Rampant and haphazard growth after the Civil War left Springfield dirty, dangerous, unhealthful and inconvenient. The race riots in 1908 left the city’s worthy citizens with what we might call a reputational problem, so progressive-minded locals undertook a municipal housecleaning. The 1911 commission reform promised to fix politics. The election that same year of Willis […]
Opinion
Posted inOpinion
Misinformation about Pretrial Fairness Act in Illinois
Spurred on by Donald Trump’s fearmongering about “cashless bail” and a “lawless” Illinois, some law enforcement officials and Republican elected officials are recycling tired misconceptions about the Pretrial Fairness Act to distract the public from their real policy failures. This was most recently seen in the Illinois Valley, where hospitals are closing, shelters are overflowing […]
Posted inLetters to the Editor
Letter to the editor
EMPTY PROMISES I attended the Oct. 29 meeting at Lincoln Library and I was grateful for the presentations made by everyone (“Data center plans delayed,” Nov. 5). There are too many promises made that we see other cities now suffering through, because once the data center is built, it’s the companies with big money and […]
Posted inRich Miller
Chuy Garcia and the machine
You likely already know that U.S. Rep. Chuy García (D-Chicago) dropped out of his re-election race in a way that essentially handed his seat to his top aide. After his doctor advised him not to run again because of his heart condition, and his spouse who has multiple sclerosis which didn’t respond to her most […]
Posted inEditor's Note
Editor’s note 11/13/25
Just as everybody knows who started the war in Ukraine, everybody knows the party to blame for the big jump in health insurance premiums. And we know who tried to cut off SNAP benefits, fired thousands of government workers and caused airline chaos. It wasn’t Sen. Richard Durbin of Springfield. He and a few other […]
Posted inLetters to the Editor
Letters to the editor 11/13/25
JUST SAY NO We should reflect deeply on this question: Do we value the people and the livelihood of our community over a Texas-based AI company that has come for our land and resources (“First data center in Sangamon County,” Oct. 23)? If we do, then we should be saying no to CyrusOne’s proposal for […]
Posted inOpinion
My Honor Flight, “a full and rewarding day”
In late 1969, I enlisted for four years in the U.S. Army. I was assigned to the U.S. Army Security Agency. Eventually, I was assigned to a duty station in Germany. I am currently 76 years old. I have known about the Land of Lincoln Honor Flights to Washington, D.C., for years and had been […]
Posted inRich Miller
Leaks lead to lecture
House Democratic legislators received a stern lecture during the second week of veto session about leaks from their private party caucus meetings. During the first week of veto session in October, I posted a photo on my blog of a caucus PowerPoint presentation showing the range of revenue ideas under consideration in the House to […]
Posted inOpinion
The devil’s trumpets
In the Christian Book of Revelation we read that angels will sound seven trumpets to signal the apocalyptic events that will lead to a new kingdom of Heaven. I heard such a trumpet on my first night in my new apartment and it wasn’t announcing hail or blood or a mountain thrown into the sea. It […]
Posted inOpinion
MASSEY COMMISSION
When the Massey Commission was formed, community members rightly questioned what it would actually do. Some expected a short-term task force – something tidy and symbolic. But the charge the commission was given, and the one I accepted as managing director, is not the kind of work that fits neatly into a headline. It asks […]
Posted inLetters to the Editor
Letters to the Editor
GOOD NEWS I have driven an electric vehicle (EV) for about two years, and I don’t think I would want to go back to driving an internal combustion car. That said, I know that we have a long way to go before most people can make the switch. One of the hurdles is ensuring that […]
Posted inRich Miller
Mass transit funding deal analysis
Last May, several Illinois House Democrats complained bitterly that their mass transit negotiators were ignored and even shut out by the Senate Democratic mass transit negotiators. The House members had a point. The Senate passed a bill which was an almost purely Senate Democratic creation. They literally gave the House a “take it or leave […]
