Anyone versed in the basics of economics knows that there is no such thing as a free lunch – unless you are shopping for a hotel to host your association’s next convention and you are plied with free tastings of dinner menus for your approval. The rest of us have to pay one way or […]
Opinion
Posted inLetters to the Editor
Letters to the editor 4/16/26
We welcome letters. Please include your full name, address and telephone number. We edit all letters. Send them to editor@illinoistimes.com. PROGRESS I’m glad to see that Springfield Green is being revived (“Pick of the litter, March 19). Progress rarely comes packaged as perfection, so I am hopeful that this initiative sparks more attention and effort […]
Posted inOpinion
Collaboration needed
Illinois Times published an article April 2 entitled “A collaborative effort for downtown,” referring to the push to create a new taxing body to expand the BOS Center and construct a new hotel. I only wish a “collaborative effort” was indeed the case. While I am not an elected official, I am a longtime advocate […]
Posted inRich Miller
State revenues rise but situation remains volatile
State government revenues were up $1.571 billion at the end of the third quarter, according to the most recent report from the legislature’s bipartisan, bicameral Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability. The almost $1.6 billion in new revenues is an increase of 4.2 percent. The state budget was crafted last year with an expectation that […]
Posted inLetters to the Editor
Letters to the editor
WE’RE ALL COMPLICIT These data centers concern me. The only thing I feel a rational person can do is significantly reduce their reliance on them. Until a person does this, they are complicit in their construction. I have to scratch my head when someone tells me that they are using the very infrastructure that data […]
Posted inRich Miller
Poll: Cost of housing a problem in Illinois
A YouGov poll conducted last month shows Illinois registered voters overwhelmingly believe that the cost of renting and buying a home is a problem in Illinois, think that there aren’t enough affordable homes for average folks and want the state legislature to take action. The poll of 806 Illinois registered voters was taken March 1-9 […]
Posted inOpinion
Why the UIS faculty are on strike
An art professor at UIS told me her supply budget hasn’t changed in more than a decade. She covers the shortfall out of her own paycheck, because she’s not going to let her students pay or miss out because of the state’s neglect. She’s been doing it for years and only brought it up recently. […]
Posted inOpinion
Don’t let perception become the narrative
The My Heart’s Downtown campaign has been in the news recently, and while I am grateful to see attention focused on our city center, I want to clarify how this effort began. It was not created by a single organization or person. It came from a small group of individuals who care deeply about downtown […]
Posted inOpinion
Armory 2.0
How nice to see construction cranes instead of wrecking balls around the Illinois State Armory. Having kvetched for years about its neglect by the owners, I feel obligated to say a few words in praise of the project that is restoring it to health. As alert citizens know from these pages, the Armory, now in […]
Posted inLetters to the Editor
Letters to the editor 4/2/26
We welcome letters. Please include your full name, address and telephone number. We edit all letters. Send them to editor@illinoistimes.com. SLOW DOWN The coverage of the March 23 Sangamon County Board meeting by Dilpreet Raju was thorough and thoughtful (“County Board votes to table data center proposal,” March 26). Given how complex and extensive this issue […]
Posted inRich Miller
Voter turnout analysis
The trend in special elections around the country for the past several months has shown spiking Democratic voter turnout and tanking Republican turnout. And some preliminary primary election results from earlier this month show the same trend here. What follows is a quick look at governor’s race turnout in the state’s five most populous counties. […]
Posted inEditor's Note
Editor’s note
This is a milestone to celebrate – hiring our new CEO, naming a new editor and changing to a nonprofit company. It’s good, and brave, of Kate McKenzie to join us on our journey, and I thank my colleague, Michelle Ownbey, for taking on new challenges as executive editor. I’m grateful to both for taking […]
