Sometimes when 21-year-old Ian Tate is going for a drive and his phone lights up with a new text message, he’ll use one hand to reach for his phone, leave his other hand on the wheel as he reads the message, then text a response. Even though the Springfield native doesn’t really like to text, […]
Hannah Douglas
Posted inNews
Veteran receives care and wants others aware
Before having extensive dental work, Kirby Carlson would cover his mouth when he talked to hide his teeth. The 40-year-old Persian Gulf War veteran of Springfield has since found his confidence and is in pursuit of a new job, as he is currently unemployed. He says he is very grateful for the dental care […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Fighting the Fat
The name of this blog might be “Get FIT,” but that seems to be getting harder for more and more Americans. I know awareness on the issue of the obesity epidemic in the U.S. is improving, but are our habits really becoming healthier? A lot of times I think living a healthy lifestyle can be […]
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Including agriculture in the broadband plan
Illinois farmers have been taking a new approach to managing their crops, with a little innovation and a little assistance from their cell phones. New mobile technology, plus the effort to make broadband coverage more available in rural areas by the National Broadband Plan of the Federal Communications Commission, is reshaping the technology scene in […]
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Parents need to have their voices heard at school
A growing number of parent “no-shows” at parent-teacher conferences and a consistently poor performance of low-income and minority students have one coalition looking for ways to rebuild the parent-teacher relationship in Springfield. The Faith Coalition for the Common Good (FCCG), a nonprofit organization made up of faith-based and community organizations, has started a grassroots discussion […]
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With classrooms scarce, teachers get carts
Students aren’t the only ones who need to worry about getting to class on time this year. Traveling teachers, known as “teachers on a cart,” will also be shuffling through the crowded hallways when school begins. Last year at Springfield High School there were approximately 14 teachers on a cart. Without their own designated classroom, […]
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Industrial acreage to become wildlife preserve At Illiopolis plant, Monsanto partners with area scho
Illiopolis residents might soon have a new area to relax and visit geese, quail, pheasants and other native wildlife within their natural environment. The agriculture company Monsanto has 14 acres of land on its seed corn producing Illiopolis site which could become a protected place for area wildlife. The company is partnering with Sangamon Valley […]
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Illinois tiptoes toward regulating insurance rates
Before national health reform became law, if Illinois health insurers wanted to increase their rates, most were not even required to inform the Illinois Department of Insurance of that rate change. Although the Illinois Department of Insurance now has access to rate changes, it still lacks authority to approve or deny unreasonable insurance premium rate […]
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Arts are the main course, not dessert
The arts are infinite and inexhaustible. Every artistic production sustains each hungry member of its audience for years, not just for a moment. That’s how Peter Sellars sees it. Sellars, an international director and producer, has lived and worked in France, Africa and Australia, directed Los Angeles festivals in the 1990s and created opera and […]
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Concussion? Go to the bench.
It was a typical evening of basketball practice in 1997 and a young A.D. Carson wanted nothing more than to be in the game. However, another player had just accidentally stepped on his head, and Carson felt pressured by his coach to stay in play, rather than go to the bench. Even though he wasn’t […]
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Illinois starts work on health care reform
Looking forward to seeing her son one evening, Maurine Magliocco of Springfield got a call saying he had fallen ill and wasn’t going to come. He was debating going to the emergency room. Even though Peter Magliocco, a 28-year-old, had his own insurance, he didn’t think he could afford the trip. As a concerned mother, […]
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Celebrating 35 years of fun ways to learn
Sometimes learning looks different than a standard textbook, classroom or exam. Instead it might take the shape of a miniature tugboat or an easel, or perhaps something else altogether. That’s really up to the students to discover. At Funshop, an early childhood education program supported in part by the Springfield Park District, the “students” are […]
