Dean Olsen

Memories of his childhood in foster care homes on Springfield’s east side and his more recent behind-the-scenes struggles on the Springfield City Council to improve the substandard living conditions faced by many constituents brought Ward 2 Ald. Shawn Gregory to tears. “For me, this is a special time, man,” Gregory, his voice choked with emotion, […]

The Taylorville City Council is pushing forward with a planned $5 million renovation project downtown despite organized opposition and fears that disruptions caused by the work could decimate many businesses on the square. The project is scheduled to begin in the first quarter of 2027. It is to be funded with a $3 million state […]

The desire of a Peoria businessman and his wife to live out their Christian faith by helping a central Illinois community in need led to their recent purchase of the shuttered Lincoln College campus for a job-creating lease program. “We want life back on that campus,” John Wieland told Illinois Times in describing the $1 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]