“At a time when it’s easy to take a step back, the Urban League is stepping up.” Those were the words of Springfield Urban League President and CEO Dr. Marcus Johnson during a Dec. 2 Springfield City Council meeting. Johnson was trying to convince the alderpersons to sell eight city-owned parcels of land on Springfield’s […]
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An overview of Springfield’s finances
Several of Springfield’s city council members voiced concern that the city’s rate of spending could lead to future shortfalls, but a majority still approved a new fiscal year budget of almost $203 million. The new corporate fund budget for fiscal 2027, which supports most city functions, such as road repairs and police and fire protection, […]
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Back in business
When Illinois Times last wrote about environmental engineer Michael Keebler in August 2015, his situation was grim. The U.S. government had filed seizure notices for multiple assets, including his home, around the same time he was sentenced to five years in federal prison for defrauding the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency out of $13 million. The […]
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Data center project moves forward
Opponents of a proposed $500 million data center in southwestern Sangamon County went away disappointed and angry but unbowed, while officials from a Dallas-based company left smiling, after a pair of nonbinding votes by county officials Feb. 19. “This is a long-term catalyst for the labor and construction industry,” Bradd Hout, location and power strategy […]
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Pritzker denies traveling on Epstein’s plane after Bill Clinton’s since-recanted testimony
Gov. JB Pritzker denied a since-recanted comment by former President Bill Clinton that Clinton thought the pair may have traveled together on a plane owned by convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. His denial was in response to a 90-second video clip of Clinton’s closed-door deposition before the U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee that […]
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A lucky shot
Eleven minutes’ worth. That’s all the 16-millimeter color film Alan Dater had in the canister of his handheld camera on the night of Feb. 22, 1980, inside the Field House International Ice Rink (now named Herb Brooks Arena) in Lake Placid, New York. The U.S. men’s Olympic hockey team was to play the Soviet Union […]
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Police chief fights to keep license
After Leland Grove Police Chief Dan Ryan was arrested for domestic battery and driving under the influence earlier this month, his lawyer argued Ryan’s driver’s license should not have been suspended. John Sharp, Ryan’s attorney, filed a motion to rescind the statutory summary suspension, a state law that automatically suspends anyone who tests over the […]
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Economic development efforts expand
A Black alderperson called a white alderperson racist, then suggested they settle their differences “outside.” Depending on your point of view, this might have been upsetting or entertaining to those sitting in the audience or watching online during the Springfield City Council’s Feb. 3 meeting. But Ward 2 Ald. Shawn Gregory told Illinois Times that […]
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What does Gov. JB Pritzker’s nuclear energy executive order do?
During his recent State of the State and budget address, Gov. JB Pritzker announced a new direction for nuclear energy in Illinois, aimed at staving off predicted energy shortages as the state moves toward carbon-free power generation. Pritzker signed an executive order the morning of the address, saying it “sets a new nuclear energy framework for Illinois — […]
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Sean Grayson serving prison sentence, but state officials won’t say where
Former Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Grayson, who was convicted last year of shooting an unarmed woman, has begun serving his 20-year prison sentence with the Illinois Department of Corrections in an undisclosed location. IDOC confirmed that Grayson, 31, is in their custody but won’t confirm his whereabouts. A source close to the case said […]
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Community rallies around Curve Inn after fire
Despite much speculation on social media, there are no definite answers yet about how a fire Friday morning at the Curve Inn started. An official investigation is scheduled to begin Monday. Ami Merchant, who co-owns the popular bar, restaurant and music venue with her husband, Ray, said in a Facebook post that she and several […]
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Battle over data centers in Illinois pits consumer costs vs. state competitiveness
The debate over how to regulate data centers in Illinois is intensifying as lawmakers struggle to balance costs to consumers and the state’s need to be competitive economically. Data centers house computer systems that store, process and distribute data but require large amounts of energy to power that workload. A growing number of these facilities […]
