On Tuesday, March 2, President Biden promised enough COVID-19 vaccines for the entire U.S. adult population by the end of May. Also on Tuesday, Sangamon County announced the mass vaccination site on the Illinois State Fairgrounds now plans to distribute up to 1,100 doses daily, nearly double its previous daily capacity. Hours have been expanded […]
Cap City
Posted inOpinion
AND THE WINNER IS…
Know a good teacher? Someone who stays – or Zooms – late to help struggling students learn the finer points of quadratic equations or the deeper meaning of Huckleberry Finn? And what about the principal who’s your pal and shows it by remembering everyone’s name, especially the kid who just transferred from another school, and […]
Posted inOpinion
BETTER NOW?
Contentious is a word that could describe Springfield Public Schools board meetings in recent months, as members continually debate policy and decisions related to COVID-19. Two weeks ago – on Feb. 2 – at his last meeting, former board president Scott McFarland told the board it needed “a lot of work on board governance.” That […]
Posted inOpinion
SCHOLARSHIPS RELIEVE STRESS
The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services is accepting applications for this year’s DCFS Scholarship Program. The scholarships allow “youth to concentrate on their studies and prepare for their futures without the stress of worrying about how they are going to pay for school,” Illinois DCFS acting director Marc D. Smith said in a […]
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POLITICS
We confess ourselves confused. How can Ward 3 Ald./state Sen. Doris “Huey Long” Turner hold two offices at the same time? After being picked to replace former Sen. Andy Manar over the weekend and being sworn in for her state gig, Turner on Tuesday participated in the Springfield City Council committee-of-the-whole meeting. As of press […]
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GANNETT ON A ROLL
Gannett, parent company of the State Journal-Register, got good news this week with refinancing of a loan used to close a 2019 deal that created the nation’s largest newspaper company – Gannett, formerly known as GateHouse Media, owns more than 260 publications, including 23 in Illinois. The $1.8 billion loan from Apollo Global Management, a […]
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NEW LIFE FOR OLD LIGHTS
During the holiday season BLH Computers installed drop boxes around the area for people to deposit their burned out Christmas lights to be recycled. A total of 738 pounds of old Christmas lights were collected: 300 pounds in Springfield, 220 pounds in Chatham, 132 pounds in Leland Grove and 86 pounds in Rochester. BLH Computers […]
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TRYING TO TROMP TRUMP
The effort to impeach and convict Donald Trump continues. “We do have other responsibilities in the Senate. Providing President Biden with his team, particularly his national security team, is our highest priority,” U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois told reporters during a Jan. 22 news conference. “The idea of inciting an insurrection against the government […]
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WE’RE NUMBER 42
Feeling cramped by COVID restrictions mandated by Gov. JB Pritzker? Move to Oklahoma, which is the least-restrictive state when it comes to measures – think mask mandates, temperature screenings before entering buildings, restrictions on public gatherings, whether bars and restaurants are open and between what hours – taken to keep people alive and healthy, according […]
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COMPTROLLER ON MOVE?
With a lease expiring in June, the state comptroller’s office has won legislative approval for a new deal that could result in relocation within the capital city. One option is to buy the building at 323 West Adams Street where comptroller employees have worked for 40 years. Under the expiring lease, the state is paying […]
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WOMEN SPEAK ON SPEAKER
As of early Wednesday, it appeared state Rep. Chris Welch had the most support to be the next House Speaker. If he wins enough votes from fellow reps, he will be the state’s first Black person to fill the post. It’s a title Michael Madigan has held longer than any other in U.S. history. The […]
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INMATES, HOMELESS GET SHOTS
Whilst staff at veterans’ homes, nursing homes, hospitals and sundry health care facilities balk at getting vaccinated – let-me-think-about-it rates for doctors, nurses and other frontline health care workers are as high as 40 percent nationwide – the state of Illinois has decided that while doses remain scarce, prisoners and the homeless who reside in […]
