Life changed this week for me and many northenders when Noonan’s True Value Hardware announced it is closing its retail operations. For the past 30 years or so I’ve relied on the North Grand Noonan’s when I needed a set screw for a doorknob, or a washer for a garden hose, lightbulbs, a bale of […]
Fletcher Farrar
Fletcher Farrar is the editor of Illinois Times .
Posted inOpinion
Editors note 4/6/23
Misty Buscher knows what it takes to be a fine mayor. She has pledged an administration of openness, transparency and communication, and we’re eager to watch that unfold. As a newcomer to most of the issues facing city government, Buscher’s performance will be key, while Springfield welcomes new energy and a fresh face. We’re intrigued […]
Posted inOpinion
Editor’s note 03-16-23
If you’re one of those who have been losing sleep worrying about all those people who have more than $250,000 in their bank accounts, more than the insured-deposit limit, you may now rest assured. It turns out that the median net worth of U.S households is $140,500, and half of those have bank deposits of […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
ReGeneration Spring 2023
ReGeneration is the magazine for active and creative grownups, members of The ReGen generation. The ReGen is age 50-plus, yet this generation is not so much an age but a lifestyle. The ReGen includes people willing to try new adventures, to give back, to reinvent themselves and their community. They’ve done it all at least […]
Posted inOpinion
Editors note 3/9/23
Springfield yearns for a bold leader with a strong vision for downtown, a proposal for a cool Central Park and a preservation ethic that won’t allow historic buildings to be torn down for parking lots. A plan for a city planner would win a lot of support, as well as a vision for developing older […]
Posted inOpinion
When downtown defeated demolitions
When I heard about the “beautification project” to demolish two historic buildings on East Washington to make a “green space” surface parking lot, it reminded me of something. Had I heard this story before? Oh yes, I finally remembered, the 2001-2002 “Vista Block” proposal. That project seemed to come out of the blue, but really […]
Posted inNews
Editor’s note 03-02-23
Susan Phillips, pastor of Springfield’s First Presbyterian Church, once heard Illinois Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton deliver an impassioned speech and noted to herself, “She can preach!” After the event she told Stratton, “You should come back sometime and preach at our Sunday morning service,” “Invite me,” said the lieutenant governor. She was invited and took […]
Posted inOpinion
Editors note 2/23/23
Planners working on a new master plan for downtown Springfield have asked the public for ideas. Here are a couple: Don’t tear down historic buildings to build surface parking lots. And don’t provide public subsidies for wealthy corporations, or anyone else for that matter, to demolish buildings for surface parking. Horace Mann Educators Corp. applied […]
Posted inOpinion
SIU and hospitals dive deep into antiracism
The conference on “The Hope and Promise of Co-liberation Work” began with a celebration on Friday, Feb. 17. It was followed by two days of lectures, panel discussions and breakout sessions that together showed how far the Springfield medical community has come on the road to racial and ethnic inclusion, diversity and equity. And how […]
Posted inOpinion
Editors note 2/16/23
With this wedding issue we note that the marriage rate in the United States has hit an all-time low in recent years, falling to 6 new marriages per 1,000 people in 2020, down from 9.8 per 1,000 in 1990, according to the U.S. Census. Among the reasons given is that Americans are getting married later […]
Posted inOpinion
Battling the Green Nuclear Deal
In their determination to save the world from greenhouse gases, some environmental organizations have gone over to the other side, while the Sierra Club nationally has maintained its longstanding opposition to commercial nuclear power. Some local Sierra groups seem not so sure. “Is Nuclear Power a Great Way or a Terrible Way to Cut CO2 […]
Posted inOpinion
An after-school program where children teach grownups
I volunteer a couple hours a week at a Springfield after-school program called Compass for Kids, but it’s for adults. It’s for both, I suppose, and I’m sure these elementary-school kids from low-income families get a lot out of it too. If we described it as a program to help adults learn how to be […]
