Via Facebook.com/illinoistimes
INTIMIDATION
According to every Democrat state, having the police or Department of Justice monitors at polling places is intimidation. If having the police at a polling place is intimidation, then having police at the State Board of Elections to monitor any of the processes is also intimidation.
Ken Zitko
Via Facebook.com/illinoistimes
CAN’T BE TOO CAREFUL
When dealing with money or votes, better to have more eyes on it, rather than fewer.
Liz Sod
Via Facebook.com/illinoistimes
This article appears in September 10-16, 2026.
