Enjoy a pint of 95 Golden Lager from Oct. 6-24 at Springfield Beer Company, 3788 Wabash Ave., and $1 will be donated for every pint sold to help eradicate polio, thanks to a partnership with the Rotary Club of Springfield. A kick-off social and fundraiser will be held at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 6, […]
Karen Ackerman Witter
Karen Ackerman Witter started freelance writing after a 35-year career in state government holding various senior leadership positions. Prior to retiring she was associate director of the Illinois State Museum for 14 years. She is the past president of the Kidzeum Board of Directors and is an active volunteer with the Rotary Club of Springfield Sunrise, Women for Women giving circle of the Community Foundation, NPR Illinois and other community organizations.
Posted inFall Home & Garden
Healthy trees enrich communities
Fall is an excellent time to assess and care for existing trees in your yard and plant new trees. Too often homeowners don’t pay enough attention to the structure and health of their trees and only discover problems after a storm when trees or limbs fall to the ground (or on the house). Healthy trees […]
Posted inFall Home & Garden
Fall maintenance for your yard and garden
Whether planting a vegetable garden, flower garden or pollinator garden, “site preparation is paramount,” says master gardener Susan Helm. “I can’t stress enough how important this is.” There are thriving pollinator gardens all over Springfield, thanks to Helm and a cadre of dedicated volunteers. Examples are the Monarch Flyway native plantings at the Route […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Tree companies donate services at Camp Butler National Cemetery
Five tree service companies from Springfield, Champaign, Bloomington and beyond donated their services at Camp Butler National Cemetery Sept. 16 as part of the Saluting Branches National Day of Service. Saluting Branches—Arborists United for Veteran Remembrance is a nonprofit that holds an annual day of service where volunteers from tree and landscape companies donate their […]
Posted inNews
Leaving a legacy
Seven charitable organizations that help women in need have received a total of $1.21 million in grants from the newly created Justice Benjamin K. Miller Charitable Fund. Justice Benjamin K. Miller was the first Springfield native on the Illinois Supreme Court, serving from 1984-2001, and was chief justice from 1991-1993. Miller was highly respected in […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Kidzeum presents first For the Kids Awards
Kidzeum hosted its inaugural For the Kids Awards at a sold-out fundraising dinner at the Inn at 835 on Sept. 10. The event was created to shine a light on people whose commitment, leadership and service are making a meaningful difference in the lives of children and families across central Illinois. Community members nominated 24 […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Honor Flight veterans receive a warm welcome home
Throngs of people stood, clapped and cheered to welcome home and thank 92 veterans and their guardians when the Land of Lincoln Honor Flight returned to Springfield’s Capitol Airport around 10:30 p.m. on Sept. 1. After a long and hot day in Washington, D.C., the veterans walked the length of the airport with people standing […]
Posted inNews
Nominations open for 64th First Citizen Award
Nominations are open through Oct. 1 for the 64th Springfield Area First Citizen Award, and the recipient will be honored on Wednesday, Nov. 18, at Erin’s Pavilion at Southwind Park. The award recognizes individuals whose extraordinary volunteer service and commitment have made a significant and lasting impact on Springfield and surrounding communities. The Community […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Rich Solomon receives Trailblazer Award
The Abraham Lincoln Council, Scouting America presented its prestigious Trailblazer Award to Rich Solomon, chair of the board and CEO of Solomon Colors, at a Sept. 8 dinner at Erin’s Pavilion at Southwind Park. The Trailblazer Award was established in 2010 to honor a member of the central Illinois community who exemplifies the attributes the […]
Posted inNews
Fighting for the innocent
The Illinois Innocence Project at University of Illinois Springfield has freed 34 innocent people who were convicted and imprisoned in Illinois for crimes they did not commit. Collectively, they lost 797 years of freedom. There are innocence organizations in 10 other countries and more than 60 in the U.S., but IIP is the only one […]
Posted inNews
Founding of the Illinois Innocence Project
Dr. Larry Golden, the founding director of IIP, was the youngest faculty member when he came to Sangamon State University when it opened in 1970. He became involved in social justice issues in the 1960s while in graduate school at the University of Minnesota and said he was attracted to SSU because of its focus […]
Posted inNews
Exoneree restitution law expanded
Advocates for increasing the compensation for people wrongfully convicted celebrated a major victory July 14 when Gov. JB Pritzker signed HB 3663. The new law removes the cap on compensation by the state and allows the Court of Claims to award exonerees up to $50,000 for each year wrongfully imprisoned. The bill passed the Illinois […]
