Springfield business owner John Chiang received a letter March 10 that landlords dread: a tenant is breaking its lease. The tenant is the U.S. government’s Department of Labor, which rents office space on the second floor of the building at 3161 W. White Oaks Drive. The building is owned by Chiang, 82, who also owns […]
Scott Reeder
Scott Reeder is a staff writer at Illinois Times.
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Opioid overdoses increase
Tears welled in Rich Scheib’s eyes as he thought of his son, Wade, who died of a drug overdose on Dec. 7. Scheib said the first time he realized his son was using drugs was when he suffered an overdose four years earlier. “I just didn’t think he was that type of person. I just […]
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From addiction to sobriety
Kriston Feleccia, 37, who has struggled with addiction most of her life, said her opioid addiction began when she was prescribed Vicodin after nearly cutting off one of her fingers. “I always had issues with alcohol, and I even got into cocaine when I was really young – 14 or 15. I needed something to […]
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New law would punish sexual abuse in schools
Ashley Peden wants Illinois law changed to protect students because she says her daughter was sexually assaulted by someone attending the same school and she shouldn’t have to continue to see her assailant. The assaults, which allegedly happened in late January and early February 2024 on a school bus and at a bus stop serving […]
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Manufacturing operations moving to Clinton
A manufacturer with more than 100 workers is closing two of its Springfield facilities and moving operations to Clinton after a dispute with the city over building-code violations. Mike Hoyle has owned Kwik-Wall for 19 years, a company that makes movable partitions for conference and convention facilities. Hoyle used an LLC to purchase the former […]
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Don Tracy clears his name
A six-year legal battle recently came to an end with longtime GOP powerbroker Don Tracy claiming victory. In 2019, the Illinois executive inspector general found the Springfield lawyer engaged in a prohibited political activity by making a $1,000 campaign contribution to a legislative candidate while serving as chair of the Illinois Gaming Board. But Tracy […]
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Springfield parents struggle with lack of child care options
Dani Clark began this year with a newborn daughter and a need to find a day care spot to enable her to return to work. What she learned left the new Springfield mom stunned. “Most of the day cares have been pretty good about getting back to me,” she said. “But they all tell me […]
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Business owner arrested in murder-for-hire scheme
A man accused of putting out a $10,000 contract to have a Collinsville woman killed may find it difficult to fulfil his own contract with the city of Springfield – to raze 38 dilapidated houses. Sammy J. Shafer Jr. owns S. Shafer Excavating, a company based in Pontoon Beach that does work throughout the Metro […]
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More vacant buildings burn in winter
Those who knew Cory Beebe worried about him. They worried about his long history of abusing drugs and about the unhoused man staying warm on frigid winter nights. But on Jan. 17, it wasn’t the cold or the dope that took his life. Fire claimed the 37-year-old man, who was found in the attic of […]
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City Council to consider changes to appointment process
After this month’s verbal kerfuffle over filling the city clerk position, Springfield City Council members may revamp how they fill future vacancies. And community activist Calvin Christian III has filed a lawsuit seeking to undo the appointment of Chuck Redpath to the clerkship. On Jan. 7, Redpath, a longtime Springfield alderperson, was appointed clerk by […]
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Monster Pawn raids result in multiple charges
A chain of central Illinois pawn shops with two Springfield locations functioned as a criminal enterprise, fencing stolen goods and buying silver bullion to launder the proceeds, the Illinois attorney general alleges. The owners of Monster Pawn and some employees appeared in court Thursday in Sangamon County. Charged were Monster Pawn’s owners, Edwin Pierce, 65, […]
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Postal problems
Springfield postal workers are bracing for bad news as federal officials ponder moving some functions of Springfield’s packaging and distribution center to St. Louis. The move would be part of a national effort to consolidate functions within the nation’s mail system. In May, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy paused plans to consolidate centers until January 2025 […]
