After months of hearings and discussions, the Sangamon County Board seems poised to approve plans for the county’s first data center on March 23 despite consistent pushback from constituents. CyrusOne plans to build a data center campus on 280 acres of farmland, which would have more wattage than any other data center the company currently […]
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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Voters narrowly approve mental health board
Primary voters approved a referendum March 17 that will levy a 0.5% limited sales tax for a mental health board to distribute an estimated $14.7 million annually to service providers and programs. Nearly 53% of Sangamon County primary voters supported the referendum, which received 17,300 votes. Only about 24% of registered voters, roughly 33,500 people, […]
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Voting information for March 17 primary
Primary election voters will decide key Democrat and Republican nominees for a number of local, statewide and federal government offices up for grabs in November. And for those who only want to vote on the referendum to create a mental health board, nonpartisan ballots are available. Early voting at the Sangamon County Municipal Building, 200 […]
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A desert for mental health care
Long waitlists to obtain mental health care may shorten if supporters of a mental health board are successful during the March 17 primary election. A wide range of community leaders, along with every hospital and health care organization in Sangamon County, have voiced support for the referendum that would use revenue from a limited sales […]
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Back in business
When Illinois Times last wrote about environmental engineer Michael Keebler in August 2015, his situation was grim. The U.S. government had filed seizure notices for multiple assets, including his home, around the same time he was sentenced to five years in federal prison for defrauding the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency out of $13 million. The […]
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Police chief fights to keep license
After Leland Grove Police Chief Dan Ryan was arrested for domestic battery and driving under the influence earlier this month, his lawyer argued Ryan’s driver’s license should not have been suspended. John Sharp, Ryan’s attorney, filed a motion to rescind the statutory summary suspension, a state law that automatically suspends anyone who tests over the […]
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Med District could expand
Lawmakers could consider expanding the overall region, and special district powers, of the Mid-Illinois Medical District due to a new bill filed by state Sen. Doris Turner, D-Springfield, last month. Senate Bill 2829 proposes adjustments to the existing Mid-Illinois Medical District Act by essentially doubling the size of the district’s region, extending the southern boundary […]
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Leland Grove police chief granted pretrial release
The day after Leland Grove Police Chief Dan Ryan was arrested for domestic battery and driving under the influence, Sangamon County Judge Rudolph Braud granted Ryan pre-trial release. His next court appearance is March 11. During the Feb. 6 hearing, Braud also did not require an alcohol and drug evaluation that prosecutors argued is typically […]
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Terrance Jordan slated for superintendent Â
The Springfield Public Schools District 186 Board of Education has recommended Terrance Jordan to serve as the next superintendent, succeeding Jennifer Gill. He joined District administration in 2021 and currently serves as the assistant superintendent of family, community and school leadership. Gill announced at the Aug. 18 school board meeting that she would retire June […]
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Budzinski meets with Sangamon Towers owner
Some progress has been made to address ongoing safety and hygiene complaints from residents at Sangamon Towers, 424 N. Fourth St., U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski said at a Jan. 26 press conference in the capital city. Budzinski, who flipped Illinois’ 13th congressional district for Democrats just over two years ago, said Pacific Management, the company […]
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AG reaches settlement for Taylorville Kroger asbestos
Kroger and SSI Services, an Indianapolis-based contractor, agreed to pay the state of Illinois $108,000 over unsafe renovations to the Kroger grocery store in Taylorville, 201 E. Bidwell St., in order to settle a suit filed by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul in 2022. The suit, which was filed in Christian County court, alleged five […]
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Creation of mental health board will be up to voters
In less than two months, Sangamon County residents will determine, through a referendum vote, whether the county should levy a limited 0.5% sales tax increase to fund a Mental Health Board that would distribute tax dollars to social service providers. Members of the county commission that recommended the Sangamon County Board adopt referendum language for […]
