Following voter approval of the March 2026 referendum, Sangamon County is now accepting applications for individuals interested in serving on the newly established Sangamon County Mental Health Board. The creation of the board follows more than a year of study and public input. In January 2025, the Sangamon County Board established a Mental Health Commission, […]
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County Board could approve data center 15 days after tabling proposal
Pushback from citizens and threats of voting out board members might not prevent the Sangamon County Board from approving a $500 million data center that supporters argue would bring in construction jobs and substantial property tax revenue. The County Board will again have an opportunity to vote on the proposal April 7. It would first […]
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A battle for control
At the March 31 Springfield City Council meeting, several members expressed discontent with what they feel is a lack of sufficient city representation for a potential new government authority that would be responsible for managing the construction of a new downtown hotel and expanding the BOS Center. Earlier that day, a bipartisan group of elected […]
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UIS union begins strike
Members of the University Professionals of Illinois (UPI) Tenure / Tenure Track union of University of Illinois Springfield officially began a strike April 3 after nearly a year of negotiations with university administration. A rally including a picket line was held beginning at 9:30 a.m. Friday. According to a UIS United Faculty social media post, […]
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Mass text message
Many Sangamon County residents received a text message around 4:45 p.m. on April 1, promoting the proposed CyrusOne data center project and the jobs it would create. Recipients were asked to add their names to a support page, sangamonjobsnow.com. The text message featured a video of the Central Illinois Building & Trades Council and its […]
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Illinois Times partners with podcast
Karen Conn was recently interviewed on Tony Stang’s podcast, The Mosiac Project. Stang is the pastor of Central Baptist Church, located at 501 S. Fourth St. in downtown Springfield, and created the podcast as a means of “archiving moments of humanity.” The conversation with Conn reflects the wider vision of The Mosaic Project, which seeks […]
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Sangamon County Board still considering data center proposal
One day after the Sangamon County Board voted March 23 to table a data center proposal, the city of Aurora, about 175 miles northeast of Springfield, enacted some of the nation’s tightest restrictions on future data center developments after years of citizen complaints. The next Sangamon County Board meeting will be held at 6 p.m. […]
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A call for police reforms
Residents packed the Springfield City Council chambers on March 31 to demand an independent investigation, and even reforms, of the Springfield Police Department following its response to a contentious arrest last Friday of a Black female teenager. Bodycam footage and bystander video show Officer Jacob Walter, in an attempt to execute a warrant for arrest, […]
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A collaborative effort for downtown
City, county and state elected officials are offering bipartisan support for a bill in the Statehouse that would help facilitate an expansion of the BOS Center in downtown Springfield, along with construction of a new hotel. The bill would also create a new governing board to promote business development and tourism in Springfield and Sangamon […]
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Lawmakers seek measure to make small-scale plug-in solar panels available to renters
A bill to make solar power more accessible to renters and others who face barriers to the alternative energy source is moving through the Illinois Senate. The plug-in solar bill allows people to install small solar panel systems that can be plugged into normal wall outlets for personal use. Instead of a rooftop, the panels could be […]
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WICS slated to be sold again
Springfield’s main television station, NewsChannel 20 WICS, will soon be under new ownership for the second time in a little more than a year if the Federal Communications Commission approves a sale from Rincon Broadcasting to Community News Media LLC. In March of last year, Rincon Broadcasting bought WICS as part of a $29.5 million […]
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Social service concerns mount as federal changes take effect
The federal budget’s sweeping changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, including additional work requirements and shifting age bracket qualifications, could lead to nearly 20% of Illinois SNAP recipients – as many as 340,000 people – losing benefits in the coming months, according to state estimates and local agencies. Adults from the ages of 18 […]
