Cover Story
Economic development efforts expand
A Black alderperson called a white alderperson racist, then suggested they settle their differences “outside.” Depending on your point of view, this might have been upsetting or entertaining to those sitting in the audience or watching online during the Springfield City Council’s Feb. 3 meeting. But Ward 2 Ald. Shawn Gregory told Illinois Times that…
Moving forward, looking back
The Last Five Years is back and impressive as ever at The Hoogland Center for the Arts. After a seven-year hiatus, the two-person musical has returned with the same cast of Mary Kate Smith and Damien Kaplan, along with director Craig Williams. All parties involved wanted to rekindle their past show magic with a fresh…
Pritzker’s contribution to Croke
Illinois comptroller candidate state Rep. Margaret Croke (D-Chicago) reported receiving the maximum campaign contribution of $72,800 from Gov. JB Pritzker on Feb. 19. Since then, Pritzker has appeared in some Croke campaign ads. The day before the Pritzker contribution was reported, I spoke with incumbent Comptroller Susana Mendoza about the governor’s support of Croke –…
EPIC features unseen Elvis Presley footage, younger set will love GOAT
EPIC showcases the King in his court While in the process of making Elvis, director Baz Luhrmann, was informed there was footage shot for the concert films That’s the Way it Is, and Elvis in Concert, that had never been used. The problem was, no one knew where it had been stored. His production assistants…
We can build a mental health system we can all count on
For most of us in Sangamon County, gaps in mental health services are felt in deeply personal ways. A recent survey of every census tract in our community found that four in 10 of our neighbors have had an unmet mental health need in the last three years. While a decade of assessments has warned…
Letters to the editor
DO IT FOR THE PEOPLE If I was running for office, I would run for the people, not the party (“Marc Bell drops out of sheriff’s race,” Feb. 12). Barack Obama did not have the support of Sangamon County, including most Black voters, until he won the primary against Hillary Clinton. The local Democratic party…
Partial Letter, 1979
Dear kids, the sabbatical is going okay except this late blizzard has us all snowed in. I feed the birds every day but the feeder is empty by noon. You can’t see the ground with the pile up of hungry juncos. There are five pheasants nearby – I need to find their spot to leave…
A lucky shot
Eleven minutes’ worth. That’s all the 16-millimeter color film Alan Dater had in the canister of his handheld camera on the night of Feb. 22, 1980, inside the Field House International Ice Rink (now named Herb Brooks Arena) in Lake Placid, New York. The U.S. men’s Olympic hockey team was to play the Soviet Union…
Police chief fights to keep license
After Leland Grove Police Chief Dan Ryan was arrested for domestic battery and driving under the influence earlier this month, his lawyer argued Ryan’s driver’s license should not have been suspended. John Sharp, Ryan’s attorney, filed a motion to rescind the statutory summary suspension, a state law that automatically suspends anyone who tests over the…
Illinois goes all-in on more nuclear power
The curtain has finally and unequivocally been ripped back: Gov. JB Pritzker is all-in on new nuclear. Pritzker released Executive Order 2026-01 Executive Order To Accelerate New Safe Nuclear Power Generation In Illinois – the final missing element of a plan for a more nuclear-reliant Illinois, dating back to the two-part repeal of Illinois’ nuclear…
Crisp, flaky phyllo creations
Phyllo dough is one of those incredible back-pocket ingredients that’s smart to keep stashed in the freezer, right along with dumplings and peas and good broth. Known by varied names throughout the Eastern Mediterranean (phyllo in Greek, yufka in Turkey, fila in Arabic) these parchment-thin sheets of dough bake up into shatteringly crisp layers of…
February leaving
As we race through our last days of February, there’s a range of reactions and actions swirling around as time marches on. So let’s go take a twirl to see what’s out there for us all right now. Last Friday, Feb. 20, the Curve Inn caught fire and by now most of you are likely…
High school poets to compete for state championship
This Monday, Jillian Garcia and Ace O’Malley will join 12 other students from around Illinois at the state Poetry Out Loud Contest. Garcia, from Decatur Eisenhower High School, and O’Malley, from Springfield Southeast High School, finished first and second, respectively, at the Feb. 12 regional. The state champion will get a trip to the nation’s…
