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 […]
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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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 […]
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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 […]
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Misty Buscher to run for mayor
City Treasurer Misty Buscher plans to challenge Springfield Mayor Jim Langfelder in his quest for a third four-year term. Buscher, 51, who is completing her second term as elected treasurer for city government, made her mayoral campaign public Friday night in front of her supporters at Boondocks Pub. “My leadership skills, I think, are needed […]
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Supportive housing project to break ground
Construction is expected to begin in August on 22 west-side apartment units for previously homeless people after the Springfield City Council voted to support the project with $800,000 in federal grant funds. Advocates for the homeless said they were grateful that the council voted in favor of the federal funding for Park Avenue Residences at […]
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Crisis intervention expands
A 59-year-old Springfield woman described her life as “pure hell” before a community outreach worker from Memorial Behavioral Health helped her 40-year-old son get medication and counseling for his bipolar and schizoaffective disorders. “Ever since then, everything has been much better,” said the woman, who operates a nail salon and asked to be identified only […]
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A new look for Ninth Street
Dirt being moved and steel girders going up on the east side of South Ninth Street in downtown Springfield this summer mark the beginning of what the Sangamon County administrator calls a “once-in-a-generation opportunity.” A total of $127 million will be spent to establish a central transportation center called The Hub, consolidate government services on […]
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CEO of HSHS Illinois Division resigns after three months
The president and chief executive officer of Hospital Sisters Health System’s Illinois division has resigned after less than three months on the job. HSHS spokeswoman Johanna Moll confirmed the resignation of Joseph J. Mullany in response to an inquiry from Illinois Times. Moll didn’t answer follow-up questions, such as the reason for Mullany’s resignation from […]
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No room at mental health facilities
Gov. JB Pritzker overstepped his authority by giving one of his cabinet members “sole and unfettered discretion” over which criminal defendants should be admitted for psychiatric treatment to restore their fitness for trial, the Sangamon County sheriff says. Sheriff Jack Campbell made that assertion in a June 22 lawsuit requesting damages against the Illinois Department […]
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Fallout from fatal encounter
A 40-year-old Springfield man who admitted to getting high with his girlfriend in a hotel room will be sentenced Aug. 4 after pleading guilty to concealing her death and then using a debit card to steal $1,500 from her bank account after she overdosed in January. Prosecutors agreed to drop a related felony charge of […]
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Abortion rights supporters rally in Springfield following Supreme Court decision
More than 200 pro-choice supporters turned out for a June 24 rally in Springfield to chant, “Abortion is health care,” a few hours after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion nationwide. Holding signs that said, “Trust the Person With the Uterus” and “Keep Abortion Safe […]
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Illinois ends cash bail
The elimination of cash bail in Illinois, now about 200 days away, continues to worry Sangamon County law enforcement officials. They fear the landmark criminal justice legislation will result in more crime even as it addresses the injustice of poor people remaining in jail pretrial while people who can afford bail are released. The bail […]
