Cap City

Pearl Valley Eggs delivered more than 43,000 eggs to Central Illinois Food Bank last Tuesday, as part of a yearly effort to fight hunger during Easter. United Egg Producers and Feeding America will donate more than 12 million eggs, with Pearl Valley contributing a quarter of a million eggs to food banks across the state. […]

With health care reform hashed out for now, some local activists say immigration reform is the next big issue. That’s why about 65 people gathered outside U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock’s downtown Springfield office Tuesday afternoon to rally in favor of rights for illegal immigrants. Shelly Heideman, executive director of the Springfield-based Faith Coalition for the […]

Ward 2 Alderman Gail Simpson addressed the local chapter of the Sierra Club March 23 and aired her frustration about not only how the east side of Springfield’s development has been forgotten by city leaders, but also with the lack of long- range planning from the city. “People from all over the city shop at […]

Waylan is a Nubian goat — he’s sweet but shy, and likes being walked on a leash. Henri, Waylan’s best buddy, is an older sheep who’s making a comeback from years of neglect. And then there’s Stevie, a big-hearted, pot-bellied pig that once suffered from poor health, but now enjoys lots of affection and attention. […]

Two weeks ago, Illinois Times published a story about the House Environmental Health Committee’s hearings on atrazine, a controversial weed-killer that’s been used by Illinois farmers for 50 years. Supporters of the product say it reduces erosion and conserves soil and water by allowing farmers to till their land only during planting season. Although atrazine […]

It’s not often that one bank donates to another bank, but these aren’t your typical banks. Employees at Illinois National Bank in Springfield are holding a healthy snack food drive for the Central Illinois Foodbank’s Kids Café program, which provides nutritious meals to children from low-income homes during the school year. When Kids’ Café closes […]

Lee Elementary School students turned juice pouches into pencil cases, chip bags to lunch boxes and candy wrappers into backpacks as part of a national initiative that combines fundraising and recycling. Students collected nearly 6,000 pieces of non-recyclable waste, such as bags, wrappers and bottles, and shipped them to TerraCycle, a company that makes new […]

Woineshet Zebene was 13 when she was kidnapped, beaten and raped by four men in her small village in Ethiopia. She was attacked a second time by the group’s leader and was nearly forced to become his wife. Woineshet fought back against her rapist, becoming an inspiration to women in Ethiopia and the world. She […]

If your marital status (or numerous incriminating photos) prevents you from competing in the Miss America pageant, but you’ve yet to reproduce a big-haired, doe-eyed child suitable for “Toddlers and Tiaras,” then the Mrs. Springfield pageant may be for you. The Mrs. America pageant system is looking for the new Mrs. Springfield to compete in […]

Reaction to the infamous “noose incidents” of summer 2009 was rightfully indignant. Now that impassioned energy is being channeled into a push for state legislation to ban the display of “hate symbols” on public and private property with intent to harass or intimidate. House Bill 5835 adds the display of nooses, swastikas and desecrated religious […]

Want to start a garden but have no space? The Illinois Department of Agriculture has just the thing. The department is offering garden plots at the infield of the Illinois State Fair Grandstand race track. The plots are 12 feet by 12 feet and cost $10 each. Each gardener can lease up to two plots. […]