Springfield’s council meeting included an update from CWLP and heated debated about neighborhood improvement grants. The city’s utility leaders shared news on a $629,000 grant for new EV chargers, a shot at $1.6 million for grid upgrades, and the daunting challenge of replacing 10,000 lead water lines in just 10 years—potentially a $150 million project […]
Illinois Times Staff
Posted inOpinion
Letter to the editor 06-19-25
TRY SOMETHING NEW How many times are you going to rehash the huge vacancy of downtown offices (“A plan to save downtown,” June 5)? This city government has been talking about repairing the downtown since the 1970s. Remember Time – not Illinois Times, but the major Time magazine – had our Hilton hotel towering over […]
Posted inWatch Public Meetings
Council celebrates athletes, community calls for strong leadership
Springfield’s council meeting had less business than usual but included celebratory and thought-providing moments: young athletes from Jefferson Middle School were honored for breaking state records, and the city officially proclaimed a day in their name. The Oak Ridge Cemetery Foundation shared how volunteers are preserving one of the nation’s most visited cemeteries—and why future […]
Posted inWatch Public Meetings
Springfield’s unusual wastewater issue and questions about RV rules
Springfield’s council tackled some interesting questions this week. A $300k engineering contract for a wastewater rule drew questions—turns out our plant is the only one in the country facing this exact EPA challenge, and the clock is ticking. Council members pressed for more transparency, while a resident group raised concerns about risks to drinking water […]
Posted inArts & Culture
The first face of hope: How United Way brings comfort after crisis
When flames consume a home, what families remember most is not always the fire. Sometimes, it’s the face of the person who showed up when everything else was gone. That face is often Mary’s. A longtime volunteer supported through United Way of Central Illinois, Mary responds after housefires to provide emergency supplies and emotional support. […]
Posted inOpinion
Letters to the editor 06-05-25
PROTESTING WORKS Thanks to Kelley Hatlee for writing this fantastic guest contribution (“Does protesting really work?,” May 15). Nonviolent protest does matter, and it does work. The data is there to back it up. Local 50501 chapters, Indivisible, Women’s March and many more organization absolutely need pro-democracy Americans to get involved by making calls, engaging […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Step back in time to golden era of rock ’n’ roll
Pasfield House Sock HopSat., June 7, 7-11 p.m. | 525 S. Pasfield St. | info@pasfieldhouse.com DANCE | Step back in time to golden era of rock ‘n’ roll It’s not often one gets a chance to “step back in time and groove to the golden era of rock ‘n’ roll,” but that opportunity is on […]
Posted inWatch Public Meetings
Council debates homeless services funding, approves grant
Springfield’s council meeting was all about how the city supports its most vulnerable residents. The main debate: whether to award over $1.1 million in ARPA funds to Helping Hands for supportive services, or to open the process for a portion of the funds so other organizations could apply. After a heated back-and-forth, the amendment to […]
Posted inOpinion
Letters to the editor 05-29-25
FALSE NARRATIVE As a former Springfield resident and engaged member of this community, I find the recent article “Economic gaps persist for Blacks” (May 15) to be less a data analysis and more a narrative instrument – crafted to reinforce the profitable illusion of racism rather than provide a clear-eyed view of economic complexity. Let’s […]
Posted inWatch Public Meetings
Council questions Helping Hands, cheers Fifth Street Renaissance
Springfield’s council meeting focused on two major funding decisions for local supportive services, with council members pressing for details on how $1.1 million in ARPA funds would be used by Helping Hands of Springfield. Concerns about leadership, staffing and community trust took center stage, while the organization’s director pledged a new direction. In sharp contrast, […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Chautauqua-style event returns to Petersburg
In the 1870s, an educational meeting at Lake Chautauqua, New York, grew into a popular adult education and social movement that swept the U.S. The movement’s events, named after the lake, featured entertainment and culture “with speakers, teachers, musicians, showmen, preachers and specialists of the day.” Illinois had its share of Chautauquas, including one near […]
