Governor’s Day brought Democratic party leaders and supporters to the State Fair on Wednesday to rally as campaigns gear up for the last sprint to the November election. “We’re already kicking off phone banking, but I think the fair really officially kicks off the campaign season. It’s just a great time for Democrats all over […]
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Safety net snaps
Kayla Brown said her family of four has been getting by on about $200 a month in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits since the sweeping changes made to the program’s eligibility and benefit calculations went into effect earlier this year. Before the change, she said her family received nearly $900 each month. “We’ve been getting […]
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Supporting students
Illinois school districts can now help pay for extended motel stays for homeless students and their families under a new state law that supporters say could provide stability for children in crisis – but state Sen. Steve McClure, R-Springfield, warns it lacks adequate safeguards. Gov. JB Pritzker signed House Bill 4137 into law July 24. […]
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Prairie problems
Illinois is nicknamed the “Prairie State,” but the city of Springfield didn’t want Wolfgang Arterberry to have an actual prairie as his front yard. “Overgrown grass and weeds throughout entire property must be mowed,” reads a letter dated July 9 to Arterberry and his wife, Gina, from Dalton Kinison, a housing inspector with the city. […]
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Another downtown project
Local real estate investor Chris Stone has acquired the former PNC Bank building on the Old State Capitol Plaza downtown. “I think it’s probably the best building on the square,” Stone said. “I’ve been working on projects in downtown Springfield for more than 10 years, and I thought this was an opportunity to take a […]
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State Journal-Register partners with Palantir
The nation’s largest newspaper chain turned heads Aug. 6 – in what would otherwise be a traditional, jargon-filled earnings call that garners few headlines – when USA Today executives announced its papers would be using Palantir to “collect, connect and activate audience data to drive more effective and faster monetization.” Executives said the move is […]
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“Democracy Rising Rally” held at Old State Capitol
About a hundred people gathered in the Old State Capitol on Saturday afternoon for the “Democracy Rising Rally” organized by Capital City Illinois Indivisible. The group is a local chapter of Indivisible, a national network formed in response to Donald Trump’s 20216 election. Karen Broquet, one of the organizers of the rally, said the driving […]
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“Our history is not pretty”
A small group gathered the morning of Aug. 14 after heavy rains saturated an unpaved city-owned plot as part of a series of events commemorating the 1908 Springfield Race Riot. Samples of soil were gathered to symbolize the lynching of two Black men during three days of turmoil in the city. Held at 12th and […]
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Keeping the peace
The Illinois State Board of Elections has been paying off-duty Springfield police officers to provide security for records examinations, including the validation of candidate petitions. Andrew Finko is a lawyer for Byron Sigcho-Lopez, a Chicago alderman who is suing the State Board of Elections in an attempt to get onto the November ballot for Illinois’ […]
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‘The wrong side of justice’
This story was produced by Injustice Watch, a nonprofit newsroom in Chicago that investigates issues of equity and justice in the Cook County court system. Curtis Lovelace was walking out of his law office in downtown Quincy, Illinois, when he spotted the stranger waiting by his car. “I recognized him to be a police officer,” […]
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An overview of the 2026 State Fair
The 2026 butter cow invites Illinois State Fairgoers to “Take a Spin on Route 66” in honor of the Mother Road’s centennial. The grand marshal for the fair’s Twilight Parade this year is Route 66, and the fair’s theme is “Miles of Smiles” as a send-up to the Mother Road. This year’s cow is accompanied […]
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More charges for David Yankee
A former Springfield City Council candidate who was sentenced to two years of probation for child endangerment after the 2024 drowning death of a 7-year-old foster child in his care could be headed to prison after being charged with methamphetamine possession. David Yankee, 50, has pleaded not guilty to the felony drug charge and to […]
