A man who holds a Springfield bowling record is on track for a milestone in his professional career. O.J. Crowder set a city high-series bowling record with an 886 in November 2008. Today, Crowder has served downtown Springfield as a letter carrier for the U.S. Postal Service for more than 30 years. Crowder’s 2008 bowling […]
Community & Lifestyle
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Sangamon Auditorium to reopen in October with major upgrades
After more than a year without performances, there’s finally a date to circle on the calendar: Sangamon Auditorium is set to reopen this October. The UIS Performing Arts Center has been closed since June 2025 to make way for a major plumbing replacement throughout the building. It’s not the most glamorous upgrade, but it was […]
Posted inArts & Culture
A place to stay awhile, a space to belong: Inside Vondra Social House
There’s an art to creating a space people don’t just pass through. Creating a space that people choose to settle into requires an invitation to a space filled with more than the hum of smooth music and conversation. At Vondra Social House, that invitation is clear. Owners Eric and Sierra Ferrell have created a place […]
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High School Healthcare Bootcamps
High school students interested in a career in health care are invited to apply for the Summer 2026 High School Healthcare Bootcamps at HSHS St. John’s Hospital in Springfield, HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital in Decatur and HSHS St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital in Effingham. The bootcamps are designed for high school juniors and seniors interested in […]
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Springing into science
When people understand science, the whole community benefits. A scientifically literate community is a stronger community – one where people can navigate new technologies, evaluate information and participate in conversations that shape our future. Scientific literacy isn’t about memorizing facts. It’s about understanding how the world works well enough to make thoughtful choices within it. […]
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Just before, just after, during: Experiencing Easter transformation
What are we doing during these 40 days of Easter? In more than six decades of living, I feel I’ve not yet grasped all there is to this feast of paschal mystery. This year, my ponderings have been ordered by three images, a triptych, if you will. The center panel is baptism – a very […]
Posted inArts & Culture
A welcoming place
By 2024, Greg Kanter had been out as a gay, ordained rabbi for nearly three decades, a pioneer of sorts, who had been leading a congregation in Charleston, South Carolina, for about eight years. Life had been good there for him, his husband, and two adopted daughters. Then came a new presidential administration, and the […]
Posted inArts & Culture
DSI executive director to hold ‘Ask Me Anything’ event
Downtown Springfield, Inc. (DSI) will host an ‘Ask Me Anything’ event with its new executive director, Jay Shanle, on Thursday, April 30, at First Presbyterian Church in downtown Springfield. “My day-one commitment was to build a foundation of partnership and communication,” said Shanle. “I want to reintroduce DSI to the community, share our vision and […]
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Garden serendipity
Last Sunday, Christians around the world celebrated Easter by joining Mary in the garden outside the empty tomb and proclaiming the day of resurrection. The Bible begins and ends with garden imagery. The creation story in Genesis 1 presents the cosmic garden with all the light and darkness across the universe coming into being through […]
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Are we making progress on efforts to address homelessness?
In 2020, our community began to take tangible steps to evaluate gaps in services to address homelessness and chart a new way forward. Community leaders, service providers, people with lived experience of homelessness and community members gave input about challenges related to homelessness and shared their hopes for what could be. The result was the […]
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“The finest thing ever done in Springfield”
The news last month about the sale of BUNN brings to mind stories about the Bunn family’s influence on Springfield’s development, dating back to since Abraham Lincoln lived here. It is only coincidental that 100 years ago, in 1926, four children of Jacob Bunn Sr. followed what he believed to be a moral obligation to […]
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United Way of Central Illinois: Showing up for every corner of our community
When people hear “United Way of Central Illinois,” most think of Springfield. That’s fair – but it’s also not all that we are. We are not just a Springfield organization. Our work stretches across Sangamon and Menard counties – into small towns, down rural roads and into communities that don’t always make headlines but are […]
