Editor’s Note

Two years ago, Illinois Times reported that readers of a new biography of Elizabeth Parsons Ware Packard (1816-1897) were saying Andrew McFarland’s name should be scrubbed from Springfield’s mental health center. “Instead, the center should bear Packard’s name for her efforts to change laws and patient treatments,” wrote Mary Bohlen in her Nov. 11, 2021, […]

During the recently concluded Camp Compass, a summer learning program conducted by Compass for Kids with School District 186, the 760 underserved children were delighted to get to go swimming once a week. This was accomplished by eliminating barriers of cost and transportation; even swimsuits and towels were furnished. Millions of U.S. children aren’t lucky […]

The Illinois Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the constitutionality of the SAFE-T Act, ending cash bail when the law goes into effect Sept. 18, will put pressure on prosecutors, judges, courts, victims and neighborhoods. Good pressure. No longer will Illinois be able to rely on the bail system to incarcerate for months those who have […]

What a bright light she was, Emma Shafer, the 24-year-old activist and community organizer who was the victim of a homicide in Springfield this week. In the two years since she graduated with a degree in urban studies from The New School in New York City, Emma has been applying her education and energy to […]

The July 4 holiday had us thinking about freedom again, just after Juneteenth celebrated emancipation from slavery. Free-ish was a theme then, with many Black citizens reminding us that racial justice is not yet achieved. This is a time for appreciating relative peace and prosperity, while working to enlarge freedom for others, both at home […]

It was billed as a “Community conversation” about “Faithful responses to hostility” but nobody knew beforehand whether there would be much of a turnout for this June 25 gathering of Springfield’s seven “open and affirming” churches and the LGBTQ+ community they support. By 6 p.m. there were maybe 200 in the First Presbyterian Church sanctuary […]

Springfield came together for a happy, safe and successful Juneteenth 2023, with many events spread over six days. The big solidarity march made its way Saturday morning to Comer Cox Park, where platform speakers announced and applauded each community group as it arrived. They also recognized those who had kept this event alive in Springfield […]

If the charges in the indictment of Donald Trump are true, said presidential candidate Nikki Haley, the former president has been “incredibly reckless with our national security and has put all of our military men and women in danger.” The next day she added that if Trump is found guilty, she would be “inclined in […]

Springfielders still mourning the decline of their daily newspaper can take heart, in a roundabout way, from news reports June 5 of the walkout by hundreds of journalists at about two dozen newsrooms owned by Gannett, the country’s largest newspaper chain. Gannett’s Illinois newspapers, which include Springfield’s State Journal-Register, did not participate this time, but […]

“What’s happening to the local news?” is the question posed to the three of us on the panel at the Citizens Club May 26. It led to a generally gloomy discussion, moderated by Randy Eccles, NPR Illinois general manager, about the changing media environment in Springfield and across the nation. Social media, polarization and misinformation […]

The Springfield Park District is refreshing its playgrounds with some cool new equipment. “Push me. Push me again. Again,” was the plea at a zipline-like contraption that had its rider zooming maybe 30 feet from one platform to the other. Are you ready to stop now? “I don’t ever want to stop.” A little kid […]

A friend who liked the old mayor told me he wasn’t so sure about this new mayor, not for any particular reason except he doesn’t know her well. I said I know but let’s give her a chance. It’s good to get new people involved, a new set of eyes on problems, a fresh approach. […]