Unless you’ve been under a rock, you likely know that former President Bill Clinton seemed to say that he flew on Jeffrey Epstein’s private jet with JB Pritzker and his spouse – after saying that it was likely that Epstein as well as his notorious co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell were passengers on every flight he took […]
Opinion
Posted inEditor's Note
Editor’s note 3/5/26
“Yes, we may be speaking to the choir,” said Dr. Kelly Hurst, a leader of the Massey Commission, to the March 2 quarterly meeting of Kenniebrew-McNeese Community Forum. “But remember, the choir needs rehearsal.” The “choir” here was doctors, hospital workers, social service providers, city officials and staffers and other community members who care about […]
Posted inBooks
A life well written
It is a rare male who, having achieved some success of the usual sort, can resist the conclusion that it must be because he is very intelligent or very virtuous. And being public-spirited, such a man is eager to make his wisdom available to family and friends. He thus develops a reputation as a dull […]
Posted inLetters to the Editor
Letters to the editor 3/5/26
We welcome letters. Please include your full name, address and telephone number. We edit all letters. Send them to editor@illinoistimes.com. MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS Sangamon County faces a clear choice: continue treating mental health as optional – or recognize it as essential public infrastructure for families, employers, schools and public safety. A yes vote on the […]
Posted inOpinion
Learning begins at home
Each year, Illinois Times publishes an article on the status of Springfield District 186 Schools. Across the district, teachers, staff and administrators give their all, pouring their heart and soul into our students’ futures. Many of our students make gains, but not the dramatic grade-level jumps necessary for major changes to the Illinois Report Card. […]
Posted inRich Miller
Pritzker’s contribution to Croke
Illinois comptroller candidate state Rep. Margaret Croke (D-Chicago) reported receiving the maximum campaign contribution of $72,800 from Gov. JB Pritzker on Feb. 19. Since then, Pritzker has appeared in some Croke campaign ads. The day before the Pritzker contribution was reported, I spoke with incumbent Comptroller Susana Mendoza about the governor’s support of Croke – […]
Posted inOpinion
Illinois goes all-in on more nuclear power
The curtain has finally and unequivocally been ripped back: Gov. JB Pritzker is all-in on new nuclear. Pritzker released Executive Order 2026-01 Executive Order To Accelerate New Safe Nuclear Power Generation In Illinois – the final missing element of a plan for a more nuclear-reliant Illinois, dating back to the two-part repeal of Illinois’ nuclear […]
Posted inUncategorized
Letters to the editor
DO IT FOR THE PEOPLE If I was running for office, I would run for the people, not the party (“Marc Bell drops out of sheriff’s race,” Feb. 12). Barack Obama did not have the support of Sangamon County, including most Black voters, until he won the primary against Hillary Clinton. The local Democratic party […]
Posted inOpinion
Teachers’ unions slam state budget
As expected, we did not see a whole lot of spending increases in Gov. JB Pritzker’s state budget proposal last week. Last year, Pritzker said his budget limited discretionary spending to less than a 1% increase. The plan unveiled last week limits discretionary spending to less than a half a point increase. An education funding […]
Posted inJames Krohe Jr.
A real planner this time
The city of Springfield has hired its own city planner, a real one this time. Her name is Suraksha Bhandari. She studied at the University of Utah after life in Nepal but she might find Springfield’s city hall no less strange a place than Mormon Salt Lake. She brings to the job degrees in architecture […]
Posted inLetters to the Editor
Letters to the editor
OPPORTUNITY IN SANGAMON COUNTY As someone who has spent my career representing working men and women across central Illinois, I’ve seen what real investment can mean for a community. I’ve also seen how quickly progress stalls when we hesitate to invest in our future, which is why I believe the CyrusOne data center project deserves […]
Posted inOpinion
Saving money on police costs safety
The Jan. 22 edition of Illinois Times included an article by Dean Olsen with an overview of the upcoming city budget. Former Springfield budget director Bill McCarty blames the police and fire contracts for causing a “structural deficit” and pats himself on the back for the work he and former mayor Jim Langfelder did to […]
