Unwilling to wait on the Illinois General Assembly, the Sangamon County Board plans to vote as soon as Sept. 1 to impose a new 3% hotel tax that would set in motion a $60 million expansion of the BOS Center. State legislation to create an oversight board – the Capital Area Tourism Authority – and […]
Dean Olsen
Dean Olsen is a senior staff writer for Illinois Times. He can be reached at:
dolsen@illinoistimes.com, 217-679-7810 or @DeanOlsenIT.
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Sean Grayson dies in custody
Sean Grayson, the white former sheriff’s deputy whose shots at Sonya Massey inside the Black single mother’s Woodside Township home two years ago set in motion his second-degree murder conviction and an ongoing racial reckoning in Sangamon County, died about noon Aug. 23. Daniel Fultz, one of the Riverton resident’s attorneys, confirmed Grayson’s death to […]
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Another downtown project
Local real estate investor Chris Stone has acquired the former PNC Bank building on the Old State Capitol Plaza downtown. “I think it’s probably the best building on the square,” Stone said. “I’ve been working on projects in downtown Springfield for more than 10 years, and I thought this was an opportunity to take a […]
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More charges for David Yankee
A former Springfield City Council candidate who was sentenced to two years of probation for child endangerment after the 2024 drowning death of a 7-year-old foster child in his care could be headed to prison after being charged with methamphetamine possession. David Yankee, 50, has pleaded not guilty to the felony drug charge and to […]
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Data center developer abandons plans for Christian County
Eagle Rock Partners announced Aug. 12 that it will abandon its quest to build a $6 billion data center in Christian County. County Board President Bryan Sharp told Illinois Times that the North Carolina-based company’s decision was rooted in its concern that the planned supplier of the 1,000-megawatt data center’s power – a yet-to-be-built natural […]
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Police transparency
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with a link to the Springfield Police Department’s live online data dashboards. A revamped “transparency” section on the Springfield Police Department website shows this year’s stunningly low rate of shootings as well as familiar clusters of violent crime and traffic stops on the economically disadvantaged east side. Mayor […]
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Wyndham hotel up for sale
The 30-story Wyndham Springfield City Centre, closed since March 2025 by water damage that local police and the FBI were investigating as an alleged act of vandalism, is going up for sale as part of bankruptcy proceedings. Bids for the aging former hotel are due by Sept. 15, according to a July 30 news release. […]
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Data center development linked to power plant construction
A change in developers hoping to build Lincoln Land Energy Center near Pawnee in Sangamon County has meant more uncertainty for a project in Christian County – a proposed $6 billion data center. Christian County Board Chairperson Bryan Sharp told Illinois Times on July 28 that he is “waiting on clarification” from Eagle Rock Partners, […]
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Future uncertain for Logan County data center
Revised editor’s note: In addition to an update that includes the decision by Latham village officials to cancel the Village Board’s scheduled Aug. 3 meeting, the story now reflects confirmation from Logan County officials that they won’t consider or vote on Hut 8 Corp’s zoning requests in August. It appears there aren’t enough votes to […]
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“Justice was denied”
Through her sobs, the mother of Earl Moore Jr. told a Sangamon County judge how the death of her 35-year-old son at the hands of two ambulance company workers in 2022 has affected their immediate and extended family. “The ripple effect of this loss will be reflected for generations,” Rose Washington told Circuit Court Judge […]
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End run for data center developer
Hut 8 Corp. could avoid scrutiny from the Logan County Board if it convinces Latham Village Board members to annex the proposed site of the company’s planned 500-megawatt data center – two miles west of the village – and thus take control over the future of the $5 billion project. The five-member Village Board – […]
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Redeveloping the Y Block
A Springfield City Council member questioned why the city would consider giving away the Y block without more than a $4 million commitment from state officials to construct a permanent outdoor amphitheater ringed by a public park. “We’re going to give an important block away for free,” Ward 3. Ald. Roy Williams Jr. said at […]
