Ask a veteran hockey player about their parents, and they’ll often answer: Which ones? For players that had enough talent to play for a junior hockey team, such as the Springfield Jr. Blues of the North American Hockey League, there were their regular parents and their billet parents. New Jr. Blues defenseman Brady Anundsen, 17, […]
Adrian Dater
Adrian Dater, a longtime former sportswriter in Denver and author of seven books, moved to Springfield in 2023 to get his first taste of life in the Midwest.
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The saga of Colton Lexus
Colton Lexus is going from a tiny home to the big house. The 31-year-old, who became something of a cause celebre in challenging Springfield’s zoning laws by trying to live off the grid on a vacant lot within city limits, was found guilty last week of aggravated battery and discharge of a firearm by a […]
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The Super Bowl of motorcycle racing
As it is to the fifth-generation farmer on the homestead, the dirt at the oval track of the Springfield Mile is sacred ground to 40-year-old Jared Mees. He’s won the annual motorcycle race in the capital city 10 times, and with it a lot of prize money. He also was married on the soil of […]
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The secret to staying young
A banana every morning, along with a glass of milk, and some pickleball in the afternoon. For Donald Taft, at least, this is his recommended elixir to older people who want to keep drinking from the fountain of youth. At 93, the longtime Springfield restaurateur is believed to be the oldest active pickleball player in […]
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Pickleball for all
Dale Diamond doesn’t need pickleball to stay busy. At 84, he still works five days a week as a parts and service driver at Isringhausen Imports and remains an accomplished bowler. Weekends, however, are reserved for the game he fell in love with several years ago. “Most of my contemporaries play pickleball every morning, but […]
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Prairie problems
Illinois is nicknamed the “Prairie State,” but the city of Springfield didn’t want Wolfgang Arterberry to have an actual prairie as his front yard. “Overgrown grass and weeds throughout entire property must be mowed,” reads a letter dated July 9 to Arterberry and his wife, Gina, from Dalton Kinison, a housing inspector with the city. […]
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Another league of their own
For the last 34 years, women’s baseball has been known primarily for one thing: A movie. The 1992 hit film, A League of Their Own, paid homage to the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, which played from 1943-54 and briefly had a team in Springfield, the Sallies. There was no baseball boom for women after […]
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City wins first round of tiny house battle
Colton Lexus stayed Wednesday night at the Carpenter Hotel, with funds he said were provided by his grandmother. Where is Lexus staying Thursday night and beyond? “I don’t know right now. I’m hoping there is a shelter I can get into for the time being,” Lexus said. Lexus can no longer sleep in either of […]
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Illinois Sports Hall of Fame slated for Legacy Pointe
Chicago Bulls fans who want to see authentic Michael Jordan memorabilia in a hall of fame can do that, provided they make the journey to the NBA Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts. Soon, if all goes as planned, Springfield, Illinois, will also be home to Jordan artifacts, not to mention any other famous players […]
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Tiny house owner has his day in court
The fight between the city of Springfield and Chase Hadez, aka Colton Lexus, is going to the next round. The city filed a petition July 9 with the Sangamon County Seventh Judicial Circuit Court for a preliminary injunction that would require Lexus to immediately cease and desist living in tiny home structures on his property […]
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Leadership change for Lucky Horseshoes
When their announcement went live on their social media platforms the morning of July 9, it would have been understandable if diehard fans of the Springfield Lucky Horseshoes went into panic mode. “As the 2026 season winds down, we wanted to personally share that at the conclusionof the season, we will be stepping away from […]
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Soccer success
Spend any time around Orlando Johnson, and whatever preconceived notions of sympathy one might have had before encountering him will quickly go out the window. Johnson, 23, has got it going on. He’s got a handsome face, a cool hairstyle, and a lean, muscular, tall frame. He has traveled the country for free to play […]
