Innovate Springfield, the University of Illinois Springfield’s hub for innovation, has spent the last 10 years supporting a community of entrepreneurs and helping expand opportunity across the region. Earlier this month, we launched an exciting new phase in this venture by relocating to the third floor of the Horace Mann headquarters building in downtown Springfield. […]
Community & Lifestyle
Posted inCommunity & Lifestyle
A season for self-reckoning
This week, Jewish communities around the world are celebrating the advent of a new year, 5786, according to our calendar reckoning. Rosh Hashanah, the new year observance (occurring this year from sundown on Monday, Sept. 22nd to sunset on Wednesday, Sept. 24) inaugurates a 10-day season which concludes with the solemn fast day of Yom […]
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Demolition underway at former Pillsbury Mills site
Demolition of the 160-foot-tall smokestack at the former Pillsbury Mills site began Thursday morning after a team of workers spent the first part of the week assembling a crane with a 200-foot boom. The five-story Grocery Mix building will be the next to be demolished. Moving Pillsbury Forward, a nonprofit that was created to facilitate […]
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Unmatched opportunity: Discover a career in health care
Would you like a career where your skills are always in demand, no two days are ever the same and you have strong earning potential? What if, in addition, you could enjoy a flexible schedule, excellent benefits and the ability to work anywhere in the country? Some say the greatest advantage of this work is […]
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Catholic Social Teaching: A nonviolent response to these times
So says the psalmist: “But they flattered him with their mouths and lied to him with their tongues, though their hearts were not steadfast toward him, nor were they faithful to his covenant.” And so says the same psalmist: “But he, being merciful, forgave their sin and destroyed them not; often he turned back his […]
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The high cost of homelessness
Partners working throughout Springfield and Sangamon County to address homelessness do so for a variety of reasons. The overwhelming motivation is compassion and concern for those in our community facing incredible hardships. Compassion and empathy are crucial elements of work that involves walking alongside neighbors who have endured trauma and helping them pursue stability and […]
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Unfolding compassion
“When Jesus laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God.” Luke 13:13 The prophet Hosea (11:4) describes God as one who “bends down … to feed, to lift up and to hold.” Strength and flexibility are both necessary in the act of bending. We have a God who is […]
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First Citizen program accepting nominations
The First Citizen award program is accepting nominations through Oct. 15, and the winner will be announced at a public event on Nov. 12. The award, which recognizes individuals whose service has significantly contributed to the betterment of the Springfield area, was created in 1963 by Springfield’s Copley-owned newspaper. The award had been associated with […]
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The power of community: United Way kicks off campaign with celebration, connection
In every strong community there is a force that binds people together, a shared belief that when we look out for one another, we all thrive. At United Way of Central Illinois, this belief is captured in our campaign theme: “The Power of Community.” United Way works year-round to invest in programs and partnerships that […]
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A divine prescription from a king to a “king”
What do you tell a leader whose leadership actions have become abhorrent, not only in the sight of men, but particularly in the sight of God? What do you say when the impact of a leader’s decisions and actions have caused great distress and burdens to those whom he leads? When his decrees and legal […]
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The midnight sighing of the poor
Lately, the phrase I’ve chosen as the title of this column, “The midnight sighing of the poor,” has been running through my mind, especially when I hear of planned government cuts to programs designed to benefit those who are living at or below poverty level. This phrase is part of a longer Baha’i quote which […]
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Pushing back the tide
In 2019, six students and I spent a week at the South Texas Family Residential Center – a remote, for-profit private facility and the country’s largest immigrant detention center. We worked with women and children seeking asylum from unimaginable violence. We heard stories of rape, kidnapping and mutilation, including against children; gang extortion, brutal gender-based […]
