Dan Greaney, a longtime writer and producer for “The Simpsons” who humorously predicted a Donald Trump presidency, is now running for the 2028 Republican presidential nomination. An episode titled “Bart to the Future” aired on March 19, 2000, which imagined Bart Simpson’s life 30 years into the future. The episode not only foretold Bart’s life […]
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.
Posted inNews
Habitat for Humanity kicks off 127th house
Felicia Thomas got through a few words of her prepared remarks before emotion madeher stop. As she dabbed a tear from her eye, she was able to continue. “Thank you so much to all of you here, and to my support system. You all reminded menever to give up,” Thomas said Tuesday night to a […]
Posted inArts, Culture & Entertainment
BEST COMEDIAN
John Scogin initially is wary of being told he’s won an award with Illinois Times as best local comedian. “How did I win an award? I didn’t enter any competition,” Scogin tells IT upon receiving the news. After proof of the credentials of the reporter, Scogin says, “OK, sorry. But I just had a scam […]
Posted inGoods & Services
TOWING COMPANY
It was with some trepidation when a reporter walked onto the lot of Tuxhorn Towing at the corner of Sixth Street and North Grand Avenue on a recent weekday. Growling dogs. Razor wire fences. Impounded cars, with angry car owners trying to get those cars back from indifferent shop owners behind bulletproof glass. That’s the […]
Posted inCivic Engagement
BEST PLACE TO VOLUNTEER
One of the first things anyone who works at the Animal Protective League will tell you is how great the people of the city and surrounding areas were in response to the June 10 tornado that destroyed the bulk of the facility’s property. If all goes well, construction to either rebuild the existing facility or […]
Posted inFood & Drink
THAI FOOD
On a recent Thursday at about 2 p.m., it was hard to find a spot in the parking lot adjacent Mekong Café. That is a good sign for any restaurant, but particularly for one that closes from 2:30-4 p.m. every day in between lunch and dinner service. It wasn’t long after 4 p.m. that the […]
Posted inRetail
ANTIQUE OR VINTAGE STORE
Just off exit 82 on I-55 south sits a 25,000-square-foot, two-level store where you can find just about anything, it seems. Opened in September of 2020, Tammi’s Treasures, Antiques and More has survived the pandemic and is coming off one of its best years ever. Owner Tammi Little and her husband bought at auction the […]
Posted inGoods & Services
PET DAYCARE / PET BOARDING
Imagine the surprise of a visitor on a recent weekday afternoon to the free-roam, fenced off area for dogs at Kinner’s On 97, a large doggie daycare facility just off State Route 97 in Pleasant Plains. A door opens, and suddenly dozens of dogs run to the front of the gate greeting the visitor, all […]
Posted inRetail
BOOKSTORE – INDEPENDENT / NEW BUSINESS NOT DOWNTOWN (OPENED AFTER 8/1/25)
One day earlier this year, Lisa Plumb was having lunch with her son at Incredibly Delicious and noticed the “For Sale” sign for a building directly across the street. “I said, ‘Let’s just go look,’” Plumb says. “As soon as I walked in, I could see the vision for the bookstore.” A few months later, […]
Posted inFood & Drink
SEAFOOD SELECTION
Andrea McLaughlin has occasionally had thoughts of dropping the “Seafood” from her store’s name and just going with “Robert’s Market,” because much more than just seafood is for sale in the fourth-generation Springfield store. There is a full selection of beef from locally-sourced farms, not to mention 35 different kinds of olive oil and vinaigrette, […]
Posted inNews
Pinball makes a comeback
It’s a Wednesday night, and most of East Adams Street is quiet. It’s been that way much of the time here since the fire of June 19, 2024, that caused several businesses in the 400 block to either close or relocate. There is one notable exception, however, at 409 E. Adams St. With doors thrust […]
Posted inNews
Send in the clowns
Eleven months of the year, Robert Quance lives a 9-to-5 life working behind the camera as a news assignment editor for WICS NewsChannel 20 in Springfield. Every October, though, Quance takes all his unused sick and personal time, dons grease paint, puts on a bulbous red nose and runs away to join the circus. Quance, […]
