One of the biggest stories to come out of election day was that several candidates with the most money came up short. The obvious example is the race for U.S. Senate, where U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi reportedly spent $29 million on TV ads and benefited from another $10 million spent by the crypto industry against […]
Opinion
Posted inLetters to the Editor
Letters to the editor 3/19/26
We welcome letters. Please include your full name, address and telephone number. We edit all letters. Send them to editor@illinoistimes.com. PEOPLE OVER PROFITS The proposed CyrusOne data center appears set to receive the Sangamon County Board’s blessing on March 23, as promised tax receipts and jobs seem to outweigh any concerns about energy use, pollution […]
Posted inEditor's Note
Editor’s note 3/19/26
It’s good that the community mental health board referendum won approval on its first attempt, shortening the time when public funds will help to repair a broken system. Many helped to win passage for the ballot measure, but it was the Massey Commission, formed in September 2024, in the wake of Sonya Massey’s killing in […]
Posted inOpinion
Pick of the litter
“Company’s coming!” Caseworker, health inspector, church lady – whoever is coming, it means get the pizza boxes off the coffee table and pick up your dirty socks. For the City of Springfield, the company is out-of-town visitors. Mayor Misty Buscher says that 2026 might be a record-breaking tourism year for Springfield thanks to celebrants of […]
Posted inUncategorized
Independent campaign expenditures rise
Independent campaign expenditures have skyrocketed this year in state legislative races. All of these numbers were current as of 4:20 p.m. Friday, March 13, when I finished writing this column. Independent expenditure committees are not allowed to coordinate their spending with candidates, ergo the “independent” label. As with the federal level, they are also not […]
Posted inOpinion
This is what opportunity looks like
It’s not every day that a $500 million private investment comes along – especially one with the potential to reshape the economic future of Sangamon County. The proposed CyrusOne data center campus represents exactly that kind of opportunity: hundreds of jobs, a strengthened tax base, and long-term benefits for families across our region. Economic development can […]
Posted inLetters to the Editor
Letters to the Editor
MY HEART IS DOWNTOWN I’m encouraged to see the hearts downtown. Let’s keep that spirit alive by generating local economic growth versus economic growth for non-local corporations. As a reminder, the rest of the country remembers us for some of our more progressive times in history: freeing slaves during the Underground Railroad, being the home […]
Posted inEditor's Note
Editor’s Note
Mandy Eaton, the president and CEO of Memorial Health, said Wednesday, March 11, the hospital system is working to increase access to outpatient mental health care, “but there are gaps” in the care system. Those gaps “shift pressure” to the emergency room and law enforcement. Dr. Ted Clark, an emergency room physician and vice president […]
Posted inRich Miller
Hallucinatory campaigns
Unless you’ve been under a rock, you likely know that former President Bill Clinton seemed to say that he flew on Jeffrey Epstein’s private jet with JB Pritzker and his spouse – after saying that it was likely that Epstein as well as his notorious co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell were passengers on every flight he took […]
Posted inLetters to the Editor
Letters to the editor 3/5/26
We welcome letters. Please include your full name, address and telephone number. We edit all letters. Send them to editor@illinoistimes.com. MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS Sangamon County faces a clear choice: continue treating mental health as optional – or recognize it as essential public infrastructure for families, employers, schools and public safety. A yes vote on the […]
Posted inEditor's Note
Editor’s note 3/5/26
“Yes, we may be speaking to the choir,” said Dr. Kelly Hurst, a leader of the Massey Commission, to the March 2 quarterly meeting of Kenniebrew-McNeese Community Forum. “But remember, the choir needs rehearsal.” The “choir” here was doctors, hospital workers, social service providers, city officials and staffers and other community members who care about […]
Posted inOpinion
Learning begins at home
Each year, Illinois Times publishes an article on the status of Springfield District 186 Schools. Across the district, teachers, staff and administrators give their all, pouring their heart and soul into our students’ futures. Many of our students make gains, but not the dramatic grade-level jumps necessary for major changes to the Illinois Report Card. […]
