Cap City

We here at CAP CITY got all a-flutter recently when we received a letter from City Water, Light and Power: Pay up or we’ll pull the plug in two weeks. The notice was dated six days after our regular bill arrived, giving us a later due date – we confess to being a month behind, […]

Springfield architecture is getting a moment to shine. And for some lucky admirers, it’s going to pay. “The Architecture Scavenger Hunt” will challenge participants to find small features in downtown buildings. “This is a fun, socially distanced activity for people of all ages, including families who are home-schooling or who need a change of pace […]

Springfield budget director William McCarty had mixed news for the city council during a Tuesday budget update. On the plus side, the city has a $28 million fund balance, which amounts to 23% of the city budget, a record amount, McCarty said. That will help cushion a blow that McCarty said remains uncertain because the […]

The Springfield City Council Tuesday said no to a plan from out-of-towners who have proposed rescuing three historic downtown buildings. So far, the city has spent nearly $1 million in tax increment financing funds – public money – in a stalled attempt to spur residential and commercial development in the buildings on the corner of […]

Springfield, Champaign-Urbana, Decatur and Jacksonville are among the communities covered by the 217 area code. But there’s a new one coming to town. Starting early next year, those seeking new numbers might instead be given the area code 447. That’s a notable change, considering 217 was an original area code, first entering circulation in 1947. […]

Conjecture on social media about why a post office in Springfield was closed during the afternoon of Aug. 17 included speculation as to whether it had something to do with the president’s alleged affront on the United States Postal Service. Upon an inquiry with USPS as to why the post office on Wabash Avenue in […]

Rachel and Zachary Rambach have children who go to Blessed Sacrament Catholic School. Unlike District 186, Springfield parochial schools are conducting in-person classes. The Rambachs said while they feel assured that safety precautions are being taken, they’re also ready for their kids to return to remote learning if public health measures call for it. Their […]

With nearly $32 million available from recreational marijuana taxes, the state expects to award grants next month to help repair damage from the war on drugs, and Springfield hopes to be a player. Mayor Jim Langfelder says the city has applied for a grant that would fund home rehabilitation to help neighborhoods deemed by the […]

The District 186 school board narrowly approved a plan for some students, whose families so choose, to return to the classroom. The Aug. 3 meeting went on for more than three hours and had its moments of contention. “Every medical person in town (is) saying it’s not a good idea – what is wrong with […]

During the July 20 school board meeting, member Tiffany Mathis raised concern about where asymptomatic kids could get tested. This was after it was announced an Illinois Department of Public Health testing site in Springfield would be leaving. The site, outside the county health department building on South Grand Avenue, had been the only option […]

Ward 8 Ald. Erin Conley spoke up Tuesday after a man told the city council that he questions the purpose of masks. “I’m not going to wear my mask everywhere,” declared the man, who, like everyone else in the audience, had a mask, perhaps because folks entering city hall for the meeting were told to […]

Class reunions are one more thing impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.  The Litchfield High School Class of 1970 was planning to have its 50th reunion this July, but instead postponed the reunion to July 2021.  That didn’t stop the class from coming together in spirit.  They decided to support their local community by having a […]