The air inside the sanctuary was thick with incense. A priest in embroidered vestments chanted ancient prayers as parishioners stood shoulder to shoulder. Some bowed deeply before painted icons of Jesus of Nazareth and the saints. Others crossed themselves repeatedly as voices rose together in ancient hymns sung a cappella. It’s a scene one might […]
Scott Reeder
Scott Reeder is a staff writer at Illinois Times.
Posted inNews
The end of an era
For 116 years, St. Patrick Catholic School has been an educational cornerstone on Springfield’s east side – a small school with big ambitions for the children it has served. At the end of this school year, its classrooms will fall silent. School leaders announced this month that St. Patrick Catholic School, founded in 1910, will […]
Posted inNews
Valente versus Cahnman
Miguel Valente, a 25-year-old budget analyst in the Illinois Governor’s Office of Management and Budget is running in the March 17 Democratic primary for the Sangamon County Board’s 18th District, pitching himself as a fiscally minded candidate focused on affordability, transparency and government efficiency. Despite Valente being on Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker’s staff, his opponent […]
Posted inNews
Court case settled for AZ-T-CA owners
Criminal charges have been dropped against Nicolas Paz, a Springfield restauranter who had been accused of defrauding the state of more than $100,000 in sales tax revenue. But his wife, Amanda Paz, has pleaded guilty to sales tax evasion. According to court records, Amanda Paz has already paid the state the money it was owed […]
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New manufacturer for Springfield
An international crane manufacturing firm is opening a plant in Springfield that will likely employ more than 100 people on the city’s west side. In addition to the blue-collar jobs assembling cranes, the firm will employ a host of professional positions as it plans to make Springfield its first manufacturing site in the U.S., Dominic […]
Posted inRemembering
FRANK COBLE
A legacy of care for animals Frank Coble was a second-generation Springfield veterinarian who radically changed how animals are cared for in the community by instituting advanced treatment techniques, establishing an emergency clinic and training a new generation of animal doctors. Coble died Sept. 8 at the age of 80 after battling dementia for several […]
Posted inRemembering
GEORGE HOMER RYAN
He cleared Illinois’ death row George Ryan was a cigar-chomping, salty-tongued Illinois pol whose political career pinnacled in the governor’s mansion and ended in a prison cell. The state’s 39th governor died May 2 at the age of 91 in his hometown of Kankakee. Ryan was a product of the Kankakee political machine, which was […]
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Town & Country Shopping Center staying the course
The future of the Town & Country Shopping Center on MacArthur Boulevard is unclear after the aging strip mall failed to sell at auction this month, but the owner of the property says he remains hopeful it will be redeveloped. “I’m always optimistic because as a real estate developer, you have to be optimistic,” David […]
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Springfield gets a city planner, again
The city of Springfield has hired Suraksha Bhandari as its new professional planner, bringing a blend of international experience, architectural training and research-driven urban planning to city hall. Bhandari comes to Springfield from Salt Lake City, where she completed a master’s degree in city and metropolitan planning at the University of Utah and worked in […]
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Families struggle with hunger
On good days, Shay McGhiey eats one meal a day. On bad days, the 57-year-old Springfield man eats nothing. Like thousands of others in the capital city, hunger is no stranger to McGhiey, who works a minimum-wage job in a smoke shop. “I make too much money – according to the public aid people – […]
Posted inNews
SPD to stick with Flock Safety
In the wake of a state audit showing Illinois license plate reader data being shared with federal immigration authorities – in violation of state law – the city of Springfield plans to stay the course with the technology and the company involved. The audit’s findings resulted in Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias demanding that Flock […]
Posted inNews
Stay tuned
Beni Harmony, an anchor at WICS Newschannel 20, posted on social media Sept. 16 that she resigned after being suspended for what she called an on air “non-partisan tribute” to Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk following his assassination. But WICS news director Heather Voudrie Nodine told Illinois Times no one at the station has been suspended […]
