For decades, Edwin Pierce’s Springfield business has flourished by helping cash-strapped people borrow money, but he fears he will soon be shutting down if legislation before the Illinois General Assembly passes. The legislation would cap interest rates that pawn shops can charge at a 36% annual percentage rate. “Pawnbrokers are not shy about exploiting a […]
Scott Reeder
Scott Reeder is a staff writer at Illinois Times.
Posted inNews
“A Hanukkah miracle”
Rabbi Mendy Turen is calling it a Hanukkah miracle. Chabad Jewish Center of Springfield has purchased a building at 1045 Outer Park Dr. to be its new home. The edifice commonly known as the Red Cross building, since the main floor used to house the Springfield chapter of the American Red Cross, is undergoing renovations […]
Posted inOpinion
A collective problem
When I read the Christmas story, I always wonder: How was it that Mary came to give birth in a barn? The Gospels say simply: “There was no room in the inn.” But could it be that the real reason was there wasn’t enough room in people’s hearts? Ever since I was a boy participating […]
Posted inNews
Faith, family and football
It’s all about Jesus. After four decades as a coach, six state championships and an unparalleled career as the winningest high school football coach in Illinois history, that’s how Coach Ken Leonard sums up his career. It would be easy to discount the statement as a throwaway line like: “Leave it on the field,” “One […]
Posted inOpinion
A family affair
An ambulance arrived at a U.S. senator’s house recently and hauled his 14-year-old daughter away for self-inflicted stab wounds. When I read that news report earlier this month, I just cringed. That child didn’t choose to be a politician’s daughter. And her problems shouldn’t be exhibited in the news media for all the world to […]
Posted inOpinion
Gun control starts at home
I remember taking my oldest daughter, Gracie, fishing 14 years ago at Lake Springfield when she was just 3 years old. We talked about the ducks, geese and boats floating in the lake, her favorite cartoons and the brand-new Barbie life jacket she was wearing. After about three hours wiggling on a dock, staring at […]
Posted inNews
Thieves target catalytic converters
When Linda Nelson turned the ignition on her old Honda Accord, the vehicle roared louder than a hot rod. At first the Springfield resident thought her car’s muffler had fallen off, but she soon learned someone had crawled under her 23-year-old car and cut away its catalytic converter while it sat in her driveway. She […]
Posted inNews
A crisis of care
The number of foster children in Sangamon County is near an all-time high and there are not enough homes for them to live in, the executive director of The James Project shared with Illinois Times recently. The shortage has become so acute that children are bunking on cots in Department of Children and Family Services […]
Posted inNews
Revolving door benefits state Rep. Tim Butler
Months after demanding that fellow lawmakers close the “revolving door” that allows legislators to leave the General Assembly and immediately lobby their former colleagues, state Rep. Tim Butler is quitting to do just that. The four-term Springfield Republican lawmaker announced three days after being reelected to the post that he has accepted a position with […]
Posted inOpinion
Giving thanks for family
Editor’s note: One of Scott Reeder’s most requested columns is this one on the meaning of Thanksgiving. It has become an annual tradition to share it with readers. There is no place more miserable to be on Thanksgiving Day than in a buffet line in a Las Vegas casino. Trust me. I’ve been there. Back […]
Posted inNews
The next chapter for Avery Bourne
“I don’t want a eulogy written. People keep coming up to me with a sad look in their eyes and saying, ‘You had such a wonderful career.’” At age 30, state Rep. Avery Bourne, R-Morrisonville, says she has plenty of career still ahead of her. She is leaving the General Assembly in January after an […]
Posted inNews
A safety net for children
Safe Families for Children has a new building and a new director and the group, which provides short-term foster care, plans to expand to help more Springfield-area families. Hospital Sisters Health System recently donated office space at 700 N. Seventh St. in Springfield to the nonprofit. “They get the space rent-free. They don’t pay utilities. […]
