Scott Reeder

A 38-acre lot the city of Springfield owns along Clear Lake Avenue may become a $38 million complex of municipal warehouses and offices. The city is contemplating erecting a $24 million water distribution facility and a $14 million Public Works building in the 2100 block of Clear Lake Avenue. The matter was slated for consideration […]

Security Bank of Springfield is seeking approval from the federal government to change its ownership structure so that it is owned by investors rather than by the financial institution’s depositors. A recent bank filing with federal regulators also indicated the financial institution is deeply involved with state-licensed cannabis businesses. Bank president and CEO Stephan Paul […]

Education has always come in many shapes and forms. But in Springfield Public Schools, some of those forms may be the plank, the downward-facing dog and the butterfly. Yes, youngsters are being taught yoga along with reading, writing and arithmetic. Jennifer Martin, associate professor of education at University of Illinois Springfield, is partnering with Springfield […]

Ana Manriquez came to the United States from Mexico 24 years ago seeking a better life for herself and her family. During the past two decades she has seen her career transform from cleaning hotel rooms to owning her own business. But in September she took a new step: taking English classes. “In immigrant families, […]

The vacant block in downtown Springfield across from the Governor’s Mansion may be on the brink of becoming a city park, Mayor Misty Buscher told Illinois Times recently. “I’m referring to it as the ‘North Mansion Park,’” she said. “We’ve had conversations with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and with landscape architects to create […]

Imagine being a police officer racing to an emergency at a school or business and being able to see what is happening inside the building while you’re driving to the scene. A new program adopted this year by the Springfield Police Department can transmit live images from security cameras across the city to computer screens […]

Billie Dent was waitressing at Sweet Basil Café last month when she and about 20 coworkers learned they were out of work the hard way – Sangamon County sheriff’s deputies arrived and evicted the restaurant from the building. “We had one table of customers in there at the time; we asked if they could finish […]

Seven finalists, all of whom are or have been police officers, are in the running to serve as the next Sangamon County Sheriff. A bipartisan committee chaired by retired Circuit Judge Patrick Kelley is interviewing finalists for the position and is expected to make a recommendation to Sangamon County Board Chair Andy Van Meter by […]

Like many Springfield teachers, K.J. Reid returned to school last month after a long break, but in his case, much of his time off was spent fighting for his life and trying to recover from a sudden illness that nearly killed him. In February 2023, the respected 17-year-veteran science teacher at Springfield High School was […]

Two numbers that concern Melissa Hostetter are 76% and zero. The first is the percentage of fourth-graders in Springfield School District 186 who aren’t proficient in reading. The second is the number of librarians in the district’s elementary schools. Hostetter, who chairs the Springfield Education Association’s literacy task force, believes there is a strong correlation […]

The 911 call came in at 10:29 a.m. June 19 – someone in one of the apartments near Café Moxo smelled smoke. Two Springfield firefighters arrived and wandered about the apartment but couldn’t detect anything of concern. They ended up leaving after 20 minutes. About 45 minutes after the initial call, the building at 413-415 […]