Some Springfield Public Schools students returned to the classroom on Tuesday, for the first time in more than 300 days. Students across Illinois were sent home last March due to state COVID-19 mitigations. The District 186 board voted to implement its hybrid plan at a Jan. 4 meeting. Reportedly, about 44% of students had enrolled […]
Rachel Otwell
Posted inNews
East side art activism
Political signs littered the landscape during last year’s campaign season. “Some of those signs were left behind,” said Shatriya Smith, who lives on the east side of Springfield, “adding to the blight and trash that is already in our neighborhood.” But what if those types of signs could be used to share art and positive […]
Posted inNews
Myths in the time of COVID
The nation’s top doctor recently stopped in Illinois to urge people to get vaccinated. At a Dec. 22 press conference in Chicago, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams recounted speaking earlier in the day with a nurse at a hospital who worked in an ICU that was at capacity. “Even if you don’t personally feel […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
“Whatever it takes” – UIS official led with love
Dr. Clarice Ford lived a storied life before coming to Springfield where her impact will be felt for generations to come. Ford earned degrees from Antioch University and Fielding Graduate University. She held positions at Berry College, Youngstown State University and Ohio State University. Her first positions at University of Illinois Springfield, in 2008, were […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
A fighter for transgender inclusion
At 19 years of age, Alex McCray stood before a sold-out crowd gathered at a Hilton hotel in Chicago on March 17, 2017. The audience was there to support the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois. McCray was there to receive an award. He gave a speech about his activism in a rural downstate town. […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
“Went to seminary, became a carpenter”
Once, when challenged to describe himself in six words, Jack Kriel wrote, “Went to seminary, became a carpenter.” Raised a Catholic, he had tried his hand at becoming a professional man of faith before forging his own non-religious, yet spiritual, path. As a contractor with his own construction company, he hired ex-convicts and once worked […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
Community leader and “relentless” social justice activist
Leroy Jordan’s mother worked in school cafeterias and his father worked for the railroad. While he didn’t follow either of their paths directly, both schools and railroads would become themes in his life. Jordan was born in Murphysboro. A talented athlete, he was inducted into his high school’s football hall of fame. Jordan attended Southern […]
Posted inNews
Solving the preschool puzzle
Is a new state agency on the horizon? It’s at least a possibility. The Illinois Commission on Equitable Early Childhood Education and Care Funding is set to release its recommendations in March. The commission, created by Gov. JB Pritzker in December 2019, is charged with establishing funding plans that would “provide equitable access to high-quality […]
Posted inNews
A shot of hope
Medical professionals on the frontlines were some of the first to get inoculated for COVID-19 in Springfield last week. St. John’s was designated by the state as the regional coordinating center for “Region Three” in west-central Illinois. The first doses were given Dec. 16. St. John’s received a shipment of vaccines to distribute to several […]
Posted inNews
City accused of discrimination
The city of Springfield is again accused of discriminating against LGBTQ employees. Former city library employee Kate Holt, a transgender woman, claims the city violated state law by refusing to cover her medical expenses related to gender transition. Transgender people have a variety of ways to go about transitioning. Some, like Holt, regularly take hormonal […]
Posted inNews
The park formerly known as Douglas
What was known as Douglas Park (943 W. Mason St.) in Springfield has a new name. On Nov. 18, the Springfield Park District board voted 6-1 to rename the park in honor of Otis B. Duncan. He was a Springfield resident who served in World War I and was the highest-ranking Black member of his […]
Posted inNews
Hybrid option tentatively offered
School officials are robocalling and emailing parents of Springfield Public Schools students to let them know they can once again choose whether they would like their children to attend class either remotely or under a hybrid option. The hybrid option would have students report to school in-person on certain days of the week and learn […]
