Cap City

When we think steamy historic romances, our eye turns to Elizabeth Bacon Custer and her husband George Armstrong, who was court martialed on charges of abandoning his duties to visit his beloved, whom, after her husband’s death, spent the remainder of her life spinning webs of heroism at Little Bighorn. There’s also Jimmy Carter, whose […]

There is no truth to the rumor that a 30-foot-high statue of beleaguered nice guy Joe Crain, erstwhile TV meteorologist, has been commissioned for installation outside city hall, but lordy, stranger things have happened. Crain, as folks from coast to coast know, got pulled from the air by Sinclair Broadcasting last week after observing that […]

Let’s say you want to build something but the land isn’t properly zoned. For Dollar General, that hasn’t been a problem for a store at the intersection of 11th and Ash streets, where construction began a month before the city council on May 21 approved a rezone from industrial uses. Mayor Jim Langfelder, who allowed […]

For now, at least, Springfield has given up on a grand promenade leading down Capitol Avenue to the hallowed dome where legislators work their magic. The state and feds initially forked over more than $10 million to put fake-brick paving on the street between South 12th and Fifth streets and install some plants and sculptures […]

On April 23 the U.S. Supreme Court will consider whether to allow a citizenship status question on the 2020 Census. The high court will need to reach a decision quickly once oral arguments are presented, because the Census Bureau intends to have questionnaires printed no later than June 30. In 2016, Pew Research estimated that […]

Some random takeaways from Tuesday’s election. First, think of all the good that might have been done with money that rolled into Frank “Not A Chance” Edwards’ campaign. The only way he was gonna win was if Mayor James “Sunny Jim” Langfelder either died suddenly or was caught on video performing unnatural acts with goats. […]

The green donation bins are ubiquitous around the city, found in the parking lots of many businesses. At times, the donations overflow: electronics, bags of clothes, stuffed animals and more. But not all of the green donation bins are equal. While some of the donation bins are affiliated with nonprofit groups, others are not. The […]

Remember four years ago, when proponents of a downtown apartment complex came here from Iowa, asking the city for tax increment financing money to subsidize a 70-unit apartment complex at Fourth and Madison streets? Business types, downtown boosters and University of Illinois Springfield officials lauded the idea: This would be a great deal for everyone. […]

With the municipal election in less than a week, the candidates have been keeping the city’s inspector general busy with complaints about their opponents. Two reports issued at the end of last month by Judge Roger Holmes provide a glimpse into topics that have triggered investigations. The reports were absent of names, but anyone following […]