Sangamon County’s average residential electricity bill has increased by more than 52% in the past five years when comparing seasonal data, according to a database constructed by Heatmap News and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. That’s nearly 15% more than Cook County, and almost 10% more than the state, experienced over the same time frame. […]
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Housing advocates celebrate legislative wins
After months of negotiations in the spring legislative session resulted in no final action on Gov. JB Pritzker’s flagship housing proposal, housing advocates are celebrating a few legislative victories – and holding onto hopes for future negotiations. Bob Palmer, policy director for the statewide housing coalition Housing Action Illinois, said some of the major victories […]
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Two ways to freeze a neighborhood
Editor’s note: This article is a commentary on the BUILD plan as it existed in May. The plan has not yet been voted on, and it may undergo changes in the fall. The governor of Illinois recently came on the Strong Towns Podcast to talk about his administration’s BUILD initiative, a package of housing reforms that has received praise […]
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Women’s baseball league teams named
With opening day about three weeks away at Robin Roberts Stadium, the inaugural Women’s Professional Baseball League named the four teams that will compete this summer in Springfield. The New York Heights, San Francisco Firebells, Los Angeles Queens, and Boston Hunters will compete against each other from Aug. 1 through September, in what the league […]
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Mayor, state detail Y block plans
A permanent amphitheater for free Levitt AMP Springfield Music Series concerts and other community events would be built on the downtown Y block, and the state would acquire the two-acre property as part of a $4 million, state-funded development plan for a public park that City Council members may consider for approval this month. Mayor […]
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Pritzker signs landmark AI regulation bill that aims to mitigate risks
Gov. JB Pritzker signed artificial intelligence legislation modeled after similar bills in California and New York on Monday, furthering a push for a state-driven national framework in lieu of federal regulations. “Congress and the president ought to be passing similar legislation, but they’ve so far been unwilling, because many are captive to special interests that […]
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Former Sangamon County deputy Sean Grayson seeks medical release
Less than six months into his 20-year prison sentence, the former sheriff’s deputy convicted of second-degree murder for the fatal shooting of an unarmed Sangamon County woman is asking the state to release him from prison on medical grounds. Sean Grayson, 32, filed for release under the Joe Coleman Act last month. Under the act, a person […]
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Data center moratorium declared invalid
Logan County officials are on track to consider and potentially vote on land-use applications for a $5 billion data center near Latham as soon as August after the local state’s attorney declared invalid a 12-month moratorium that the County Board approved in May. Opponents of Hut 8 Corp.’s proposed Logan Prairie Data Center, who supported […]
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Octopolis: An audacious endeavor
“The only distance between dream and reality is action,” proclaims Adena Rivas, founder of the Creative Reuse Marketplace (CRM) in Springfield. “Octopolis” is the dream of Adena and her sister, Layna Joy Rivas, who lives in northern California, and the main architect of the project. Action is now underway to make Octopolis a reality. […]
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Sangamon County seeks more local control
The Sangamon County Zoning and Land Use Committee discussed ways to regain more local control over renewable energy projects, such as solar and wind farms, in light of a recent state law that restricts authority of municipal governments to veto such developments. At the June 18 meeting, lawyers gave the committee a laundry list of […]
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LifeStar Ambulance seeks to drop lawsuit against Memorial
LifeStar Ambulance Service. Inc. has temporarily dropped its lawsuit against Springfield Memorial Hospital to gather proof of what LifeStar considers the hospital’s bias against the company. “We’re still trying to find more evidence,” LifeStar Chief Executive Officer John Wright told Illinois Times. “We need more for a lawsuit.” Associate Circuit Judge Christopher Perrin on June […]
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New Mental Health Board meets
Sangamon County’s recently convened Mental Health Board agreed on a job listing for an executive director position and started discussions about how to organize the Board’s grant structure during its June 24 meeting. Former Massey Commission staff and members also implored the board to avoid filling governmental budget gaps with the nearly $15 million it’s […]
