Days after a man was arrested by Illinois State Police on charges of sexually abusing their 14-year-old daughter, her parents allege Springfield officers shielded the man because his mother is a detective with the police department. Illinois State Police arrested Zane Merreighn, the 22-year-old son of Detective Jennifer Oglesby, on three counts of aggravated sexual […]
Scott Reeder
Scott Reeder is a staff writer at Illinois Times.
Posted inOpinion
Puppy love
“He’s half Labrador retriever and half German shepherd,” the volunteer said as she handed me the wiggling puppy. I looked into the mutt’s shiny eyes and just shrugged. A few months ago, my wife, a veterinarian, went into work on her day off to spay and neuter dogs from a local animal rescue. Since I […]
Posted inOpinion
Living for two
Always assume the gun is loaded. Those words were bored into my brain by my father and older brother when I was only 8 or 9 years old and learning how to handle firearms on the farm. One time, we were leaving the field and my brother ordered me to unload my rifle. I popped […]
Posted inNews
Serious allegations
Days after a man was arrested by Illinois State Police on charges of sexually abusing their 14-year-old daughter, her parents allege Springfield officers shielded the man because his mother is a detective with the police department. Illinois State Police arrested Zane Merreighn, the 22-year-old son of Detective Jennifer Oglesby, on three counts of aggravated sexual […]
Posted inOpinion
Forgiveness or enforcement?
I’m not sure if I really understand forgiveness, but I can acknowledge its value. I’m sure at a loss as to how it works, though. By one count, the Bible has 62 passages with the word “forgive” and 27 with “forgiveness,” but nowhere does it say exactly how to do it. I remember sitting in […]
Posted inNews
Advocating for animals
As a virus has swept through kennels and allegations of incompetence and wrongdoing have pulsated across the internet and within the halls of local government, at least 17 cats have died that were once housed at the Sangamon County Animal Shelter. The deaths have sparked talk by Springfield Mayor Jim Langfelder of outsourcing the service […]
Posted inOpinion
Parole offers hope for offenders, while victims relive trauma
“Ma’am, I’ve got some good news for you. Your grandson is being released from prison.” I made that phone call about 20 years ago after covering a session of the Illinois Prisoner Review Board and seeing the board members vote to parole a long-serving inmate. The elated grandmother dropped the phone receiver and screamed, “Thank […]
Posted inOpinion
Sports subsidies
Rich people own professional sports teams, and for some reason, politicians just can’t resist shoveling cash their way. My first exposure to this concept came on June 30, 1988, a few minutes before midnight. I was following Gov. James R. Thompson at a dead run, charging from the Senate chambers to the House in the […]
Posted inNews
Hope in sentencing
People serving life prison sentences deserve to have hope that they may someday be free. That is the contention of a group of Illinois lawmakers who want to make inmates sentenced to lengthy prison terms eligible for parole. “We just want to reestablish hope within the prison system,” State Rep. Rita Mayfield, D-Chicago, said. The […]
Posted inNews
Finding fault with FOID
Even before the pandemic, Illinois State Police were not complying with the law when it came to processing gun permits in a timely manner, a report released Wednesday by the Illinois Auditor General said. In fact, in 2019, 52% of concealed carry applications were not acted upon within the period set by law – 90 […]
Posted inOpinion
Political posturing
Politicians are peculiar creatures. They name parks, highways, airports and just about anything else that’s paid for by us after themselves. And if a politician rises high enough, a statue will be erected in the person’s honor. Statues are designed to be permanent. But politicians’ reputations are much more fluid. Six years ago, then-Illinois House […]
Posted inNews
Mass disagreement
The members of Sacred Heart Catholic Church have been anxious for weeks as their way of worship has come under attack from a powerful source – Pope Francis. Parishioners at the church on Springfield’s east side worship the way Catholics have for more than 1,000 years, in Latin. But what was once a ubiquitous rite […]
