Dean Olsen

With one listening session under its belt, the newly formed PURPLE Coalition is beginning what its members hope will be years of advocacy on behalf of Blacks and other chronically disadvantaged people in the Springfield area. Tiara Standage, president of the People United for Reform, Power, Liberation and Equity Coalition, said the organization was born […]

A second-degree murder conviction for former Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy Sean Grayson on Oct. 29 in the death of Sonya Massey was a “serious miscarriage of justice,” Massey’s father said after the jury verdict. Grayson, 31, who was charged with first-degree murder in the July 2024 shooting death of Massey, 36, in her Woodside Township […]

The Sangamon County Board’s timeline for considering and potentially approving the county’s first data center – a $500 million complex in rural Talkington Township – has been lengthened by at least a month. And County Board Chair Andy Van Meter said additional public meetings, or a website, or both, will be used to increase opportunities […]

A second-degree murder conviction for former Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy Sean Grayson on Oct. 29 in the death of Sonya Massey was a “serious miscarriage of justice,” Massey’s father said after the verdict. Grayson, 31, who was charged with first-degree murder in the July 2024 shooting death of Massey, 36, in her Woodside Township home, […]

A Dallas-based company is seeking zoning approval to establish a $500 million data center on 280 acres of farmland southwest of Springfield in what would be the largest building construction project in Sangamon County history. CyrusOne, which operates more than 55 data centers across the United States, Europe and Japan – including two in the […]

Yes, it may all come down to the video. But how the 12 members of Sean Grayson’s upcoming jury interpret police body-worn footage from that fateful day, and how they weigh the views of experts on proper police conduct, will determine Grayson’s fate 15 months after the death of Sonya Massey in her Woodside Township […]

A Justice for Sonya Massey Rally is planned outside the Peoria County Courthouse in Peoria on Oct. 20, the first day of Sean Grayson’s murder trial. The rally, which organizer Chama St. Louis-Boone said will be peaceful and is designed to “support the Massey family” and call for “accountability of police,” will take place from […]

Same-day and next-day deliveries of pet food, diapers, makeup, hair gel, breakfast cereals and other common household items will be available in the Springfield area by late-October or early November with the recent opening of Amazon’s new distribution hub, a company official says. The 71,000-square-foot warehouse, so far employing 75 part-time, entry-level workers and about […]

The union representing Sangamon County Sheriff’s Department deputies, correctional officers and court security staff says its membership overwhelmingly endorsed recently retired deputy David Timm to be the next sheriff over incumbent Sheriff Paula Crouch. Timm, 50, a Republican from rural Pleasant Plains, is collecting signatures on petitions to challenge Crouch, a Republican from rural Williamsville, […]

Springfield City Council members who said in September they were unaware of a previous mayor’s promise to send $100,000 a year to School District 186 from funds collected for two of the city’s tax-increment financing districts have no reason to plead ignorance, former mayor Jim Langfelder told Illinois Times. Langfelder, who lost his bid for […]