Cover Story
Cash bail comes to an end
Roy Williams Jr. has seen it happen many times. Someone is arrested and can’t afford bail to get out of jail until a criminal case is resolved, whether the cost is a few hundred dollars or a few thousand. Immediate family members who themselves are strapped for cash then try to gather money from various…
Springfield Clinic to be major sponsor for Scheels Sports Park
Springfield Clinic’s name and logo will appear on the inflated dome of a 190,000-square-foot structure for indoor practices and competitions at Scheels Sports Park at Legacy Pointe. That name recognition for the clinic, one of the largest multispecialty medical groups in Illinois, is just one part of its involvement as the park’s official Health and…
Small counties struggle to implement SAFE-T Act
Hannah Meisel’s recent report for Capitol News Illinois included a line that jumped out at me: “Per state law — which hasn’t been updated since 1949 — only counties with 35,000 or more residents are required to set up offices of public defender.” According to information posted on numerous websites (Illinois Demographics, Wikipedia and World…
Dine United: Savoring Springfield’s flavors for a good cause
As the crisp breeze announces the arrival of fall, there’s a warm, comforting feeling that spreads through our community. In these upcoming weeks, a culinary event is set to make the season even more delightful. United Way of Central Illinois is proud to present the eighth annual Dine United, a program that brings together the…
Letters to the editor 9/21/23
We welcome letters. Please include your full name, address and telephone number. We edit all letters. Send them to editor@illinoistimes.com. —- ANOTHER PROJECT I enjoyed the story on the renovations at the Capitol (“Renovation revelations, Aug. 31). I would like to see just a small amount of money allocated from all of these changes directed…
Campfire cooking
I’m not sure why I love camping so much. It’s quite an effort, especially when kids are involved. Yet each year when the frenetic pace of summer relaxes into the steady amble of autumn, I simply cannot wait to make the lists and haul out the gear and prep the food and get outside for…
Much to do with music
As we roll along into the last full weekend of September (Oct. 1 is a week from Sunday), let’s get outside while we can to enjoy the last of the year’s under the sky gigs, while preparing ourselves for the upcoming colder weather and inside shows to come. On Thursday, the Moving Pillsbury Forward group…
Cool cars cruise into the capital city this weekend
Get ready, Springfield. Hundreds of street machines, muscle cars and hot rods will rumble into the heart of the capital city starting Friday. They will be followed by thousands of spectators for a weekend of family fun, live music and entertainment. The festival, in its 22nd year, starts Friday with the Route 66 City Nights…
Cassandro, Million Miles Away both touching biopics, Haunting in Venice a drawing room mystery
Bernal drives colorful Cassandro In lucha libre (Mexican professional wrestling), an exotico is a male fighter who performs in drag. This is an outsized entertainer that’s purposely campy, their purpose being to undercut the inherent machismo of the sport. Their attire is flamboyant, often consisting of feather boas, tight, suggestive clothing and sequins, all bolstered…
Editors note 9/21/23
Dr. Wesley G. Robinson-McNeese of Springfield, who died Sept. 18 after a long illness, was a stalwart leader and a kind friend. During his full life he carried many descriptors, including East St. Louis native, Vietnam veteran, physician, author, poet, pastor, interfaith convener and family man. His last two decades were spent working professionally in…
Crisis pregnancy centers in the spotlight
Memorial Health will no longer provide financial or in-kind support to crisis pregnancy centers, which counsel against abortions, Illinois Times has learned. The health system, which operates hospitals in Springfield, Lincoln, Taylorville, Decatur and Jacksonville, made this decision after the organization’s diversity, equity and inclusion team found that crisis pregnancy centers can “exacerbate health inequities…
Springfield native sets shot-putting record
Last month, Chase Ealey, the 29-year-old daughter of a Riverton truck driver, won the world shot putting championship in Budapest, Hungary, and earlier this month set the U.S. record in Oregon. The win in Budapest marked the second year in a row that the Springfield native snagged the world championship – the only times an…
Notti Favero returns to the Lanphier gridiron at age 100
Lanphier High School graduate Renato Favero, of Springfield, returned for an alumni football game on Aug. 27, which also happened to be his 100th birthday. He took a handoff on his one and only play and, with a little assistance, advanced a few yards and not only crossed the goal line for a two-point conversion…
Setting kids up for success
Nostalgia makes for lousy public policy. When I was in high school, my best friend’s dad was outraged that the state of Illinois mandated that students be taught consumer education. “My parents taught me how to calculate interest on a loan; why does the state need to mandate a class to teach something that basic?”…
My sister Pat’s bed, in her words:
My sister Pat’s bed, in her words: date of writing, or reason, unknown “At the lake my cot on the porch was just outside the door of the living room against the window. It fitted exactly and aesthetically into the space allotted. There was a feeling of security there, the window with its shade down…
