Cap City

In a complaint made two years ago to the inspector general for the U.S. Department of Justice, federal prosecutor Tim Bass alleged there were grounds to believe that two colleagues in the U.S. attorney’s office in Springfield conspired with U.S. District Court Judge Colin Bruce, the presiding judge, to sabotage a corruption case against former […]

Former state Sen. Martin Sandoval, D-Leavenworth, this week became the latest in a long string of Illinois pols who’ve sinned after years of – as they are inevitably prone to say – serving constituents whom they profoundly regret disappointing. We’re neither disappointed nor surprised by Sandoval’s guilty plea to bribery charges. Indeed, we’re proud of […]

It is a mainstay of fairs and carnivals around the country: sink a ping pong ball into a fish bowl and win the goldfish swimming inside. But if a bill in the Illinois Senate becomes law, carnivals would no longer be allowed to award live animals – such as fish, reptiles and hermit crabs – […]

Who doesn’t like parks? From Yellowstone in Wyoming to Riverside Park on Peoria Road, we should be grateful for green space wherever we can find it. The family of Elijah Iles, early Springfield settler, understood that, and so we have Iles Park in the city’s heart, named for benefactors who donated land where pickleball and […]

As the world worries about spread of the mysterious coronavirus, Springfield is invited to learn about another killer disease, no longer mysterious but potentially as deadly: measles. A September outbreak in Samoa infected 5,000 and killed 81 people, many of them children under 5. “Measles: An International Perspective,” the Feb. 4 program of the World […]

Pot prices are, so to speak, sky high, with folks spending hours in line to procure marijuana. Some shops shut down less than a week after weed for the masses turned legal, saying there’s either a shortage or staff can’t handle all the overtime. Even before tallying $10 million in sales during the first week, […]

Every new year, it’s the same old thing: Who got born first? In 2020, it was A’Nylah Essence Hamilton, who came into this world at 1:40 a.m. on New Year’s Day at St. John’s Hospital. Congratulations. It’s a nice name, and names are not what they used to be. Every day, seems, we run across […]

Pity Menard County sheriff’s deputies who drew short straws earlier this month and were tasked with doing a job no one wants: Slithering beneath a home in search of human remains. It began when a Petersburg homeowner hired a contractor for a weatherization project in a crawl space and a basement. What’s this? Looks like […]

If you have burned-out Christmas lights, don’t throw them in the trash. Recycle them.  Thanks to BLH Computers, in collaboration with units of local government, there are several drop-off sites in Springfield and surrounding communities. You can recycle your Christmas lights in drop boxes at Springfield City Hall/Municipal Center West (300 S. Seventh St.),  Springfield’s […]

Stumped for a gift for a friend or family member? Do they live near or travel to Chicago, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, New York City or Los Angeles? If so, give them a Museum Hack gift certificate, and treat them to a fun and unconventional museum experience. This is not your grandma’s museum tour, but […]

Santa’s elf at White Oaks Mall sent us this story: “Someone had given Santa an Xbox Switch to give to a child. Last week a boy came in with his parents. Santa asked him what he’d like for Christmas. He said he’d like for his mom not to work so hard. Santa asked if there […]