As lawmakers debated a bill this month to outlaw cat declawing, I couldn’t help thinking sometimes the best intended legislation can have disappointing consequences. The legislation pits two well-intentioned groups against one another: animal rights activists and veterinarians. Members of both groups love animals and want what they believe is best for them. But their […]
Scott Reeder
Scott Reeder is a staff writer at Illinois Times.
Posted inNews
“Willing to listen”
Misty Buscher isn’t just running against an incumbent; she’s challenging a dynasty. The Springfield city treasurer wants to replace Jim Langfelder as Springfield’s mayor. When she first announced her bid against the two-term incumbent, political prognosticators were skeptical, but after far out-fundraising her opponent and private polling showing the race in a dead heat, those […]
Posted inNews
Debt forgiveness becomes a campaign issue
In recent weeks, Mayor Jim Langfelder’s opponents have focused their criticism on the administration’s deals to write off city debts without council approval or public knowledge. First the decision to forgive $243,000 in CWLP charges to Wyndham City Centre came to light, and then Illinois Times reported that $42,000 in fines incurred by politically connected […]
Posted inOpinion
The purpose of fasting
Having married a Catholic and now being the only Protestant in a household of six, I’ve learned a few things in the past 20 years. One of those things I’ve learned is how to bake really good macaroni and cheese during Lent. Like many families, we don’t eat meat on Ash Wednesday and the following […]
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Cutting out declawing
Illinois veterinarians are fighting tooth and nail against a measure to outlaw cat declawing. House Bill 1533, sponsored by Rep. Barbara Hernandez, D-Aurora, aims to outlaw the surgical removal of any cat’s claws, with few exceptions. The Illinois State Veterinary Medical Association contends the bill puts cats – and their owners– at risk. But the […]
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Back to the beach
Just call it a plan with a touch of nostalgia. Springfield mayoral candidate Misty Buscher is calling for revitalizing the dormant beach house at Lake Springfield and making it a haven for food trucks, concerts and outdoor activities. “When I was a teenager, everybody who was in my age group hung out at Center Park, […]
Posted inOpinion
And a child shall lead them
Illinois has the ugliest flag in the union and state Sen. Doris Turner wants to do something about it. The lawmaker from Springfield has introduced legislation to create a commission to develop new flag designs for the General Assembly to consider by Sept. 1. “After more than 100 years of the same design, I think […]
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Debts and donations
A politically connected Springfield lawyer, George Petrilli, who was fined more than $46,000 by the city for failing to maintain a dilapidated property, had almost all of his debt forgiven and later donated $2,500 to Mayor Jim Langfelder’s reelection campaign. The city has waived fines and forgiven utility bills in hundreds of cases during 2022, […]
Posted inOpinion
Too big to fail
We heard those words repeatedly when Wall Street banks were going broke and the federal government swooped in to bail them out – with our money. The arrangement was a deal with the devil. But both George W. Bush and Barack Obama said we should just hold our noses because so much of the country’s […]
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A push to diversify
White men from small towns. That’s the primary recruiting pool for the Springfield Police Department, which is struggling to have a more diverse workforce that better reflects the community. Although Springfield is 20% Black, only 10% of officers in the department are African American. Worse yet, not a single Black person holds a supervisory rank […]
Posted inOpinion
Blowing up balloons
The Northern Illinois Bottlecap Balloon Brigade is a hobby club with a couple dozen members – some adults, some children – who like to watch balloons circle the globe. For $12 apiece, they buy balloons from a California manufacturer, rig them with radio transmitters and send them skyward, Aviation Week reported. One of their projects […]
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Dramatic changes at Sangamon County Animal Shelter
Last year, animal welfare activists were picketing the Sangamon County Animal Shelter and now they are working with it. “Things are going quite well now,” said Jill Egizii, president of the nonprofit WILD Canine Rescue. “WILD had a very adversarial relationship with the former administrator and it was just an awful, awful environment for the staff. […]
