Since the first term of Dwight D. Eisenhower’s presidency, one organization – the American Business Club of Springfield – has volunteered to serve beer and other concessions at the Illinois State Fair, with their share of money earned funding grants to dozens of local charities. For the first time since 1954, ABC will no longer […]
News
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If you build it, they will come
The ghosts of Shoeless Joe Jackson and Ty Cobb did not emerge from a cornfield Tuesday afternoon at Scheels Sports Park at Legacy Pointe. But Springfield’s version of Field of Dreams became another step closer to reality when Gov. JB Pritzker came to a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the $70 million development just off MacArthur Boulevard. […]
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EMT takes plea deal
A plea deal in the death of Earl L. Moore Jr. is drawing mixed reactions from family members and civil rights advocates, who say it delivers a measure of accountability but falls short of full justice. Peter J. Cadigan, 53, a former emergency medical technician with LifeStar Ambulance, pleaded guilty April 24 to involuntary manslaughter […]
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Healthcare leaders convene at Citizens Club
The Citizens Club of Springfield hosted Springfield’s healthcare leaders April 24 to discuss the industry’s future in the capital city and central Illinois at large. CEOs from four major pillars of Springfield’s economy who are responsible for more than 10,000 employees – Memorial Health, Springfield Clinic and HSHS Central Illinois, in addition to the executive […]
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Strategy, not charity
“Why Foreign Assistance Matters” was the topic of the April 14 World Affairs Council of Central Illinois program at Illini Country Club. Chris Milligan, retired senior foreign service officer, told a packed audience “when used effectively, foreign assistance is strategy, not charity.” Milligan discussed the importance of the United States Agency for International Development and […]
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Tackling chronic absenteeism
A new joint initiative between the Sangamon County State’s Attorney’s Office and the Regional Office of Education is taking a tougher, more coordinated approach to chronic truancy. It combines social services with a stark warning: get children back in school or face legal consequences. The effort, spearheaded by Sangamon County State’s Attorney John Milhiser and Regional Superintendent Shannon […]
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Tourism is up, but downtown is hurting
From his view on East Adams Street, Prairie Archives owner Robb Paul has witnessed firsthand how downtown Springfield has evolved. His secondhand bookstore at 522 E. Adams St. has been in the same spot since 1992, straight across from the Old State Capitol and just a couple doors down from Abraham Lincoln’s old law office. […]
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Logan County to consider data center regulations
Logan County officials could take action in May to change local zoning requirements to both accommodate developers of large-scale data centers and protect the public. The Logan County Zoning Board of Appeals is scheduled to meet at 7:30 p.m. May 8 at Oasis Senior Center at 2810 Woodlawn Road in Lincoln to consider nonbinding recommendations […]
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Faculty at UIS reach tentative agreement to end strike
Faculty at the University of Illinois Springfield ended a more than two-week strike on Monday after reaching an agreement with university administrators overnight. Tenured and tenure-track faculty at UIS, one of three University of Illinois system institutions, went on strike on April 3 after failing to reach an agreement with UIS administrators over pay increases. […]
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New leadership for Sangamon County Democrats
A Chatham resident and union activist will head the Sangamon County Democratic Party for the next two years, succeeding longtime Democratic stalwart Bill Houlihan. Diana Carlile, 64, a former Illinois Bell operator and AT&T engineering department employee who retired in 2011, was unanimously elected April 15 in a weighted vote of the local Democratic Party’s […]
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Sangamon Auditorium to reopen in October with major upgrades
After more than a year without performances, there’s finally a date to circle on the calendar: Sangamon Auditorium is set to reopen this October. The UIS Performing Arts Center has been closed since June 2025 to make way for a major plumbing replacement throughout the building. It’s not the most glamorous upgrade, but it was […]
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‘Credit card chaos’? Financial institutions bet big on repeal of first-of-its-kind Illinois law
“Credit cards may not work for sales tax or tips starting July 1.” By now, you’ve heard that claim, but whether it’s true depends on who you ask. The ads — funded by the Electronic Payments Coalition of banks, credit unions and card companies — argue that Illinois lawmakers must repeal the state’s first-in-the-nation Interchange […]
