Not so fast
The Springfield City Council on Tuesday trimmed asks from Mayor Jim Langfelder, scaling back an ordinance that would have given the mayor the power to declare an emergency and ban sales of guns and alcohol. The council also tabled a measure authorizing $2 million to be spent for a shuttered hospital that the mayor has…
Teddy Eisenhoover
A friend who loves Donald Trump – I am broad in my friendships – tells me that the incumbent is toast. The president will never overcome coronavirus blues, much of his own making, my friend acknowledges. The refusal to accept responsibility for failures in mustering up sufficient test kits. The insults that remained hallmarks as…
Small grocers navigate coronavirus
As a reporter, I’ve been hearing repeatedly that social distance is one of our best ways to stop the spread of coronavirus. Social distance was defined in the governor’s stay-at-home order as keeping six feet away from people while attending to necessary shopping trips, or going outside for exercise. Otherwise, the message is: stay home.…
Community health centers ask state for emergency funding
The novel coronavirus could “create long-lasting, devastating damage” to Illinois health care facilities that serve vulnerable communities. Community health centers are treating fewer patients than normal after all 390 locations around the state canceled routine and preventative medical visits to slow the spread of COVID-19 per guidance from federal and state officials. That means fewer…
In limbo
Casey Hanners started feeling sick more than a week ago. His daughter had attended a job fair where she’d had contact with Lisa Badger, a Springfield Park District board member who announced last week that she has coronavirus. Hanners, 38, had a cough but paid it little mind. He has exercise-induced asthma and figured that…
Memorial on testing: We’re not there yet
Last week, we reported about one woman’s experience trying to get tested for COVID-19 after returning home to Springfield from Spain and experiencing respiratory symptoms. After going to a drive-up Memorial clinic, she said she was told she would be tested for flu and strep, and then later for the new coronavirus if those tests came…
Lincoln’s Legends podcast is back
For years, Lincoln’s Legends podcast by Jeremie Bailey was one way artists and news-makers in Springfield could share their stories. The content was geared toward millennials and Gen-Xers with an interest in independent art and music but also included newsier interviews, like with Downtown Springfield Inc’s Lisa Clemmons Stott. It went on hiatus in 2018,…
Warming center closed
The city’s winter warming center has closed, with homeless people sent to the Salvation Army community center on Clearlake Avenue. It’s not clear how many people are staying at the Salvation Army, nor is it clear how long they might stay there. Mayor Jim Langfelder said he didn’t know how many homeless people were sent…
We’re closed
Hours ahead of a statewide stay-at-home order taking effect at 5 p.m. Saturday, some places in Springfield were bustling. A brief drive through town on Saturday afternoon revealed at least one bicycle shop that appeared open. Several barbers and hair-cutting salons, which must close without knowing when they can reopen, appeared busy, as did a…
Stay home, governor orders
As of 5 p.m. Saturday, all state residents must remain in their homes under an order announced by Gov. JB Pritzker that lasts until April 7. Businesses deemed nonessential must close. All gatherings outside a single household are prohibited, but it’s not a complete lockdown. Exemptions include trips to buy food, prescription drugs and conduct…
Sick and frustrated
Susan – not her real name – is worried. When she left Springfield for Europe in early March, she felt ill. She figured it was sinuses. She’d heard of coronavirus – enough to know that China, Italy and Iran should be avoided – but this was Spain, and, not yet 20, she was on spring…
Still open for business?
