Valerie Lies, the president and CEO of Donors Forum, says that the state’s inability to pay its bills is “wreaking havoc on the fiscal health of nonprofit organizations.” Foundations are also struggling to raise funds and can’t fill the state’s gaps, she adds, forcing nonprofits to limit or terminate programs. “For them, it’s a triple […]
Amanda Robert
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Can We Do That? Yes, we can!
Christians need to talk more about sex. That’s the idea behind Can We Do That? — a new book written by Dr. Wesley Robinson-McNeese that encourages Christian couples to explore various aspects of human sexuality, such as masturbation, oral sex and sexual intercourse. McNeese, the pastor of New Mission Church of God in Springfield and […]
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Milton wants to pick low-hanging fruit
Dr. Walter Milton calls it “low-hanging fruit” — a list of short-term projects that the Springfield School Board can tackle as it waits for answers on Option B and its funding. The superintendent of Springfield Public Schools told school board members recently that Matheny-Withrow Elementary School, 1200 S. Pope Ave., and Enos Elementary School, 524 […]
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High price for high schools
No one disputes that Springfield’s three public high schools need help. Students at Springfield High School squeeze into 93-year-old classrooms that were meant for their grandparents and great-grandparents’ generations. Even at four stories, the building lacks modern necessities like computer labs and art spaces. Instead, students share six computer carts, each equipped with 20 laptops, […]
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Illuminati gears up for first Automotive X PRIZE event
It’s a race against time for Illuminati Motor Works, who in less than three months will introduce Seven to the world. The Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE, a $10 million competition that seeks to produce a new generation of fast, inexpensive, super “green” cars, recently announced that the first in a series of scored on-track […]
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Hazel Lane residents’ proposal rejected
Aldermen approved a resolution Tuesday that urges Woodside Township to transfer ownership of Hazel Lane to the city of Springfield, despite a last-minute attempt by the road’s residents to block the measure. Woodside Township and Hazel Lane residents have for years battled the Hope Institute for Children and Families — a nonprofit residential and educational […]
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MacArthur makeover
After Nick Kalogeresis heard about the plan to redevelop MacArthur Boulevard, he and other members of The Lakota Group, a Chicago-based planning and urban design firm, headed south to Springfield. The firm had worked on both new and old corridors in the Chicago area, as well as in Indiana and Wisconsin, but its vice president […]
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Creative differences
In spite of severe budget cuts and the subsequent suspension of several of its programs, the Illinois Arts Council is doing what it does best — getting creative. Earlier this month the council introduced the Individual Artist Support initiative, a new two-pronged program that offers artists financial assistance for future projects or professional development. Artists […]
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Ball Charter’s waiting list, diversity grows
Hugh Drake once questioned the Springfield Ball Charter School’s unique teaching strategies, which include multi-age classrooms for kindergarten through eighth grade students and a learning scale that measures student progress without grades or report cards. Now, Drake advocates the school’s success, professionally as board president and personally as the father of two students (his son […]
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The tale of many Santas
On a blustery, sub-20-degree night in downtown Springfield, the bright-green-and-red painted Santa House stands out like a beacon to children itching for the start of the Christmas season. Tiny tots decked head-to-toe in fleece, down and wool waddle behind older brothers and sisters who break free of mom and dad, racing toward his front steps, […]
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Disability advocates address city’s ADA procedures
Since Springfield Area Disability Activists (SADA) was created a year and a half ago, team leader Cilla Sluga and other members have worked for an accessible and integrated Springfield. The volunteer organization has helped tackle barriers that people with disabilities encounter around the city, such as rocky sidewalks and curbs that don’t have cuts for […]
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Larry Washington civil-rights lawsuit declared mistrial
After U.S. District Judge Jeanne Scott declared a mistrial last week in the federal civil-rights lawsuit Washington et al v. City of Springfield et al, both parties say they plan to pursue another trial next year. Larry Washington and Jennifer Jenkins filed suit in March 2007 against the city of Springfield and several police officers, […]
