Lawrence Crossett

Untitled Document Will Durst makes his living skewering politicians and showcasing the folly and hypocrisy that are rife in party politics. He does so prolifically through a wide variety of outlets: online, on the radio and television, in print, and in front of live audiences. Durst’s driving passion is not to further the agenda of […]

Untitled Document Valentina was at Goma, a small town in Zaire just across the Ruzizi River from Rwanda. A trader, she had come downriver from her home in Bukavu to purchase items for resale. The open-air market was unusually crowded. Rwandan refugees, who were fleeing the bloodbath in their country, were everywhere. As Valentina made […]

Untitled Document As director of the state’s Partners for Hope program, Frederick Nettles plays a key role in disbursing taxpayer money to faith-based groups. As pastor of Living Word Fellowship Ministries in Springfield, Nettles heads a faith-based group. What some people may see as a conflict, Nettles sees as an advantage. Nettles says he’s able […]

Untitled Document Brigit Dyer-Reynolds thought she was done with social-service work. She’d performed well during her time with Catholic Charities, but it had been a lot of responsibility and, at times, a lot of frustration. When a little antique shop on Amos Street came up for sale, just as she was looking for a change, […]

Untitled Document The Inner City Mission first opened in 1984, in a house on North Fifth Street, the result of an ambitious plan by eight Springfield area churches to provide for the city’s homeless population. In 1987, the shelter moved from that house into the current, larger location on South Seventh. In its 23-year history, […]

To pursue advanced business courses at Lincoln High School, freshman Pat O’Neill first needed to complete the marketing requirement. He signed up and was put in a class with mainly older students — most of them girls. His classroom work that semester was fine, but the final exam for the course consisted of a 40-minute […]