Brittany Hilderbrand

President Barack Obama shakes hands with state legislators after speaking to the Illinois General Assembly at the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield, Ill., Feb. 10, 2016. Official White House Photo by Pete Souza President Barack Obama addressed the Illinois General Assembly on Feb. 10, sharing memories, words of encouragement and advice for politics in America, […]

Residential Simulation Lab participants can remotely watch the activities that take place in the lab. PHOTO BY BLAKE WOOD CAMPUS RELATIONS AT UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS SPRINGFIELD In Illinois, advocates for child safety and welfare have been working to find innovative approaches to lower the rate of child abuse. The University of Illinois Springfield has found […]

As medical marijuana dispensaries begin to take root in Illinois, parents and workers who have a license to use the medicinal drug may still face sanctions. Illinois’ legalization policies may leave families with children vulnerable to scrutiny by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. Likewise, employees who use medical marijuana may still be […]

Polly Poskin of Springfield, executive director of Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault. PHOTO BY LEE MILNER Over the past seven months, human service organizations across the state have made layoffs, cut programs and pleaded their case to lawmakers that the people of Illinois need a budget in place. In the Statehouse, faith that Gov. Bruce […]

File photo by Patrick Yeagle Gov. Bruce Rauner introduced a bill today to change how Illinois buys goods and services. A news conference on changing how the State of Illinois buys goods and services was only part of Gov. Bruce Rauner’s message to the press this morning. “Procurement has been one of the largest sources […]

Photos of marijuana adorn many of the walls at HCI, Springfield’s first medical marijuana dispensary. Patrick Yeagle Christy Karhliker used to oppose medical marijuana. Now she runs a shop in Springfield slated to begin selling medical marijuana on Feb. 15. HCI Alternatives, a licensed medical marijuana dispensary, opened its doors to the media on Feb. […]

A group working to change how Illinois’ state legislative districts maps are drawn is pushing for reform on redistricting laws again. A ruling by Cook County Circuit Court Judge Mary Mikva in 2014 sent the creators of the Independent Map proposal back to the drawing board. Their revised proposal would mean tighter standards for legislative […]

ILLUSTRATION BY SHARON OKADA/TNS On Jan. 21 the Higher Education Coalition and members from the Springfield-based Faith Coalition for the Common Good visited the Statehouse, pushing lawmakers to recognize that education funding reform and potential cuts to the Monetary Award Program, also known as the MAP grant, are getting worse as Illinois continues to function […]

Gov. Bruce Rauner PHOTO BY PATRICK YEAGLE When Gov. Bruce Rauner took office on Jan. 12, 2015, he pledged to “make Illinois the most competitive and compassionate state in America.” The governor also pledged to “let the people control their own economic destinies.” That economic destiny is uncertain, with Illinois in its seventh month without […]

A scene from the film A Farmer’s Road, directed by digital media arts professional John Murray. Eating dinner has never been more complicated in the 21st century. What’s affordable may not be healthy, and what’s healthy may not taste good. However, one Springfield group aims to make dinner simpler. Slow Food Springfield started in 2006 […]