Cover Story
Food reform failure
M.J. Kellner’s royal blue and golden yellow semitrucks are a common sight throughout central Illinois. Every week, the wholesale food company delivers thousands of pounds of grocery items to state-owned facilities, including prisons, mental health centers, rehabilitation institutions and veterans’ homes. The company boasts that many of its customers are within a 100-mile radius of…
Fifth person dies as a result of Chatham afterschool program crash
An 8-year-old boy is the most recent casualty of a car crash at a Chatham daycare April 28. Bradley Lund, 8, has been in a Springfield hospital since the collision at YNOT Outdoors five weeks ago, according to Sangamon County Coroner Jim Allmon. Bradley sustained “multiple blunt force injuries” when a black Jeep driven by…
State officials eye Chicago mayor’s race
For quite a while now, most folks in politics have assumed that Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias and Comptroller Susana Mendoza will probably run for mayor of Chicago in 2027. The incumbent Brandon Johnson is spectacularly unpopular, and a real hunger is developing in the city (again) for new leadership. Anyway, some wags have…
Council debates homeless services funding, approves grant
Springfield’s council meeting was all about how the city supports its most vulnerable residents. The main debate: whether to award over $1.1 million in ARPA funds to Helping Hands for supportive services, or to open the process for a portion of the funds so other organizations could apply. After a heated back-and-forth, the amendment to…
The many connections between immigrants and the U.S. health care system
These days, mention of the word “immigration” often conjures up issues related to politics, the law, culture, economics and even whether getting a speeding ticket makes a person a criminal. As a retired primary care physician with no special expertise in immigrant health care who was invited by a friend to join the Springfield Immigrant…
Harnessing the Spirit
The Netflix movie The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, based on the memoir of William Kamkwamba, is an inspiring story about a young boy’s ingenuity and determination to overcome adversity. William Kamkwamba was born in 1987 into a Christian family in Malawi, a country where magic ruled and modern science was a mystery. It was…
New taxes on sports bets, nicotine products as Democrats pass $55.2B budget
Giving almost no time for public review, Illinois Democrats pushed through a $55.2 billion budget for next fiscal year late Saturday, bolstering coffers with new taxes on sports bets, nicotine products and businesses. The $55.2 billion spending plan is supported by $55.3 billion of revenue, including just over $1 billion in new taxes and revenue…
Lawmakers pitch public transit and funding reform
With two days left in the legislative session, lawmakers in Springfield announced a pair of plans for how to reform Chicagoland transit agencies after two years of debate, one of which would come with a spate of new taxes. The proposals give new power to the agency that oversees the Chicago Transit Authority, Metra commuter…
Two Springfield attorneys have law licenses suspended
A Springfield lawyer faces a two-year suspension of her law license after a state commission cited her recently for unethical conduct during her time employed by the Illinois Attorney General and the city of Springfield. The Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission, or ARDC, investigates complaints against lawyers and makes recommendations to the Illinois Supreme…
Massey Commission edges toward systemic change
State Sen. Doris Turner and Yale Law School lecturer Jorge Camacho joined the Massey Commission at the BOS Center in Springfield, May 19, to discuss legislative updates and new reform recommendations for Sangamon County. The commission, formed in response to last summer’s shooting death of Sonya Massey by Sangamon County Sheriff’s deputy Sean Grayson, has…
A screen-based childhood harms kids
Ten years ago, while teaching fourth grade at Glenwood Elementary School in Chatham, I embarked on a novel website: Mystery Location. Through Mystery Location, my class joined a class in California via Skype. Each class gave geographic clues to the other as to our locations. It was so exciting! The activity embodied the true wonder…
Letters to the editor 05-29-25
FALSE NARRATIVE As a former Springfield resident and engaged member of this community, I find the recent article “Economic gaps persist for Blacks” (May 15) to be less a data analysis and more a narrative instrument – crafted to reinforce the profitable illusion of racism rather than provide a clear-eyed view of economic complexity. Let’s…
Quotes From Ron
My dad, aged 21, is about to set off overseas with his father’s blessing. Writes his younger brother who is contemplating Northwestern “Katherin Redson is okay. She is really a Princess. You would approve she is S, S & G: Sweet Simple and Good” Thus, Ronald leaves Northwestern and is off to the Continent, flinging…
Spring on a plate
Having spent the past winter in semi-hibernation, I’ve returned to my job as a chef at Caprae Restaurant at Prairie Fruits Farm and Creamery in Champaign. I am once again living in my converted school bus next to the goat barn. I hadn’t planned on being here again. Last fall, I declared, as I have…
The secret life of Pvt. Albert Cashier
Pvt. Albert Cashier fought in the 95th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment during the Civil War. A favorite of those he fought with, he was hiding a secret that didn’t come out until he was in his 60s, when he applied for his Civil War pension – that Cashier was really born Jennie Hodgers. Cashier’s life…
Council questions Helping Hands, cheers Fifth Street Renaissance
Springfield’s council meeting focused on two major funding decisions for local supportive services, with council members pressing for details on how $1.1 million in ARPA funds would be used by Helping Hands of Springfield. Concerns about leadership, staffing and community trust took center stage, while the organization’s director pledged a new direction. In sharp contrast,…
Mopping up May music
What a ride we’ve had in the very merry month of May for music this year and as we finish out the weekend and roll into June, the run continues unabashedly unabated. Come with me and let’s go see what fun we can find for now. Dedicated readers know we like to start with the…
Chautauqua-style event returns to Petersburg
In the 1870s, an educational meeting at Lake Chautauqua, New York, grew into a popular adult education and social movement that swept the U.S. The movement’s events, named after the lake, featured entertainment and culture “with speakers, teachers, musicians, showmen, preachers and specialists of the day.” Illinois had its share of Chautauquas, including one near…
Track and field triumphs and summer programs previewed
Springfield’s student athletes had a big night as the board celebrated track and field standouts from every middle school — state records, top finishes, and plenty of proud moments for Franklin, Grant, Lincoln Magnet, Washington, and Jefferson. The meeting also spotlighted end-of-year milestones, including: – Graduations at Lee and SLA – A unique Project Search…
Bring Her Back is violent, emotional; Fountain of Youth fun but predictable adventure
Unflinching Back pushes viewer to the limit The Philippou Brothers’ Bring Her Back is likely to be a divisive film, primarily because it’s so well-made. Like their impressive 2022 debut, Talk to Me, it pulls no punches where its violent content is concerned, yet what makes it resonate is its emotional pull. A bracing examination of…
From blight to benefit
What Jacksonville needs most is a few more good homes, and that’s the aim of a new development in the center of the city that will turn dilapidated properties into new single family residences and brownstone-type condominiums. A partnership has been formed between local developer Rabbi Rob Thomas, his wife Lauren Thomas, and Springfield-based commercial…
