In a legal twist that the family of Sonya Massey didn’t expect, the murder conviction of her killer, former Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy, Sean Grayson, likely will be erased because of his death during an ongoing court appeal. Grayson’s lawyers cited the well-established legal doctrine of “abatement ab initio” – striking down something as if […]
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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New ambulance for mental health crises
A Springfield Fire Department ambulance that specializes in helping Sangamon County residents during substance-abuse and mental health crises went into service Sept. 8. The Rescue 1 ambulance, part of the city’s BEACON Project – which stands for Bridging Emergency And Community Outreach Network – represents an increased communitywide focus on mental health in the wake […]
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Banking on the BOS Center
Hotel taxes will rise 3% one month from now to pay for a $60 million expansion of Springfield’s publicly owned convention center after a 20-5 vote by the Sangamon County Board on Sept. 1. The bipartisan vote on the Republican-controlled County Board came after arguments from advocates who said the 47-year-old BOS Center, last renovated […]
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$60 million BOS Center expansion backed
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 to fund a $60 million expansion of the BOS Center. County officials say they want to act now because state legislation that would create an oversight board – […]
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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 […]
