One immediate result of the Massey Commission’s year-plus spent investigating the county’s response to mental health emergencies is a Springfield-area resource guide that lists more than 100 services available to residents who may need help with anything from mental health crises to accessing transportation and more. The guide, developed by Brian Wojcicki of Illinois Capitol […]
Dilpreet Raju
Dilpreet Raju is a staff writer for Illinois Times and a Report for America corps member. He has a master's degree from Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University and was a reporting fellow at Capitol News Illinois.
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Meet Springfield’s lasagna lady
Beth Rees is trying to make Springfield a better place, one lasagna at a time. She rents a modest house on the north end with her husband and two daughters, works a full-time job and, like many people, has sometimes struggled to keep the bills paid and put food on the table. For the past […]
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Marketplace health insurance deadline nears
Health expenses are booming and insured consumers could feel the full force of those rising costs in 2026 as premium tax credits that made health insurance plans affordable for millions of Americans are set to expire. Open enrollment ends Jan. 15, though “Illinoisans who want their coverage to begin Jan. 1 must enroll by the […]
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Saving big money (eventually) at Menards
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced a settlement this week with Menards to resolve a suit Raoul and nine other attorneys general filed claiming the home improvement chain violated consumer fraud laws by deceptively marketing its 11% rebate program as a way for customers to save money when they were really receiving future store credit. […]
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Kids with many needs have few options
The family of a nonverbal 11-year-old boy with autism who lives at a Hope Learning Academy residential home called Illinois Times in late August, detailing how the child, Noah, was admitted to HSHS St. John’s Hospital in Springfield with a blood infection and bruises all over his body. He stayed at the hospital for multiple […]
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Massey Commission issues final report
The Massey Commission has released a final report that details more than two dozen recommendations, specifically labeling them “calls to action,” and listed entities that should be responsible for carrying them out. Members of the commission and its staff presented the final report to the Sangamon County Board at its Dec. 9 meeting. A handful […]
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Sober living house for LGBTQ+ in the works
Casey Prather credits a sober living home run by Springfield resident Julie Benson to playing a part in the longest stretch of sobriety he’s experienced in his adult life. Prather calls Benson’s Home Sweet Home Sober Living home, which he began living at almost two-and-a-half years ago, “unlike any other” he’s experienced. Now, the pair […]
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Turner and Coffey find agreement on veto session bills
While state politicians Sen. Doris Turner and Rep. Mike Coffey represent different parties, both were displeased with two of the bills passed during last month’s veto session. At a Tuesday evening Citizens Club forum held at the Hoogland Center for the Arts, they shared their thoughts on a transit reform package to avert Chicago public […]
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No progress for Police Community Review Commission
The city of Springfield’s Police Community Review Commission approved an extension of the window that citizens can file complaints from 15 days to 30 days – though the city council will also have to approve the change – during its final meeting of the year on Nov. 6. In addition, Sunshine Clemons, co-founder of the […]
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Doctors, scientists at odds with CDC
The director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, Dr. Sameer Vohra, joined a chorus of doctors, epidemiologists and other public health professionals this week in admonishing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s latest change to its vaccine safety webpage, which states “studies have not ruled out the possibility that infant vaccines cause autism,” […]
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City Council denies public vote on landlord registry
The Springfield City Council once again shot down the idea of a landlord registry during a chaotic Nov. 18 meeting, voting not to place an advisory referendum on the March ballot for voters to decide whether the city should compile a list of landlords and monitor their rental properties. The ordinance failed despite a 5-4 […]
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Voters to weigh tax increase for mental health board
A second commission formed by the Sangamon County Board has run its course, with the Sangamon County Mental Health Commission wrapping up its final meeting on Nov. 5 – one week after the Massey Commission held its final public meeting. The Mental Health Commission unanimously voted to approve language for a March referendum asking Sangamon […]
