A Sangamon County Circuit Court judge denied relief this week to a candidate for Rochester Township road commissioner who claims that improprieties at a December caucus cost him a chance at public office. The vote was close, with Darin Whitten losing by between one and three votes out of 115 cast. A ballot was counted […]
Bruce Rushton
Bruce Rushton is a freelance journalist.
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 […]
Posted inNews
Restaurant, bar owners say reopening rules too strict
Sangamon County’s decision to allow indoor service at bars and restaurants beginning Sunday doesn’t go far enough for some proprietors. Meanwhile, Springfield Mayor Jim Langfelder in a written statement issued this afternoon criticized the county’s plan, saying it’s too soon to resume indoor service. While the city will allow bars with commercial kitchens to open […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
A VHS visionary
Charles Hoogland was a video store pioneer, but wasn’t known for having a favorite movie. It probably would have been something old – he liked John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara, says Keith Hoogland, Charles’ son. “The Quiet Man,” maybe, and not surprising, given Hoogland’s penchant for doing business the old-fashioned way. Charles Hoogland, a Springfield […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
“People would stop him on the street”
Once one of Springfield’s most popular artists, Michael Manning created an untold number of paintings. His work is displayed in banks, law offices, living rooms and restaurants throughout the city. He also created less-popular portraits of former Gov. Jim Edgar and former U.S. Sen. John Kerry. “People would stop him on the street constantly and […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
“There is nothing he would not tackle”
Norman Frederick Rovey II – Fred to most everyone – had a knack. At 10, he was driving bulldozers – his father ran N.F. Rovey and Son Excavating. Growing up on South Fourth Street, Rovey once declared that he hoped to become a garbage hauler. Instead, he became a Springfield firefighter, rising to the rank […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
“A players’ manager”
Barry Locher was plenty smart, but not the smartest. He was funny, but not the funniest. He was one of the best photojournalists in the state. Others, also, took great pictures. Barry was genuine, and on that point, he had no rival. He rose from photography intern to editor of the State Journal-Register, running the […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
Windmill tilter
Don’t do it, administrators warned. Anyone caught painting the chimney atop Springfield High School, long a senior class tradition, would be expelled, the adults said as graduation neared for the Class of 1988. Shortly afterward, “88” showed up in white paint on the chimney. Administrators hadn’t bargained on Jerry Jacobson, whose daughter was a senior. […]
Posted inNews
Timoney to remain as Logan County public defender
Patrick “Tim” Timoney, a lawyer and Springfield bar owner who depicted Gov. JB Pritzker as Adolf Hitler in a November Facebook post, will keep his position as Logan County public defender. Public defenders serve at the pleasure of judges. In a written statement emailed Tuesday, Chief Judge Mark Fellheimer, who presides in the 11th Judicial […]
Posted inNews
Bars, restaurants to reopen on Sunday
Restaurant and bars will reopen on Sunday under measures approved by the Sangamon County Department of Public Health. The reopening comes despite the health department acknowledging that fewer than 20 percent of intensive care unit beds have been open. National experts also warn that travel over the holidays could spread the virus. In Colorado and […]
Posted inNews
Criminals stay busy
Assaults, batteries, arson and commercial burglaries are up this year in Springfield, according to an email sent Tuesday to members of the city council by police chief Kenny Winslow. Overall, the number of crimes that the department reports to the state and federal governments has fallen by seven percent this year, as of Nov. 30, […]
Posted inOpinion
Stocking stuffers
It’s Christmas Eve, and I know what you’re thinking. Too late. Santa’s departed, the post office is closed, Victoria’s Secret has left the building and you’re out of Amazon points. But always remember: It’s the thought that counts. And so here are some gift ideas for those who matter most. The Springfield Park District: Praise. […]
