Cap City

Some random takeaways from Tuesday’s election. First, think of all the good that might have been done with money that rolled into Frank “Not A Chance” Edwards’ campaign. The only way he was gonna win was if Mayor James “Sunny Jim” Langfelder either died suddenly or was caught on video performing unnatural acts with goats. […]

The green donation bins are ubiquitous around the city, found in the parking lots of many businesses. At times, the donations overflow: electronics, bags of clothes, stuffed animals and more. But not all of the green donation bins are equal. While some of the donation bins are affiliated with nonprofit groups, others are not. The […]

Remember four years ago, when proponents of a downtown apartment complex came here from Iowa, asking the city for tax increment financing money to subsidize a 70-unit apartment complex at Fourth and Madison streets? Business types, downtown boosters and University of Illinois Springfield officials lauded the idea: This would be a great deal for everyone. […]

With the municipal election in less than a week, the candidates have been keeping the city’s inspector general busy with complaints about their opponents. Two reports issued at the end of last month by Judge Roger Holmes provide a glimpse into topics that have triggered investigations. The reports were absent of names, but anyone following […]

A struggling mother of three was given notice that she was being evicted. Despite the tenant’s financial struggles, she remained in good standing with the landlord, said state Rep. Rita Mayfield, D-Waukegan, during a subcommittee meeting. The eviction was due to the landlord’s property going into foreclosure, not the type of tenant the woman had […]

A Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy would have done well to use a bit more care last week while responding to a wee-hours burglar alarm. Deputy David Howse was northbound on Sixth Street in downtown Springfield shortly before 2 a.m. last Friday, en route to an alarm call at the 1000 block of North MacArthur Boulevard, […]

He’s not Donald Trump, at least not yet, but local auto dealership magnate Todd Green made a splash this week by announcing that he’s gone into the hotel business, acquiring Portfolio Hotels and Resorts, an Oakbrook-based hotel management company that runs 15 hotels in seven states. The company has been rechristened Core Hotels and Resorts […]

The only thing more aggravating than using Springfield’s coin-op parking meters – who carries change anymore – is not being able to use them when they’re covered by red “No Parking” bags. Sometimes, there’s a good reason: There’s construction going on. Sometimes, not so much: There will be a good reason tomorrow, when the festival/parade/concert […]

The Department of Children and Family Services is the state’s safety net for children who are being abused or neglected, yet a January 2019 report issued by the Office of the Inspector General indicates it’s a broken system. During fiscal year 2018, there were 98 deaths of Illinois children who were at some point involved […]

Imagine you’re state treasurer. Imagine, further, that you’re doing business in the downtown Myers Building and a place on West Monroe Street that both look, well, perhaps not on par with an office that’s responsible for overseeing monies and investments held by the fifth largest state in the nation. Wouldn’t you want nicer digs, a […]

Ward 7 Ald. Joe “Lone Ranger” McMenamin lost, again, at Tuesday’s city council meeting. The alderman was the lone dissenter on a 9-1 vote aimed at reeling in the city’s unfunded debt for police and firefighter pensions, which now stands at $350 million. McMenamin wants to lower the expected rate of investment return from 7 […]

Parents with children enrolled in the Springfield Park District preschool programs received a disappointing notification on Feb. 19. The Park District will no longer be offering preschool programming after the current session ends May 24. Competition and low enrollment rates that have dipped beyond the “minimum participation levels” were cited as the reason for the […]