Dean Olsen

Two Springfield doctors are part of Gov. JB Pritzker’s push to reform what he called “predatory health insurance practices.” The Democratic governor’s proposed Healthcare Protection Act would ban “step therapy,” which can delay patients’ access to more-expensive medicines until cheaper medicines are tried first. House Bill 5395 also would ban requiring prior authorization for inpatient […]

A year from now, Dominic Watson expects to open a shared kitchen and culinary incubator for dozens of emerging minority-owned businesses in a 30,000-square-foot building at 11th Street and South Grand Avenue East. A year or two after that, his plans call for the former South Town Theater building – on the same block on […]

An Illinois State Police investigation failed to determine how a 17-year-old obtained the handgun he fired inside the Sangamon County Juvenile Detention Center and carried as he tried to escape the facility with a hostage Sept. 30 before being shot by police. Camren Marcelis Darden, 17, was hit by several rounds fired from a semi-automatic […]

A Springfield man owned or rented six “houses of prostitution” in Springfield in which Asian women – some traveling from other countries – provided sexual services in exchange for free food, lodging and incomes of up to $30,000 per month. Those were some of the allegations aimed at Gregory L. Fraase, 60, in legal documents […]

The temporary closure of the Sangamon County Juvenile Detention Center almost six months ago and a shortage of staffed beds in detention facilities statewide could affect public safety, Springfield’s police chief says. “It’s stuff like this that contributes to the increase in crime stats,” Chief Kenneth Scarlette told Illinois Times. The Springfield Police Department highlighted […]

Tourism attractions that commemorate Springfield’s links to Historic Route 66 and Black history, as well as a mix of new residential sites, all accessible by improved sidewalks and some areas closed off to traffic, are part of a master plan for a three-mile section of Ninth Street and Peoria Road. “This provides a structure and […]

Memorial Health says it will restore valet parking services at the entrance to Springfield Memorial Hospital sometime this spring. The Springfield-based health system laid off about a dozen parking attendants in early August in a move that resulted in public criticism and was part of about 300 layoffs designed to save the nonprofit system an […]

A one-time 25% cut in federal funding to NPR Illinois will create one more challenge for the public radio station at University of Illinois Springfield. “Combined with the other cuts, it doesn’t help,” General Manager Randy Eccles said. “We will get through it.” The nonprofit Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which receives money from Congress to […]

The end of cash bail that took effect five months ago in Illinois is contributing to a rise in crime rates in Springfield and the rest of Sangamon County, law enforcement officials say. It may not be conclusive proof, but Springfield Police Chief Kenneth Scarlette pointed to a 21.5% increase in reports of serious crimes […]

Springfield city officials are asking the City Council to approve a $95,000 settlement of a civil rights complaint filed by a transgender former city employee who was denied medical coverage for gender-affirming care. The proposed ordinance, which went through first reading on Feb. 20 and is scheduled for a council vote March 5, would allocate […]