Cover Story
State report card improves for District 186
Six schools moved up, four moved down, and overall things seem to be improving with proficiency, graduation and chronic absenteeism rates. That in a nutshell is the finding for Springfield’s District 186 schools in the 2025 Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) Report Card that tracks performance at the state’s public schools. Lanphier High School…
Data center debates
Organized labor showed out in force at a public meeting Dec. 3 to support a proposed $500 million data center in southwest Sangamon County, while a smaller yet vocal coalition of critics questioned the project’s long-term impact on the local economy and electric rates. “This project is about more than steel and concrete,” Aaron Gurnsey,…
Jay Kelly provides reminder, Fackham Hall casts wide net to get laughs
Jay Kelly: Portrait of an empty man Jay Kelly is very good at being Jay Kelly, that is Jay Kelly the international film star who’s been gracing audiences with his presence on the world’s movie screens for 35 years. It’s a role he can play in his sleep. But the other Jay Kelly, the eager,…
Superintendent search underway
Jennifer Gill’s 12-year tenure as Springfield School District 186 superintendent will come to a close when she retires at the end of the current school year in June 2026. Meanwhile, the District 186 School Board has been hard at work finding Gill’s replacement, and announced an updated interview and hiring schedule at the Nov. 3…
Food hub hits the spot
I am a staunch supporter of family farms and sustainable agriculture, and I prefer shopping at small, local businesses over large corporations. This deeply held belief is why the sight of an Amazon package on my porch inevitably triggers a sense of guilt. The Amazon box symbolizes my struggle to uphold my values in a…
December music arrives
As we dig out from the record snowfall of last weekend while dealing with “adding insult to injury” cold temperatures, those insistent makers of music will continue to plow through all kinds of weather to bring you joy-filled and jolly times here in this first weekend of December. Unfortunately, meteorological conditions mess with our scheduled…
Special Recreation Holiday Dance
HOLIDAY HAPPENINGS | Celebrate the season at Erin’s Pavilion The entire family can celebrate the season with holiday music, refreshments and holiday cheer at this evening of fun and festivities. This all-ages event, hosted by the Springfield Park District, even includes a visit by Santa Claus himself. For more information, call or email Andre Hawkins…
More details on proposed data center
The proposed $500 million data center that CyrusOne wants to build in southwestern Sangamon County would generate up to $6 million more each year in property taxes by the early 2030s, an official from the Dallas-based company told Illinois Times. “It would be a real asset to the county,” Bradd Hout, location and power strategy…
Editor’s Note
We who are “upsessed” about Washington must resist being distracted from Springfield and local affairs. It was here our Vachel Lindsay in 1914 preached “the new localism”: “The things most worthwhile are one’s own hearth and neighborhood. We should make our own home and neighborhood the most democratic, the most beautiful and the holiest in…
Sober living house for LGBTQ+ in the works
Casey Prather credits a sober living home run by Springfield resident Julie Benson to playing a part in the longest stretch of sobriety he’s experienced in his adult life. Prather calls Benson’s Home Sweet Home Sober Living home, which he began living at almost two-and-a-half years ago, “unlike any other” he’s experienced. Now, the pair…
Letters to the editor
GONE DOWNHILL This was such a sad article to read (“Seniors struggle at Sangamon Towers,” Nov. 13). Sangamon Towers, at one time, was a very nice place for seniors to live. Two of my uncles and three of my aunts had all lived there and I visited them often. Then, the building was very secure…
Silence
All silences are not silent: most are filled with meaning. One, whose nothingness is pregnant, comes after the end of the introduction to “Handel’s Messiah”: A long, waiting silence: I hold my breath. When the silence can last no longer, the voice of the tenor comes: “Comfort ye, comfort ye, my people.” And the music…
Scarecrows in the cornfields
Often, when driving on I-55 to and from Chicago, I while away the hours with word games. (How many words mean “dull”?) Until I reach McLean County, that is, when the towers of the Twin Groves Wind Farm come into view. Even though they’ve stood there for years – the farm was built way back…