A new website, SpringfieldZoom.com, will consolidate business information across Sangamon county to keep consumers apprised of the status of their favorite local businesses and their services in one, easily searchable place. Mark Roberts III, owner of GoWeb1 and AlertsMadeEasy.com, said the idea came to him last week after the governor announced school closures. “I was…
First local death
The first coronavirus patient in Sangamon County has died at Memorial Medical Center. The 71-year-old woman died today, public health officials announced. She lived in Florida and was visiting when she fell ill. “Now more than ever, we call on our community to take care of themselves and each other, to be vigilant and willing…
pandemic poem #1
now’s the time to hunker down covid 19’s come to town never thought there’d be an issue over soap and toilet tissue (and we can always read the dictionary) 2020 Jacqueline Jackson
Better beef
Healthy red meat from buffalo hybrids. More cows being put out to pasture. Raising beef cattle as the antidote to climate change. Welcome to the modern world of the beef industry, where consumer demand and environmental concerns are driving the way that many Illinois producers raise, market and sell their animals. It’s a continually changing…
Letter’s to the editor 3/19/20
We welcome letters. Please include your full name, address and telephone number. We edit all letters. Send them to letters@illinoistimes.com. CITY NEEDS TREES, NOT A STUDY This article is frustrating (“Budget blues and greens: Trees get cut,” Feb. 27). My husband, Mark McWilliams, along with Dave Bender, former executive director of the Illinois Green Industry…
Recipes for a lockdown
It was still dark when I parked my car in the nearly empty parking lot. As I walked into the grocery store the barest shimmer of dawn was just beginning to peek out from around the clouds. Inside it was nearly empty, save for a few employees dotted around the store like little islands, unpacking…
Keeping connected
Shelley Reither, of Springfield, has a daily routine of going to see her dad in the nursing home. They visit for about an hour. “I have always had an inordinately close relationship with him,” said Reither. “One of the primary reasons is just because of his dementia, really. I think it helps keep him grounded…
McCrady returns
Ryan McCrady is in familiar territory. The new president of the Springfield-Sangamon Growth Alliance, a public-private partnership formed in 2017 to promote economic development, has deep local roots. He’s from Divernon. “For me, this is coming back home, so to speak,” McCrady said during an interview March 13. McCrady entered the public sector in 1997,…
Wahlberg delivers solid start to Spenser Netflix franchise
“You get beat up a lot.” Truer words were never spoken where former cop and reluctant private investigator Spenser is concerned. He gets beat up in a prison library. He gets beat up in a bathroom. He gets beat up in a Mexican restaurant. You’d think the guy would know when to quit, but no.…
Steve goes to Washington for ERA
Steve Andersson played an instrumental role in getting the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) ratified in Illinois in 2018. As a state representative he lobbied fellow Republicans to vote in favor of the resolution for ratification. While ERA had easily passed the Senate, it narrowly passed the House. Andersson, of Geneva, Illinois, said even in the…
Want to know what’s going on in the virtual world of events and activities?
Click here for an up-to-date list of online events and activities. Let us know and we will include it in the Illinois Times online calendar. Many organizations and businesses may have temporarily closed their physical doors, but they are opening the doors into their virtual events. From kid’s art contests to online learning resources to…
Films to watch at home
Now that movie watching has become a home-viewing option for the time being, this space will be devoted to brief reviews of films that can be seen on various streaming services, cable channels and video-on-demand. This space will be fluid and include as many new viewing options each week as possible to provide a wide…
Fun family viewing at home
Even without visiting a movie theatre, seeing new films is still an option. This is the perfect time to gather your loved ones around the television and enjoy new family fare as well as introduce your young ones and teens to the wonders of classic film. Below is a listing of various options geared towards…
A night at the council
Walks are good. Yesterday, I took one. Days lately have been work, sleep, repeat, writing bulletins with shelf lives oft measured in hours. When there’s time, you call your folks, who once promised to stay home and now talk about shopping – “I need green beans” – and running errands, no matter what you say.…
Not playing now
I know it’s not the time to be flippant, but perhaps it’s okay to make a joke and say that my Now Playing column could be retitled “Not Playing Now” or something else involving silly, somewhat clever wordplay. But in all seriousness, it’s a brand-new world for at least a few weeks, no matter how…
Editor’s note 3/19/20
The pandemic shutdown is a reminder of how much Illinois Times depends on and partners with bars and restaurants, theaters, galleries and museums. Usually we spend most of our pages and energies trying to entice readers to get out and engage rather than stay home and be socially distant. But, like other local businesses (see…
Prescription for a sick economy
COVID-19 is making the rounds. This global chaos has shifted our sense of normalcy, with our public lives mostly cancelled or postponed. The ramifications may vary, though epidemiologists opine we are 10-14 days behind Italy, and if we want to see our future, we should look there. A global epidemic is upon us. We as…
Despite COVID-19, Statehouse has deadlines to meet
The Senate Democrats caucused by phone last week. Among other things, members heard updates about what is happening in response to the novel coronavirus pandemic. Senate President Don Harmon told members that he, the other legislative leaders and the governor are working on a list of must-pass bills. One of the bills that is causing…
Local business owners face new reality
Jordan and Aurora Coffey are a married couple in their early 30s. They have a young child, and another on the way. Their love of food and the community it creates is one of their most sacred bonds. And it’s been tested over the past week, in light of efforts to mitigate the spread of…
Families in need connect
When Scott McFarland heard about the school closures resulting from the government’s attempt to halt the spread of coronavirus, he did what he knew best. He started planning ways for people to spring into service. McFarland is on the Springfield school board and he’s the executive director for Serve Illinois, a Governor-appointed board that focuses…
