For the past ten years, the Illinois Press Association has been pushing for a tougher Open Meetings Act. IPA would have a much easier time if nearly every governmental body in Illinois didn’t oppose it. Beth Bennett, IPA’s director of government relations, joined the association 15 years ago. Soon after starting her job, she began […]
IT PICKS
Posted inNews
Disturbing the peace
Sheila Walk was puzzled when she showed up for the Heartland Peace Center’s annual meeting in January. It was supposed to be held at the Space on Super Bowl Sunday. For years, the Heartland Peace Center’s annual meeting has always been on Super Bowl Sunday. This year was supposed to be no different; Walk, a […]
Posted inNews
More med district maneuvers
Duane Schlueter wanted to make some money from Springfield hospitals, family members say, but his refusal to visit one put an end to his plan. Schlueter, who died on Saturday, January 18, at the age of 62, owned a couple of lots in Enos Park near the southwest corner of Third and Carpenter. “He was […]
Posted inNews
Jammed packed
Even people who aren’t supporters of Karen Hasara will admit she’s done a lot of good during her two terms as Springfield’s first woman mayor. She’s furthered the development of downtown and helped to build the new Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. She’s brought in outside experts to suggest ways to beautify the city. […]
Posted inNews
Seeking asylums
In a 40-year-old photo from the Jacksonville Developmental Center, an unidentified woman crouches in a hallway with walls marked by divots and flaking paint. Her face is hidden under her arms. A caption reads, “Did this woman have people who loved her? Did they visualize her huddled in this corner? How could we not care […]
Posted inNews
A new fight for equal rights
Three pieces of legislation were debated a few weeks ago at a low-key hearing of the Illinois House’s civil-law committee. One bill would allow trusts for pets. Another would grant elderly victims of crimes the right to give depositions at home. Both proposals were sent to the full House with no objections, 18 to 0. […]
Posted inOpinion
Made men
At the end of primary election day on February 25, Mark Mahoney got some good news. He not only finished first among four candidates for alderman of Springfield City Council Ward 6, he got more votes than the other three candidates combined. Mahoney says his success was due to his simple promise to be a […]
Posted inNews
Death penalty politics
State Representative Mary O’Brien, a Democrat from Watseka, chairs the Illinois House committee on criminal justice. Given the Democratic Party’s takeover of Springfield and her own landslide reelection in November (she received 70 percent of the vote), you might suspect O’Brien and seven committee members passed a bill to abolish the death penalty last Friday […]
Posted inNews
Don’t walk this way
In 1998 Terry Moore purchased a home in Lake Forest Estates, a new subdivision in the southeastern part of town. One day on a walk around the block, he came to a corner and stopped. Instead of finding a sidewalk leading to the street, he was left standing before only a stretch of grass. After […]
Posted inNews
No Child Left Unrecruited
The Iraqi Peace Coalition, which is considering a name change so it can take on more issues, wants Springfield parents to know that the U.S. military is interested in their children. “The No Child Left Behind Act requires high schools to provide the name, address, and phone numbers of all juniors and seniors to the […]
Posted inNews
The Eastside speaks
The new mayor will have his hands full. The police department and the self-insurance fund will be immediate concerns. But what about the Eastside of Springfield? A recent city-funded study outlined many of the problems there, including sections of urban decay comparable to the worst parts of Chicago. Between 14th and Dirksen, Cook and South […]
Posted inNews
Death takes no holiday
Is AIDS a big deal in Sangamon County? Ask the Springfield AIDS Resource Center. Its volunteers and staff performed about 500 HIV tests last year and expect to do the same this year. In 2001, there were just 5 new reported cases of AIDS, but that was up from the previous two years. At least […]
