Hardware stores are my guilty pleasure. No, I’m not talking about the big box monstrosities that sell gallons of milk and bags of dog food right next to the rolls of duct tape. I like the small, family-owned enterprises where the owner knows your name and the fellow back in plumbing knows exactly what part […]
Scott Reeder
Scott Reeder is a staff writer at Illinois Times.
Posted inNews
City receives $500K state grant for the Y block
The state of Illinois has agreed to give $500,000 to the city of Springfield to make improvements to the Y block. The empty lot just north of the Illinois Governor’s Mansion was once the site of the YWCA building, which was razed in 2017. Over the years, various ideas ranging from a law school campus […]
Posted inNews
A polarizing presence
Sangamon County Republicans are paying Kellyanne Conway, an adviser to former President Donald Trump, $30,000 to speak at the Sangamon County Republican Party’s annual Lincoln Day dinner. Sangamon County GOP chair Dianne Barghouti Hartwick said so far more than 900 people have purchased the $125 tickets to eat at the dinner, scheduled for 6 p.m. […]
Posted inNews
A dream come true
A $500,000 gift is being used to transform the lives of young people in Springfield who want to learn a trade. What is now known as The Frank and Linda Vala Dream Center of Sangamon County is located in Dawson Hall on the former Springfield campus of Benedictine University that once housed Ursuline Academy. The […]
Posted inOpinion
The secret to a good marriage
A stream of more than 30 cars and trucks roared down the dirt road, honking their horns and then stopping at our farmhouse just south of Galesburg. Don Swedlund, the dairy farmer down the road, got out and hollered, “We’re having a shivaree!” For the uninitiated, a shivaree is a rural matrimonial custom where the […]
Posted inNews
A new direction for Springfield
Springfield Mayor-elect Misty Buscher, who denied incumbent Jim Langfelder a third four-year term with her almost 800-vote margin, pledged April 4 to govern in a bipartisan manner but made a point of thanking the 14 labor unions that helped push her over the top. “Those unions made a difference,” she told an enthusiastic crowd of […]
Posted inNews
SHS teacher fights for his life
Not long ago, K.J. Reid, a popular Springfield High School science teacher, was teaching youngsters about medical procedures; today he is in Springfield Memorial Hospital missing his arms and legs. “He teaches medical interventions – the cutting edge of technology when it comes to medicine. Unfortunately, it’s what he’s experiencing right now,” said Amy Weller, […]
Posted inOpinion
Man vs. machine
I refuse to use self-checkout lanes at the grocery store. This isn’t a new thing; I just don’t like the technology. It’s not that I find it too complicated. My objection is that when I use it, I’m contributing to someone losing their job. Low-skill, repetitive jobs like those of checkout clerks are on the […]
Posted inNews
United Airlines departing Springfield
In the wake of United Airlines’ decision to no longer serve Springfield, travelers flying to Chicago will likely pay more for their airfare, an economist specializing in air travel told Illinois Times. When United leaves June 1, the only major commercial carrier serving Springfield will be American Airlines. “American will be the monopolist at your […]
Posted inNews
Deadly withdrawal
Brian Downs wasn’t just a person with an addiction; he was a loving son, a hard worker, a devoted brother, a good friend. His mother, Julie Downs, wants people to know this about her son, who died April 25, 2022, in the Morgan County Jail of complications related to heroin withdrawal. “Too often people are […]
Posted inOpinion
A green burial
“They’ll make fun of me and give me a goofy name.” That was my mother’s reaction to the notion of her body being donated to a medical school for students to dissect. I was a bit surprised by the vehemence she expressed against the idea. After all, she was a registered nurse married to a […]
Posted inNews
United Airlines canceling service to Springfield
Beginning June 1, United Airlines will no longer serve Springfield, Mark Hanna, executive director of Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport, told Illinois Times Saturday. “We’re very disappointed to learn that United, our hometown airline, has decided to discontinue service to the Illinois state capital,” he said. “We understand the decision was really based on a lack […]
