A Chatham solar project approved by the Sangamon County Board in late 2021, on the same evening the Board approved the 4,100-acre Double Black Diamond Solar farm, is finally expected to begin construction in August. At least one-fourth of the approximately 650-acre solar field’s power will be directed to CWLP. Its owner and operator, AES […]
Dilpreet Raju
Dilpreet Raju is a staff writer for Illinois Times and a Report for America corps member. He has a bachelor's degree in biochemistry from American University, a master's degree from Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University and was previously a reporting fellow at Capitol News Illinois.
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Mental Health Board seeking executive director, lawyer
The Sangamon County Mental Health Board, still in its infancy, is seeking an executive director and lawyer to help guide the new organization. The board is responsible for funding mental health services in the county through a 0.5% sales tax levy approved by voters in March, which the county estimates will bring in roughly $14.7 […]
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Solar company, landowner sue Sangamon County
For the second time in as many weeks, the Sangamon County Board was served a lawsuit seeking to overturn a Board zoning decision. In June, the board’s legal adviser and assistant state’s attorney, Joel Benoit, warned the board of potential legal action from Summit Ridge Energy. He said the petition for a 20-acre solar farm […]
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Residents sue Sangamon County, CyrusOne
Several Waverly residents who live approximately a mile or less from the site recently approved for the CyrusOne data center filed a lawsuit against Sangamon County and the Sangamon County Board July 6 seeking to overturn the county’s approval of the project. Chloe Russell, a Plainfield lawyer, filed the case that claims the county’s approved resolution from April […]
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An unlikely alliance
Democrat candidate Marc Bell, who dropped out of the Sangamon County sheriff’s race prior to the March primary and rejoined the race in April, is now being endorsed by David Timm, a former Republican candidate. Bell held a July 14 fundraiser in Springfield where the two men made a joint appearance and Timm praised the […]
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Residents sue to stop Sangamon County data center
This is a breaking news story, here is an updated story published July 16. Several Waverly residents who live approximately a mile or less from the site recently approved for the CyrusOne data center filed a lawsuit against Sangamon County and the Sangamon County Board July 6 seeking to overturn the county’s approval of the […]
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Data center details
Sangamon County’s average residential electricity bill has increased by more than 52% in the past five years when comparing seasonal data, according to a database constructed by Heatmap News and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. That’s nearly 15% more than Cook County, and almost 10% more than the state, experienced over the same time frame. […]
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Sangamon County seeks more local control
The Sangamon County Zoning and Land Use Committee discussed ways to regain more local control over renewable energy projects, such as solar and wind farms, in light of a recent state law that restricts authority of municipal governments to veto such developments. At the June 18 meeting, lawyers gave the committee a laundry list of […]
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New Mental Health Board meets
Sangamon County’s recently convened Mental Health Board agreed on a job listing for an executive director position and started discussions about how to organize the Board’s grant structure during its June 24 meeting. Former Massey Commission staff and members also implored the board to avoid filling governmental budget gaps with the nearly $15 million it’s […]
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Future data center tax breaks on hold
Despite the governor mentioning a pause on data center tax breaks at his budget address in February and a massive swell of political will to regulate the energy-hungry centers since then, Illinois lawmakers did not meaningfully address data centers during their spring session. Gov. JB Pritzker, less than a week after legislators left Springfield, ordered […]
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Divided over data centers
“The U.S. is now spending more on data center construction than public transportation infrastructure,” Bloomberg reported earlier this month. The data center boom has upended the American political landscape, connecting people from all kinds of ballot leanings while shining a light on local politics like never before. As more companies and individuals bet on artificial […]
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Show me the job losses
Across the nation, economists have expressed concerns about the reliability of Bureau of Labor Statistics data, not because of political bias or thumbs on the scale, but rather a lack of manpower amongst the scaled-back federal agency tasked with fielding data about the country’s economic health. That concern stretches to Springfield, according to Ryan McCrady, […]
