It may not have been the full-throated apology critics wanted, but a top official from Springfield Municipal Opera says mistakes were made in the handling of sexual harassment complaints against a man ultimately banned from participation in the organization. Kevin Burke III, president of the Muni Board of Managers, told Illinois Times that the 76-year-old […]
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.
Posted inNews
Area data center updates
Plans for CyrusOne’s $500 million data center in Sangamon County are moving forward, with construction expected to begin this summer, after approval two months ago in a County Board vote that crossed party lines. Meanwhile, debate on the potential Meridian Technology Park data center – 10 times more expensive and two miles west of Taylorville […]
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Springfield Memorial Hospital CEO to resign
The president and chief executive officer of Springfield’s largest hospital is resigning after fewer than two years at the helm. Jay Roszhart, 41, who was promoted to lead 500-bed Springfield Memorial Hospital on July 1, 2024, will leave on June 12, according to a statement June 9 from Drew Early, senior vice president and chief […]
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#MeToo at the Muni
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect a statement issued the morning of June 5 by the Springfield Municipal Opera Association Board of Trustees. Springfield Municipal Opera is facing criticism, resignations of cast members from several of the season’s musicals and a boycott of concessions sold at performances over its response to sexual […]
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LifeStar Ambulance fights suspension
LifeStar Ambulance Service officials say they will continue to press their case in court after failing to convince a judge May 22 that the company shouldn’t be kicked out of Springfield and Sangamon County’s 911 emergency response system. “We will continue to contest it until hell freezes over,” LifeStar owner Roger Campbell told Illinois Times […]
Posted inTurning Points
Theresa Grimaldi Olsen
Theresa Grimaldi Olsen, 65, of Springfield, Illinois, died unexpectedly on May 13, 2026, at Springfield Memorial Hospital. She was born in Chicago on Aug. 1, 1960, to Geraldine (Rudnick) and I. William Grimaldi, and grew up in Hillside and Elmhurst, Ill. She married Dean Olsen in 1985 after they met as journalism students at the […]
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“A lot of things are getting confused”
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect debate and action at the May 12 Springfield City Council meeting. The only revenue Springfield city government might forfeit to help pay for the proposed BOS Center expansion and new hotel next door would be the city’s share of hotel taxes on room rates at the […]
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Developer pledges $65 million annually to Logan County
Regardless of whether estimated new property taxes are accurate, Hut 8 Corp. would guarantee Logan County schools and local governments $65 million a year in annual payments if the company’s proposed data center becomes a reality. Gregory Irwin, senior vice president of energy origination and asset management for the Florida-based company, made that pledge April […]
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Chief addresses use-of-force policy
The Springfield Police Department’s chief sees calls for changes in the department’s use-of-force policy as opportunities to educate the public on how officers make split-second decisions that may result in viral posts on social media and accusations of police brutality. “Let’s sit down and talk about what law enforcement use of force is – what […]
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Logan County to consider data center regulations
Logan County officials could take action in May to change local zoning requirements to both accommodate developers of large-scale data centers and protect the public. The Logan County Zoning Board of Appeals is scheduled to meet at 7:30 p.m. May 8 at Oasis Senior Center at 2810 Woodlawn Road in Lincoln to consider nonbinding recommendations […]
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New leadership for Sangamon County Democrats
A Chatham resident and union activist will head the Sangamon County Democratic Party for the next two years, succeeding longtime Democratic stalwart Bill Houlihan. Diana Carlile, 64, a former Illinois Bell operator and AT&T engineering department employee who retired in 2011, was unanimously elected April 15 in a weighted vote of the local Democratic Party’s […]
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A heated city council meeting
What former Springfield police chief Michael Walton said after speaking to the City Council on April 7 remains in dispute, but Walton won’t be banned from future council meetings, Mayor Misty Buscher says. Walton’s statement during the public comment section of the meeting, in which Walton defended the actions of a white Springfield police officer […]
