Zach Adams
Zach Adams is the digital media coordinator for Illinois Times and Springfield Business Journal, handling photography, videography and digital content. He is also the owner of 1221 Photography.
Springfield resident challenges city over sewage disaster
At this week’s Springfield City Council meeting, Tierra Lee spent part of the public comment period describing how a sewage disaster turned her home into an uninhabitable shell — and how her family has been stuck in a hotel for 16 months while still paying a mortgage. Lee challenged the way the city and its […]
Recall powers and data center accountability debate
The Sangamon County Board just heard some of the strongest public calls yet for recall powers — tying today’s debate to decades of civil rights struggles and high profile local cases that have given the county a “black eye.” Citizen Ken Pacha pushed recall as a proactive accountability tool: a way for taxpayers to remove […]
Springfield weighs fair meter rollout and grants
The Springfield City Council packed a lot into this meeting. A few moments that stood out: – Before approving a $12 million upgrade to new AMI meters, Ward 2 Ald. Shawn Gregory pushed hard on making sure east‑side neighborhoods and Ward 2 don’t end up last in line again. He pressed for ongoing reports on […]
Transit upgrades for accessibility and growing ridership
The Sangamon Mass Transit District Board of Trustees packed a lot into this meeting. First, the managing director shared how local projects are tying into a federal transportation funding roundtable and why a long awaited East Yard improvement is racing the clock on this construction season. Later, the Operations Committee finally met again and came […]
Springfield welcomes women’s pro baseball, debates lake sewers
The Springfield City Council just put two very different sides of our hometown on display. On one hand, Springfield is now home base for a new Women’s Professional Baseball League. Council members heard how players are settling in, what this means for local families and fans, and how many visitors (and dollars) the league expects […]
Springfield debates downtown land deal with state
The Springfield City Council just made a big call on giving a full downtown block to the state. Springfield resident Michael Higgins pressed the council with a sharp question: why give the land to the state for free instead of using it to grow private investment, jobs, and the tax base? Another council member pushed […]
New board member and mounting data center dissent
The Sangamon County Board had one of its rare feel-good moments as members unanimously approved and swore in a new board member — complete with a light-hearted nod to cutting through “tangled bureaucratic nonsense.” Then public comment turned straight back to tension over the recently approved data center. Residents: The chair closed public comment, accepted […]
Springfield debates downtown park deal and police power
The Springfield City Council just heard a pitch to turn the former YWCA/North Mansion Block into a new downtown park — complete with native Illinois landscaping, shaded seating, a natural stone amphitheater for up to 2,000 people, food truck space and a $4 million state investment. But Ward 3 Ald. Roy Williams pressed hard on […]
Springfield approves license plate cameras with privacy safeguards
The Springfield City Council just approved a $508,000 contract for automatic license plate readers — but only after a tense debate over privacy, surveillance, and civil liberties. In this meeting:– Ward 2 Ald. Shawn Gregory pushes an amendment built around ACLU-style safeguards: codifying camera policies into city code, requiring detailed annual reports, and tightening transparency […]
Transit board sets 2027 budget and tax levy
The Sangamon Mass Transit District Board of Trustees packed a lot into this meeting, from big construction projects to dollars and cents (and a bit of personnel drama at the end). Highlights: If you care about how Springfield’s buses are funded, improved, and managed, this is a good snapshot of where the system is headed […]
Springfield weighs crime reduction against surveillance concerns
The Springfield City Council just spent significant time on whether to keep paying over $500,000 for Flock license plate reader cameras — and the conversation went way beyond crime stats. In this meeting: If you care about both safety and privacy in Springfield, this debate is worth watching.
