Part three of Tauna and Jim’s saga: The next 24 hours were the most dangerous for Jim and the most stressful for all of us concerned. I spent the time rubbing his feet and legs to keep the blood flowing to avoid blood clots and also he was complaining of them cramping. It was the […]
Patrick Yeagle
Patrick Yeagle started writing for Illinois Times in September 2009. Originally from Farmer City, Ill., he graduated from Northern Illinois University in 2008 with a bachelor's degree in political science and a second major in journalism. He then graduated from the University of Illinois-Springfield in 2009 with a Master's degree from the Public Affairs Reporting program. In addition to Illinois Times, his work has appeared in the Chicago Tribune, the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, the Peoria Journal-Star, the Northern Star, the Parkland Prospectus and other publications. Yeagle writes about state government, the environment, energy, healthcare, elections, education, community issues, and more. He enjoys taking photos of news events, cityscapes, very small objects and wildlife. He enjoys running and has completed a marathon, three half-marathons, a 198-mile relay race and several shorter races. Other hobbies include cooking, gardening, making music and outdoor activities.
Posted inArts & Culture
A Second Chance at Life – Part Two
Part two of Tauna and Jim’s saga: While sitting in the garage, Jim realized just how bad he was feeling and even mentioned it to his friend whom he was on the phone with. He couldn’t seem to put his finger on what the problem was, since he had never felt this way before. […]
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Springfield schools waiting for federal recovery funds
School improvements are on hold for Springfield School District 186 as it waits for $8.6 million in economic recovery funds awarded months ago. Sangamon County schools have locked in $25.4 million in federal dollars under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, a $787 billion nationwide project meant to stimulate the economy. But few schools have […]
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The upside of the down economy
The cold December wind sweeps through the quiet parking lot of Dane’s Discount store, where a large sign proclaims, “STORE CLOSING” above shiny new motor scooters with prices slashed in half. Inside, the store is eerily quiet. Barely audible is the cheery music that trickles through speakers overhead, and the usual jolly crowds of holiday […]
Posted inArts & Culture
A Second Chance at Life – Part One
Here’s a story from Tauna King in our advertising department. Tauna is going to share the story of her boyfriend Jim Burke’s experiences with congestive heart failure and his subsequent recovery. We’ll break it up into a couple of posts, so be sure and come back each day. Most people are capable of going through […]
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Comcast may cede public access channel to city
As Comcast seeks to cut ties with public access television across the nation, the City of Springfield prepares to take the reigns locally, angering producers who say they were not consulted on the deal. Cable company Comcast announced in late November that it would stop providing management services for Access 4 public television channel, telling […]
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Illinois sixth in power plant CO2
Illinois ranks sixth among the states for carbon dioxide emissions from power plants, according to an environmental group calling for a shift toward cleaner energy. Environment Illinois, a Chicago-based environmental, released a report last week blasting America’s aging fleet of fossil fuel-burning power plants. The report focuses on carbon dioxide emissions from power plants, advocating […]
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Fat Pat no more – Part Two
Continued from yesterday… My epiphany finally came when I tried being a vegetarian for a week. I lost 5 pounds in the first three days, and I continued to drop weight at an almost alarming pace. I quickly embraced the meat-free lifestyle, and eventually went vegan, eating no animal products at all. (I must admit […]
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Fat Pat no more
It happened so subtly that I hardly noticed. From junior high through my college years, I got fat. Honestly, I was in denial. I knew I ate too much, and I knew I ate the wrong foods, but I didn’t care. I had decided to enjoy whatever morsels I wanted, and I would deal with […]
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Senate ethics panel admonishes Burris
Though he didn’t do anything technically illegal, Illinois’ junior senator received an official slap on the wrist Nov. 20 by the Senate ethics committee for his role in the Rod Blagojevich fiasco. The United States Senate Select Committee on Ethics said in a publicly released “Letter of Qualified Admonition” that Burris had inappropriate contact with […]
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Employee union blasts plans to sell Thomson prison
When it was built eight years ago, the Thomson Correctional Center in northwest Illinois held the promise of new jobs and safer streets, but the state-owned prison sits largely empty even today, the vacant victim of underfunding. Governor Pat Quinn has announced a plan to sell the $145 million prison to the federal government, saying […]
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A runner’s tale
This dispatch comes from our editor-in-chief and fearless leader, Fletcher Bud Farrar: I’ve been a casual runner for years, but early this year when it dawned on me that I was going to turn 60 in the spring, I decided to step it up a notch. During the winter months I went on several long […]
