Scott Reeder

The city of Springfield is launching a pilot program geared toward helping first-time homebuyers by rehabilitating dilapidated properties on the city’s east side. “On the east side of Springfield, we own properties as a city, and we’re not doing enough to revitalize the neighborhoods,” said Ethan Posey, Springfield’s director of community relations. “We own a […]

Despite a past pledge to reopen his halfway houses for men being released from prison, Dave Kettelkamp said that he is calling it quits after his venture, House of the Rainbow, was displaced by the high-speed rail project. Ironically, Kettlelkamp said he is getting out of the lucrative business of housing former Department of Corrections […]

Gov. JB Pritzker says it’s time to look beyond prisons when promoting economic development in rural Illinois, but that’s little consolation for the 500 workers at Logan Correctional Center who fear losing their jobs. The state is eying shutting down the prison in Lincoln and rebuilding Illinois’ main prison for women elsewhere. One possibility under […]

A year ago, it was a political football, but April 29 it came full circle as a $1 real estate transaction. During the administration of former Springfield mayor Jim Langfelder, George Petrilli was fined more than $46,000 by the city for failing to maintain the dilapidated property at 820 N. Sixth St. But he paid […]

A Springfield lawyer was asked to resign from her city job this month after allegations of unethical behavior came to light from her time working for the Office of the Illinois Attorney General. At the heart of the controversy is Salena Young and the two men with whom she lives; both also worked with her […]

Dennis Hull is losing his home of 18 years through no fault of his own. “I always paid my rent on time – every month. I never missed a month and now this happens,” he said as he glanced down the entrance to Olde Towne apartments at the intersection of Bruns Lane and Jefferson Street. […]

It may be the only place in Springfield where a person can get a haircut and a meth pipe for free. Intricate Minds provides free hypodermic needles and pipes to those struggling with addiction as part of a harm-reduction strategy designed to reduce the spread of disease. “We provide clean syringes and pipes. We have […]

A scholarship for medical students on Southern Illinois University School of Medicine’s Springfield campus is the target of an Ivy League law professor’s ire because he says it discriminates against white and straight people. William Jacobson is a Cornell University law professor and the founder of Legal Insurrection Foundation, a nonprofit conservative advocacy organization which […]

After mine subsidence forced Lutheran High School to abandon its west-side Springfield campus in 2022, it is looking to rebuild on land owned by Cherry Hills Church, near the northeast corner of Chatham and Woodside roads. “We’re negotiating with Lutheran right now for them to buy 23 acres of farmland to the north of our […]

Carlos Ortega, a man with a passion for promoting economic development, has set his sights on improving his hometown’s central business district. The Springfield native is Downtown Springfield Incorporated’s new executive director. He began the job Feb. 1. “He brings with him extensive nonprofit and business knowledge that we feel is going to translate very […]

Strings are often attached in Mark Yeates’ business transactions. The owner of Dick’s Shoe Repair, 314 W. Laurel St., enjoys putting new shoestrings on pairs of Oxfords or stitching new soles onto wingtips. But one string he doesn’t like is the one credit card companies attach to every charge-card transaction that happens in his shop. […]