Cover Story
From substitute teacher to superintendent
Dr. Terrance Jordan did not like attending school as a youth. “I had bad experiences in school growing up in rural Mississippi,” Jordan said. “I was mistreated by teachers and by some of my peers, so going to school was not something that I had any desire to do.” Jordan, a self-professed slow learner at…
February flying by
As we approach the last full weekend in February, I know it’s the shortest month, but sometimes this one feels like the longest as we plod and plow through with our sights set soundly on spring. Then again, we all know what makes it fly by and be less un-Februar-able (just made that up) can…
Monster X Tour
Springfield, are you ready to feel the monster truck thunder? With such names as USA-1, Veteran, Double Trouble, Skykotic and Lone Wolf, these monsters are set to rock the BOS Center for two shows on Saturday. “These 10,000-pound, car-crushing giants race, do wheelies and more,” according to the BOS Center. And get this, attendees can…
Jack Campbell speaks out
The former Sangamon County sheriff – who refused calls for his resignation after Sonya Massey’s 2024 murder, then abruptly retired, citing stress on his family and the sheriff’s office – recently defended the office against recent allegations of “institutional shortcomings.” Jack Campbell, 61, responded to questions from Illinois Times after Sangamon County deputy Travis Koester…
Med District could expand
Lawmakers could consider expanding the overall region, and special district powers, of the Mid-Illinois Medical District due to a new bill filed by state Sen. Doris Turner, D-Springfield, last month. Senate Bill 2829 proposes adjustments to the existing Mid-Illinois Medical District Act by essentially doubling the size of the district’s region, extending the southern boundary…
Letters to the editor
OPPORTUNITY IN SANGAMON COUNTY As someone who has spent my career representing working men and women across central Illinois, I’ve seen what real investment can mean for a community. I’ve also seen how quickly progress stalls when we hesitate to invest in our future, which is why I believe the CyrusOne data center project deserves…
True Story
My sister Pat, maybe 7, woke early and decided to have an adventure She took some apples, set out along the shore path, cut across a field, passed some cows, ate an apple, continued on until she had eaten all her apples, judged the long day was over, others would worry, and decided that running…
A real planner this time
The city of Springfield has hired its own city planner, a real one this time. Her name is Suraksha Bhandari. She studied at the University of Utah after life in Nepal but she might find Springfield’s city hall no less strange a place than Mormon Salt Lake. She brings to the job degrees in architecture…
Saving money on police costs safety
The Jan. 22 edition of Illinois Times included an article by Dean Olsen with an overview of the upcoming city budget (“City has more expenses, less revenue”). Former Springfield budget director Bill McCarty blames the police and fire contracts for causing a “structural deficit” and pats himself on the back for the work he and…
Chicken in wine
“Don’t look around. The leaves are brown. And the sky is a hazy shade of winter.” It’s a dreary, frigid Saturday morning in Springfield, and I’m playing Simon and Garfunkel’s 1966 album “Bookends” as background music for my weekly chore ritual. My Saturday chores involve the stereotypical “husband duties” of vacuuming the carpet and emptying…
