The family of a Springfield woman wants Loren Letz dead or serving a long prison term after the overdose-related death of Bobbi Brittany Graves in January. But Letz, 40, who admitted to concealing Graves’ body in a Springfield hotel room and then stealing $1,500 from the 36-year-old’s bank account, could be released in about a […]
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
Third time’s the charm?
The second unsuccessful attempt by a New York-based developer to win zoning approval for a proposed $25 million renovation of Springfield’s Wyndham City Centre hotel into market-rate apartments and hotel rooms doesn’t necessarily mean the project is dead. Mayor Jim Langfelder said the developer, David Mitchell of GoodHomes, submitted a new proposal after the City […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Something old, something new
Life-size animatronic dinosaurs, a selfie gallery and classic Route 66 neon signs are a few of the new attractions at this year’s Illinois State Fair. They will join old favorites during the Aug. 11-21 run of the fair and Grandstand acts that include Demi Lovato (Aug. 13), Brooks & Dunn (Aug. 14), Willie Nelson and […]
Posted inNews
Third time’s the charm?
The second unsuccessful attempt by a New York-based developer to win zoning approval for a proposed $25 million renovation of Springfield’s Wyndham City Centre hotel into market-rate apartments and hotel rooms doesn’t necessarily mean the project is dead. Mayor Jim Langfelder said the developer, David Mitchell of GoodHomes, submitted a new proposal after the City […]
Posted inNews
Sangamon County judge rules Pritzker executive order invalid
Gov. JB Pritzker’s July 6 executive order that suspended the statutory 20-day time period for state hospitals to accept jail inmates for court-ordered psychiatric treatment is an illegal overreach of his authority, a Sangamon County judge ruled Aug. 4. The Illinois Attorney General’s Office says it plans to ask the Illinois Appellate Court to overturn […]
Posted inNews
CO2 pipeline project proceeding
The clock is ticking on a Texas-based company’s plans to build a multi-state pipeline carrying pressurized, liquified carbon dioxide across 250 miles of central Illinois – including Sangamon County south of Springfield – to sequestration fields in Christian County. What is expected to be at least an 11-month process for the Heartland Greenway pipeline began […]
Posted inNews
Gregory Small found not guilty by reason of insanity
A Sangamon County man with mental illness who was shot four times as he ran toward a Chatham police officer with a knife was found not guilty by reason of insanity July 29. Gregory Small Jr., 31 – who spent several weeks at HSHS St. John’s Hospital after being shot by Officer Adam Hahn in […]
Posted inNews
More sheriffs join DHS lawsuit
Five sheriffs in downstate Illinois have joined Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell in a lawsuit to clear a chronic logjam of mentally ill inmates sitting in county jails for months while awaiting psychiatric treatment from the state. “It’s just not fair to the inmates,” Jeff Connor, Madison County chief deputy, told Illinois Times. “Our goal […]
Posted inNews
Mayor working to salvage Wyndham deal
Mayor Jim Langfelder is working to salvage a proposed deal to convert the downtown Wyndham City Centre hotel into a combined hotel and market-rate apartment complex so the Springfield City Council will change course and approve a zoning variance for the project Aug. 3. A plan to convert most of the 30-story building’s more than […]
Posted inNews
Future doctors tour Springfield
As they drove around Springfield in tour buses, about 70 doctors-in-training saw distressed neighborhoods and an abundance of dollar stores. They also noticed a dearth of supermarkets, creating what are known as “food deserts” in certain parts of the community. The young doctors – smartly dressed, smiling, energetic and mostly slim – were about to […]
Posted inNews
Uptick in utility costs
Ameren Illinois electric customers saw their average monthly bills rise 55% in July, following a 40% increase in natural gas bills that began in March 2021. This bad news for consumers who already are dealing with record levels of inflation and higher prices for everything from groceries to gasoline is related to a variety of […]
Posted inNews
Wyndham’s future up in the air
It is uncertain whether or how long the downtown Wyndham City Centre will remain a hotel after the Springfield City Council rejected a proposed zoning variance July 19 to convert most of the 30-story building’s 400-plus hotel rooms into market-rate apartments. The building’s current owner, Al Rajabi of San Antonio, Texas, and David Mitchell, spokesman […]
