If she had been a child instead of a full-grown adult at the time of the attack, Carla Covington thinks, she’d be dead. Covington was crossing Lawrence Avenue in July 2004 to speak to Vicki Torres, a neighbor, who was standing in her yard behind a picket fence. Torres would later tell investigators that Covington, […]
Bruce Rushton
Bruce Rushton is a freelance journalist.
Posted inNews
Ms. Sunshine
Business is booming at the state attorney general’s fledgling open-records division, but that’s not necessarily a good thing. Terry Mutchler, the state’s first-ever public-access counselor, says she’s been so swamped with inquiries and complaints from the media, the public and government officials that Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, her boss, plans to hire another attorney […]
Posted inNews
Hot air costs money
As we break piggy banks to pay our heating bills, we can all give thanks that Springfield doesn’t tax natural gas. Or can we? At first glance, a tax on natural gas may seem onerous, particularly in light of steep increases in gas prices that have just taken hold. Bills of $200 or more aren’t […]
Posted inNews
On your mark, get set. . . get silly
The tip came last Friday from an alert reader: Illegal Chuck Redpath campaign signs are posted on Dirksen Parkway. This was easy enough to check. Sure enough, the caller was right. Out there, for the whole world to see, were campaign signs for Democrat Redpath in front of the Teamsters’ hall and the laborers’ union […]
Posted inNews
Playing for keeps
This must be some kind of joke, Dr. Glennon Paul thought as he read the missive from Health Alliance. In the letter, sent six years ago, Dr. Jon S. Rahman, the health-maintenance organization’s chief medical officer, accused Paul and two of his colleagues at Central Illinois Allergy and Respiratory Services of receiving “overpayments” from Health […]
Posted inNews
Labor force
Remember the day your cursor froze at work and the computer guy hired just a few days earlier promised that everything would be fine? Just a few more minutes, he promised, as he sat at your desk typing madly while you got a cup of coffee. Then another cup. And another. An hour later, you […]
Posted inNews
Better than nothing
As Michael Redpath celebrated his last day of freedom with a gathering at his North End home, his neighbors quietly rejoiced. Several women who live near Redpath’s house on North 22nd Street tell Illinois Times that the convicted child molester would come to their homes uninvited, offering to help with yardwork and other chores. They say […]
Posted inNews
Dee-Whee!
There’s always been a silver lining to a DUI conviction. For one thing, you never know whom you’ll meet during the mandatory 10-hour class on the dangers of alcohol that’s attended by most everyone convicted of drunken driving. Aside from members of the opposite sex, there’s always a chance that you’ll meet a celebrity. After […]
Posted inNews
Bits of Springfield
Haven’t figured out what to give this holiday season? We sent our intrepid reporters all over Springfield, looking for interesting and offbeat gift possibilities and emphasizing, whenever possible, local businesses and items unique to the capital city. Here’s some of what they found. VISIONS OF SUGARPLUMS ’Tis the season to indulge, and treats from Incredibly […]
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Predator
If you lived in Riverton a decade ago, you might remember her.She was the woman who walked through the neighborhood every day for more than a year. She was fat. Gradually the pounds came off until, at last, she became a woman who turned heads. After marrying young and spending her entire adult life as […]
Posted inOpinion
Her name was Lisa
Whenever you start a new job in a new town, someone gives you a stack of letters, e-mails, and press releases that no one else was interested in and calls them story ideas. Check these, you’re told — there’s got to be something here to get you started. Usually there isn’t much. In this stack, […]
Posted inNews
Wanted: More dead presidents
Hopes were high five years ago, when some of the biggest names in Illinois formed the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum Foundation. The foundation expected to rake in as much as $20 million a year from donors during its first three years of existence and to have $50 million in the bank by the […]
