Independent campaign expenditures have skyrocketed this year in state legislative races. All of these numbers were current as of 4:20 p.m. Friday, March 13, when I finished writing this column. Independent expenditure committees are not allowed to coordinate their spending with candidates, ergo the “independent” label. As with the federal level, they are also not […]
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Opportunities blooming at LLCC’s spring career events
Career fairs and networking events do more than introduce students to employers. They open doors to possibility. At Lincoln Land Community College, connecting students to opportunity is central to our mission of transforming lives and strengthening communities through learning. These experiences extend the learning environment beyond the classroom. Students explore career pathways and strengthen essential […]
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Letters to the editor
DO IT FOR THE PEOPLE If I was running for office, I would run for the people, not the party (“Marc Bell drops out of sheriff’s race,” Feb. 12). Barack Obama did not have the support of Sangamon County, including most Black voters, until he won the primary against Hillary Clinton. The local Democratic party […]
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UIS research highlights stakes for Illinois farmers amid changing hemp regulations
In November 2025, President Trump signed legislation to fund and reopen the federal government, ending the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. While many celebrated, Illinois hemp farmers were stunned. Buried in the legislation was a provision that fundamentally altered the federal definition of hemp, potentially making many hemp farming activities and products illegal once […]
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A year of faith and resilience: Faith Coalition’s commitment to justice
As we come to the close of 2025, the Faith Coalition for the Common Good is deeply thankful for the opportunity to share in the work alongside a community of resilient, courageous and powerful leaders. This work is not done in isolation, it is built through relationship, trust and collective commitment to justice. The evolution […]
Posted inCommunity & Lifestyle
Just win? At UIS, success runs deeper
Raiders owner Al Davis made “Just win, baby” a famous rallying cry in the NFL. Some people assume that motto applies to college sports, too. And while winning is absolutely part of what we do at the University of Illinois Springfield — and yes, we enjoy it tremendously — it isn’t our only goal. In […]
Posted inReGen
Coach and caregiver connect
Latasha Friarson is a caregiver with Abcor Home Health. For the past several months she’s been assisting Mike Suhadolnik, a health and fitness coach, to be more independent after a fall a year ago. Friarson goes to Suhadolnik’s home Monday-Friday, three hours each day. Having a caregiver does not come naturally for Suhadolnik, and he […]
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Illinois Times is searching for a CEO
HOW TO APPLY: Please submit your resume and cover letter to Fletcher Farrar at editor@illinoistimes.com. The role Illinois Times, a trusted, 50-year-old weekly newspaper serving Springfield, Illinois, and the surrounding region, is seeking a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to lead its next chapter as it transitions from a for-profit business to a nonprofit news organization. […]
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Key Illinois Democrats at odds with Durbin over shutdown vote — again
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin is once again at odds with other prominent Illinois Democrats over a vote that set in motion a plan to end the record-long federal government shutdown. Durbin, who is not seeking reelection in 2026, was one of eight members in the Senate Democratic caucus to join Republicans in supporting a procedural […]
Posted inFilm
Frankenstein a masterpiece, Nuremberg serves as cautionary tale
Del Toro cobbles together ambitious, magnificent Frankenstein Referred to as “my Everest,” director Guillermo del Toro has longed to put his distinctive stamp on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Stating recently that each movie he’s made has been in preparation for this undertaking, he was able to secure a $120 million budget and a generous six-month shooting […]
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High school essay winners write from the heart
This year is the 20th annual This I Believe essay contest for high school seniors, sponsored by NPR Illinois. Modeled after the program started by radio journalist Edward R. Murrow in 1951, students are invited to write an essay sharing their personal beliefs. This fall, 210 students from throughout the NPR Illinois listening area submitted […]
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Cathedral stands in for site of 1842 wedding
On Nov. 4, 1842, Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd were married in the home of her older sister and brother-in-law, Elizabeth and Ninian Edwards. That old Edwards home is long gone – demolished in 1918 to make room for a state government building (now the Howlett Building). OK, history lesson over. Now, 183 years later, […]
