News

Justin Conder is only 40 years old with a sturdy build and firm handshake, but gray already specks his otherwise brown hair. It’s quite possible a frustrating, eight-year odyssey to obtain a state craft-grow cannabis license has something to do with that. “I ask myself that sometimes,” Conder says with a weary laugh when asked […]

Members of Sonya Massey’s family, who declared victory with the recent sentencing of her killer to a 20-year prison term, say they hope her tragic death leads to policy changes in Sangamon County and nationwide.  The sentence, which likely will be appealed to a higher court by lawyers representing former Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy Sean […]

As the U.S. sheds manufacturing jobs, Illinois is accepting applications for $24 million in grant funding to establish training facilities at community colleges aimed at bolstering the state’s manufacturing labor pool. The funding is for six “manufacturing training academies” at downstate community colleges that will add to two existing academies that opened in 2024. The […]

Illinois will join the World Health Organization’s Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network, or GOARN, to counterbalance the federal government’s withdrawal, Gov. JB Pritzker announced Tuesday. The network monitors disease outbreaks across the globe and prepares countries to respond to those outbreaks. As a member, Illinois will have access to research, timely alerts and information […]

Pamela Franks, owner of Playful Steps Child Care, has been taking care of low-income children and their families in her Springfield home for more than 30 years. Franks has a bachelor’s degree in social work and a master’s degree in early childhood education, and she’s made child care her career. Now, she takes care of […]

Plans for a $500 million data center to be built by Dallas-based CyrusOne in rural southwest Sangamon County could receive final zoning votes from county officials later this month and in March. A public hearing on CyrusOne’s plan to build a 636-megawatt data center complex covering 1.4 million square feet on 230 acres of farm […]

For the first time in five years, certain forms of student loan forgiveness will be taxable following a change in federal tax policy this year. This comes after a provision of the American Rescue Plan Act expired Dec. 31. That measure, signed into law in 2021 by former President Joe Biden, temporarily excluded student loan debt from […]

A woman who almost lost her life because of a crash caused by Michael Egan said the 90-day jail sentence he received Jan. 30 for drunken driving was too lenient, but because of the criminal justice system’s inherent bias toward police, not surprising. “Unfortunately, I was expecting him to skate out easy because he’s a […]

A Sangamon County judge on Jan. 29 gave former sheriff’s deputy Sean Grayson the maximum sentence – 20 years in prison – for the July 2024 murder of Sonya Massey, culminating a nationally publicized case that led to ongoing discussions and action locally to bridge racial divides. A cheer went up in the courtroom and […]

The Springfield Public Schools District 186 Board of Education has recommended Terrance Jordan to serve as the next superintendent, succeeding Jennifer Gill. He joined District administration in 2021 and currently serves as the assistant superintendent of family, community and school leadership. Gill announced at the Aug. 18 school board meeting that she would retire June […]

The woman appointed as the new Sangamon County sheriff in the wake of the July 2024 murder of Sonya Massey says her experience, education and determination make her worthy of being elected to a four-year term. “I just feel like we started moving in the right direction for improvements,” Paula Crouch told Illinois Times when […]