Cover Story
Battling blight
When Rosalind Bond finishes her work day and goes home, she is unable to enjoy the outdoors in her neighborhood on Springfield’s east side. The two-story house next door to her neatly kept ranch-style home in the 1400 block of East Jackson Street has been abandoned for more than five years and, to put it…
Illinois delegation at the DNC
The Illinois delegation to the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago has been meeting for breakfast every morning to go over strategy, hear speakers and inform delegates of the day’s activities. During Wednesday’s breakfast we spoke with some of the downstate delegates about their convention experiences and what they think it will take to get…
Day two of the DNC: Obamas, Pritzker, Duckworth and more
Illinois’ top political names took the stage during Tuesday night’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago, making rousing speeches to the party faithful who packed the United Center to hear remarks that were tinged with comedy and emotion. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker’s prime-time speech evoked the former with repeated digs at Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.…
Kentucky governor, Gwen Walz address Rural Caucus at the DNC
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear knows a thing or two about rural America and politics. “My first job was bucking a stall at a horse farm,” Beshear said. “And nothing prepares you for politics like bucking stalls.” Beshear was one of the keynote speakers at the Rural Caucus during Tuesday’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago. The…
Tim Walz addresses Women’s Caucus at the DNC
More than 1,000 women from across the nation gathered for the Women’s Caucus on Tuesday at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. A surprise guest was vice presidential nominee and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. “People ask me why I am successful as governor,” Walz said to the cheering crowd. “It’s because I surround myself with…
The first night of the DNC
A long, fiery speech by the outgoing president, musical performances by Jason Isbell and Mickey Guyton, and a surprise appearance by the presidential nominee highlighted the first night of the Democratic National Convention Monday night in Chicago. Punctuated by chants of “We love Joe” and “Thank you, Joe,” President Joe Biden recited a lengthy list…
DNC begins with a protest
The 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago started off with a boisterous, but peaceful, protest in the city’s Union Park followed by a march toward the United Center where most of the formal convention activities are being held. The crowd was well below half of the 20,000 protesters that the organizers had hoped for and…
Dealing with the forbidden fruit
There is a proclivity in the mind of man to “taste the forbidden fruit!” Garden of Eden or not, there is something that lures, challenges, even dares some people to seek, desire and even cling to that which is forbidden. I submit that this proclivity has its roots in the essence of the Garden of…
Illinois Times to provide coverage of the DNC
Illinois Times first sent a reporter to cover a Democratic National Convention in 1976, when Jimmy Carter was in New York City to accept his party’s nomination for president. IT’s coverage was focused less on Carter himself and more on the Illinois delegates who supported him, along with sharing their impressions of New York City and…
Democrats seek to increase super-majority
Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch has said he thinks he can flip somewhere between four and six Republican-held House districts to Democratic control, upping his super-majority to between 82 and 84 seats, from his current 78. Which Republican districts are flippable? I talked with a high-level source close to Welch’s caucus who pointed to the…
Honoring Sonya Massey
I did not know Sonya Massey. But I do know this about her: She should be living among us, loving her family, complaining about the heat, singing along with her favorite music, stretching a dollar, laughing at life’s absurdities and crying over its injustices. She should be savoring her joys and struggling with her fears,…
An effective Alien sequel, My Penguin Friend a sweet surprise, Cuckoo is just that
Alien: Romulus an effective return to form Obviously a student of the Alien franchise, writer/director Fede Alvarez has managed to do something that I thought was impossible – he’s delivered a worthy addition to the series, a feat that’s proved elusive for many filmmakers and one that proves to be an effective callback to the…
Legislating gender
A member of Congress who represents portions of Sangamon County is sponsoring legislation to define, in federal law, what is a male and a female. The move by U.S. Rep. Mary Miller, R-Illinois, stirred consternation among LGBTQ advocates and cheers from those skeptical of the concept of gender fluidity. Miller proposed the Defining Male and…
United Way seeks volunteers for fall Day of Action
As autumn leaves begin to turn and a crisp chill fills the air, United Way of Central Illinois is gearing up for its annual fall Day of Action, a communitywide volunteer event aimed at making a significant impact across the region. Set to take place on Friday, Oct. 4, this year’s initiative promises to “Ignite…
Editor’s note 8/15/24
As of Aug. 6, the city of Boston, Massachusetts, has had eight homicides this year. Springfield, Illinois, has had seven, as of Aug. 9. In all last year there were five homicides in Springfield. Four of this year’s victims died of multiple gunshot wounds in daylight hours, and three of these were young men –…
Ron Blueprint Poem
My dad sometimes went to grade school in town. Once while there he printed a blueprint newspaper; sold it after school for a nickel. It contained a syllogism: “We go to school to improve our faculties; Our teachers are our faculties; Ergo, we go to school to improve our teachers.” Miss Glenn the principal suggested…
Letters to the editor 8/15/24
We welcome letters. Please include your full name, address and telephone number. We edit all letters. Send them to editor@illinoistimes.com. — BIGGER PROBLEM The root problem is not entirely the sheriffs, but the Sangamon County board’s failure to adequately fund the sheriff’s office (“Sonya Massey’s father calls on Jack Campbell to resign,” July 26). Deputies…
Savory galettes
I’ve been spending my summer as a chef at Prairie Fruits Farm and Creamery in Champaign. I consider myself to be in pretty good shape, but by the end of my workweek, my 71-year-old butt is dragging! When I drive back home to Springfield after my last shift, I count on my two days off…
Fair enough
As we enter the waning days of the Illinois State Fair, the weather, which arguably has more to do with the fair’s success than anything else, has cooperated quite fabulously and allowed for super-duper attendance figures. And if not record-breaking numbers (but maybe), those attending the fair thus far found record-breaking comfort in the mild…
There’s still time to get to the fair
Counting today, there are four more days of the Illinois State Fair. Have you been yet? It’s not too late, you know, to get a corndog at Vose’s, see a Grandstand show or take that ride on the Sky Glider. Once again, the Grandstand has a great lineup of remaining shows with the Jonas Brothers…
