Cap City

Two statues outside the Capitol have been removed. Pierre Menard was the state’s first lieutenant governor and owned enslaved people. Stephen A. Douglas, foe of Abraham Lincoln, profited from a family plantation. House Speaker Michael Madigan had asked over the summer for them to go. Many Springfield residents had asked for the same. Over the […]

The Springfield City Council on Tuesday approved $3.15 million in public financing to create 41 apartments in the beleaguered Booth-Ferguson buildings in downtown. In late August, the council voted 8-2 to table the tax increment financing plan, citing worries that Rick Lawrence, the former developer who owes $1.2 million in benefits for workers who’ve done […]

Last spring, Springfield City Council members promised change was a’coming to the police department. A proposal has arrived courtesy of Ward 3 Ald. Doris Turner, whose proposed ordinance released last week says that cops shouldn’t use rubber bullets or tear gas or chokeholds or no-knock warrants unless really needed. Pretty much, that’s what we already […]

What do Ward 3 Ald. Doris Turner, Springfield Vintage, Ward 7 Ald. Joe McMenamin, city housing inspectors and the Faith Coalition for the Common Good have in common? All, over the years, have won Good Neighbor awards from Inner City Older Neighborhoods, a consortium of neighborhood associations that aims to preserve, improve and promote the […]

We here at CAP CITY got all a-flutter recently when we received a letter from City Water, Light and Power: Pay up or we’ll pull the plug in two weeks. The notice was dated six days after our regular bill arrived, giving us a later due date – we confess to being a month behind, […]

Springfield architecture is getting a moment to shine. And for some lucky admirers, it’s going to pay. “The Architecture Scavenger Hunt” will challenge participants to find small features in downtown buildings. “This is a fun, socially distanced activity for people of all ages, including families who are home-schooling or who need a change of pace […]

Springfield budget director William McCarty had mixed news for the city council during a Tuesday budget update. On the plus side, the city has a $28 million fund balance, which amounts to 23% of the city budget, a record amount, McCarty said. That will help cushion a blow that McCarty said remains uncertain because the […]

The Springfield City Council Tuesday said no to a plan from out-of-towners who have proposed rescuing three historic downtown buildings. So far, the city has spent nearly $1 million in tax increment financing funds – public money – in a stalled attempt to spur residential and commercial development in the buildings on the corner of […]

Springfield, Champaign-Urbana, Decatur and Jacksonville are among the communities covered by the 217 area code. But there’s a new one coming to town. Starting early next year, those seeking new numbers might instead be given the area code 447. That’s a notable change, considering 217 was an original area code, first entering circulation in 1947. […]

Rachel and Zachary Rambach have children who go to Blessed Sacrament Catholic School. Unlike District 186, Springfield parochial schools are conducting in-person classes. The Rambachs said while they feel assured that safety precautions are being taken, they’re also ready for their kids to return to remote learning if public health measures call for it. Their […]

Conjecture on social media about why a post office in Springfield was closed during the afternoon of Aug. 17 included speculation as to whether it had something to do with the president’s alleged affront on the United States Postal Service. Upon an inquiry with USPS as to why the post office on Wabash Avenue in […]