The small-scale, $8 million marijuana cultivation center expected to open in June on Springfield’s northeast side would be the largest site of its kind in the state, and perhaps the nation, to produce beverages infused with cannabis and hemp oil. So says Christopher Stone, a Springfield-based cannabis entrepreneur and managing partner of CoPack Industries, 3451 […]
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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Lawsuits for Lincoln Tower Apartments
Structural problems have festered for years at Springfield’s tallest apartment building, but court action to fix at least one of the issues at Lincoln Tower Apartments could be coming in the next few months. The situation – including an inadequate number of working elevators and the city-mandated closure of the deteriorating underground parking garage – […]
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Airport seeks rezoning to facilitate future redevelopment
Residents of the Val-E-Vue subdivision near Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport say they are relieved the airport altered a plan to change about 92 acres from residential to industrial zoning. The proposed rezoning for the land, which acts as a buffer between the subdivision to the south and the developed part of the airport, “could potentially […]
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Regulating massage parlors
Springfield officials are crafting an ordinance to crack down on sites of suspected prostitution promoted as Asian massage parlors or spas. Springfield Police Chief Kenneth Scarlette told Illinois Times that the ordinance would require establishments offering broadly defined massage services to register with the city. And only state-certified massage therapists or other state-licensed professionals would […]
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Legislation would support local journalism
The number of journalism jobs at Illinois newspapers has dropped 86% since 2005, but press advocates see signs of hope in proposed college scholarships, state tax credits, scholarships and other subsidies to benefit local news outlets. “I’m cautiously optimistic we will see something,” Sam Fisher, former president of the Illinois Press Association, said as the […]
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Petersburg man pleads guilty to child porn charges
A 30-year-old Petersburg musician, music teacher and former volunteer in Springfield-area theater productions could go to federal prison for at least 15 years after pleading guilty May 3 to 34 counts of producing, receiving and possessing child pornography. Adam L. Power is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Lawless on Sept. […]
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Former owner of Chatham massage parlor arrested
When federal agents raided Rainbow Massage Spa in 2019, one of the two Asian females living and working at the Chatham establishment told investigators she didn’t know the name of the community where the spa was located and was warned by the owner not to go outside because it wasn’t safe. The alleged owner, a […]
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An odd business partnership
An Illinois State Police officer who jointly owned a Wabash Avenue building with a Springfield man charged with using the site for sex trafficking and prostitution didn’t know anything illegal might be going on there, according to his attorney. “He denies any wrongdoing,” Springfield lawyer Scott Sabin said on behalf of state trooper Nathan Shanks. […]
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City weighs whether to regulate “backyard breeders”
Anyone breeding dogs and cats for sale in Springfield would have to register with the city as part of an effort to reduce the number of unwanted animals ending up in the Sangamon County Animal Control Center. An ordinance proposed by Ward 8 Ald. Erin Conley is designed to give city officials information about the […]
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A new direction
Sections of Adams and Fourth streets will transition from one-way to two-way from May 6 through May 10 as part of what Springfield officials called “ongoing efforts to improve traffic flow and enhance safety in our community.” The conversion also will include the installation of a new option – reverse-angle, back-in parking – in a […]
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Man arrested by FBI owns property with an Illinois state trooper
A 60-year-old man charged in federal court with operating six “houses of prostitution” in Springfield wants to transfer his ownership interest in an office building to an Illinois state trooper who jointly owns the building. Gregory L. Fraase of Springfield asked U.S. Magistrate Judge Karen McNaught for permission to transfer his interest in a vacant […]
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Additional raids on Asian massage parlors
Greg Fraase apparently wasn’t involved in the ownership of two massage parlors raided on April 11. And unlike the February raids of Fraase’s properties, which were conducted by the FBI, the recent raids were handled by the Springfield Police Department. A news release from the police department said search warrants served at Golden Relax at […]
