William “Sam” McCann, former state senator and failed candidate for governor, has been indicted by federal prosecutors who say that he used campaign funds as a personal piggybank, with thefts running into the six figures. Charged with fraud, tax evasion and money laundering, McCann for years dipped into campaign accounts to buy vehicles and pay […]
Bruce Rushton
Bruce Rushton is a freelance journalist.
Posted inNews
Pot garden and dispensary proposed for west side
A marijuana dispensary, and pot-growing facility, might be coming to a shuttered movie theater on Springfield’s west side. Opening a dispensary is the first step, according to Chris Stone, a real-estate investor and lobbyist who is helping put the deal together. If all goes as planned, Maribis, which has dispensaries in Grandview and Chicago, would […]
Posted inNews
Teachers union president arrested after domestic incident
Aaron Graves, president of the union representing Springfield School District 186 educators, was arrested Sunday on suspicion of domestic battery. Details of the incident were not immediately available from Springfield police, who responded to Graves’ home on South Park Street shortly before 2 a.m. After being booked by police, Graves was released after posting $300 […]
Posted inNews
Cockfight crusades
My first unforgettable cockfight was when I was 4-5 years old. My father has a black henny of Philippine Game strain which was decoupled early in the fight. Broke both two legs it seems. Down on the ground. But he is very feisty and game, pecking and trying to get up. Wings flopping to move […]
Posted inOpinion
Home improvement
At the same Dec. 15 city council meeting where someone dressed as Santa gave holiday greetings to council members who attended via Zoom, the council bought four houses on South Grand Avenue East. It was a reversal from weeks leading up to Halloween, when council members balked at buying the same properties to make room […]
Posted inNews
Cannabis conundrums
The cannabis industry has failed minorities. Just one percent of the state’s growing facilities are owned by African Americans. Blacks control only three percent of marijuana retail outlets. Such dismal figures have prompted legislation aimed at increasing the number of cannabis businesses owned by African Americans, who are said to have suffered disproportionately in the […]
Posted inNews
Reform or overreach?
Police and prosecutors are blasting a bill that eliminates cash bail and puts the state in charge of determining whether cops accused of misconduct can remain police officers. The bill, introduced on Jan. 5 and passed during the closing hours of the lame duck session – the Senate got a revised version at 3 a.m. […]
Posted inNews
There was no arrest, Speaker Welch claims
House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch is claiming that he neither hit a woman nor was arrested in a 2002 incident. The speaker’s claims are contradicted by police reports and by a 2012 opinion from the state attorney general’s office, which ruled that Welch had been arrested and so police reports must be released. According to […]
Posted inOpinion
Illinois politics redux
Bill Dwyer, former newspaper reporter, doesn’t spare words when it comes to Emanuel “Chris” Welch, the new Illinois House speaker. “He’s the worst of the worst when it comes to crony politics,” says Dwyer, who lives in the Chicago area. When Welch ran for the House in 2012 after losing a 2006 bid, Dwyer got […]
Posted inOpinion
Democracy, eh
Last week, I flew a Canadian flag. I had meant to do this when George W. Bush got reelected. But I finally affixed the maple leaf banner to my front porch the day after pretend patriots stormed the Capitol. It was a low point long in the making. Forget Donald Trump. He’s symptom or opportunist […]
Posted inNews
Bail bucks
Sangamon County is facing a potential budget hole as the state contemplates ending the cash bail system. When someone posts bond, the county charges a 10 percent fee that goes into the county’s general fund after cases are adjudicated. With $4.1 million of bonds held in 6,799 pending cases as of Dec. 31, the county […]
Posted inOpinion
All the king’s horses and all the king’s men
Politicians say stuff. We must fight disinvestment in struggling communities. By using public money to leverage private dollars, we can make Skittles fall from the sky. Then there is White Oaks Mall, downtown Springfield and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. Instead of Skittles, we face an Orange Julius rain, which is as yucky as it […]
