Rachel Otwell

In recent days, coronavirus has “turned things upside down” for Jonna Cooley, who heads Springfield’s Phoenix Center. The center is the area’s premier LGBTQ community resource, providing support groups, housing, STD testing and other services. Normal routines have largely screeched to a halt as a result of efforts to stem the spread of COVID-19. The […]

Restaurant servers work for tips; their paychecks can be virtually non-existent once deductions are accounted for. And chefs and cooks largely live “paycheck-to-paycheck,” as Brian Reilly says. “One week can really make a difference with day-to-day bills.” Reilly, of Dawson, is the owner of Cured Catering, a venture he started with his wife Melissa about […]

As a reporter, I’ve been hearing repeatedly that social distance is one of our best ways to stop the spread of coronavirus. Social distance was defined in the governor’s stay-at-home order as keeping six feet away from people while attending to necessary shopping trips, or going outside for exercise. Otherwise, the message is: stay home. […]

Last week, we reported about one woman’s experience trying to get tested for COVID-19 after returning home to Springfield from Spain and experiencing respiratory symptoms. After going to a drive-up Memorial clinic, she said she was told she would be tested for flu and strep, and then later for the new coronavirus if those tests came […]

For years, Lincoln’s Legends podcast by Jeremie Bailey was one way artists and news-makers in Springfield could share their stories. The content was geared toward millennials and Gen-Xers with an interest in independent art and music but also included newsier interviews, like with Downtown Springfield Inc’s Lisa Clemmons Stott. It went on hiatus in 2018, […]

Susan – not her real name – is worried. When she left Springfield for Europe in early March, she felt ill. She figured it was sinuses. She’d heard of coronavirus – enough to know that China, Italy and Iran should be avoided – but this was Spain, and, not yet 20, she was on spring […]

Shelley Reither, of Springfield, has a daily routine of going to see her dad in the nursing home. They visit for about an hour. “I have always had an inordinately close relationship with him,” said Reither. “One of the primary reasons is just because of his dementia, really. I think it helps keep him grounded […]

Steve Andersson played an instrumental role in getting the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) ratified in Illinois in 2018. As a state representative he lobbied fellow Republicans to vote in favor of the resolution for ratification. While ERA had easily passed the Senate, it narrowly passed the House. Andersson, of Geneva, Illinois, said even in the […]

Jordan and Aurora Coffey are a married couple in their early 30s. They have a young child, and another on the way. Their love of food and the community it creates is one of their most sacred bonds. And it’s been tested over the past week, in light of efforts to mitigate the spread of […]

When Scott McFarland heard about the school closures resulting from the government’s attempt to halt the spread of coronavirus, he did what he knew best. He started planning ways for people to spring into service. McFarland is on the Springfield school board and he’s the executive director for Serve Illinois, a Governor-appointed board that focuses […]