News

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 city of Springfield is launching the Springfield Minority Business Institute, a new multi-week educational initiative that will begin in February. The program is designed to support minority-owned businesses and nonprofit organizations through targeted instruction, access to resources and meaningful networking opportunities. Classes will take place from 6:30-8:30 p.m. on Wednesdays in February and March. […]

Some of Illinois’ top Democrats say they’re open to considering targeted changes to Illinois’ controversial SAFE-T Act this spring if a forthcoming judicial report says they’re needed. Both Gov. JB Pritzker and House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside, say the changes — if ultimately deemed necessary — would be narrow despite Republicans’ desire to see […]

Project Censored released the 2026 edition of its State of the Free Press in November. About a week later, Random Lengths interviewed the book’s editors – Mickey Huff, Andy Lee Roth and Shealeigh Voitl – who, along with a team of student journalists and researchers, document the most underreported and censored news stories in the […]

A $7.6 million court settlement stemming from a data breach that affected almost 869,000 Hospital Sisters Health System patients will result in average payments of $40 to $50 for 80,000 people. That estimate – representing patients who responded by mail to become part of the class-action settlement – came from Nickolas Hagman of the Chicago […]

The Springfield City Council approved a contract worth up to $25,000 for Scott Hanauer, brother of Ward 10 Ald. Ralph Hanauer, at its Jan. 6 meeting. It serves as an extension of a professional service agreement with the Office of Public Utilities that originally took effect in October 2024. Scott Hanauer retired from City, Water […]

Criminal charges have been dropped against Nicolas Paz, a Springfield restauranter who had been accused of defrauding the state of more than $100,000 in sales tax revenue. But his wife, Amanda Paz, has pleaded guilty to sales tax evasion.  According to court records, Amanda Paz has already paid the state the money it was owed […]

Prairie Eye Center Ltd., a Springfield-based eye-care provider that operates centers in several local communities, has filed for bankruptcy reorganization. Prairie Eye listed assets of $5.3 million and liabilities of $10.6 million in its Chapter 11 Bankruptcy, which it filed Dec. 29 in the Central District of Illinois bankruptcy court. The company operates the Prairie […]

While sitting for his second Fox News interview of 2025 in late October, Gov. JB Pritzker made a plain observation about President Donald Trump, who earlier that day derided Illinois’ billionaire chief executive as “weak” and “pathetic.” “It seems like I live rent free in his head,” Pritzker told host Bret Baier on one of […]

As Springfield’s Rail Improvements Project enters its final two years of construction, one Springfield City Council member wants to know why the city is just now considering plans for the 19th Street corridor, while the Third Street rail consolidation is nearing completion. With the anticipated transition of ownership of the Third Street corridor into the […]

A state legislative oversight committee Friday permitted the Illinois Department of Corrections to formally adopt permanent rules that allow it to scan and digitize mail of those in custody, in a blow to prison reform advocates. The rule was originally introduced under pressure from Republican legislators and the IDOC workers’ union after a series of substance exposures […]