Cover Story
A family’s quest for justice
While controversial, the verdict Oct. 29 in the trial of Sean Grayson after Sonya Massey’s death marked one of the few times in recent history that an American police officer became a convicted murderer in connection with an on-duty fatal shooting. “Juries are very reluctant to second-guess the split-second, often life-or-death decisions of on-duty police…
Budzinski intervenes in local housing dispute
U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski is demanding to know why a building management company accused of failing to provide safe and clean living conditions in one of its Springfield-based apartment buildings has not taken action. Budzinski, a Democrat who represents Illinois’ 13th congressional district, sent a letter Nov. 24 to Pacific Management Inc., seeking answers about…
Omission
I have visited the Bronte homestead in Haworth England many times, with classes and with my daughters and have seen the portrait on the landing of the famous Bronte sisters who surround a painted-out blob in the middle of the circular frame. Did Branwell Bronte paint himself out? Or a sister? Or someone later? I…
Letter to the editor
EMPTY PROMISES I attended the Oct. 29 meeting at Lincoln Library and I was grateful for the presentations made by everyone (“Data center plans delayed,” Nov. 5). There are too many promises made that we see other cities now suffering through, because once the data center is built, it’s the companies with big money and…
Ursuline Campus Sneak Peek
HISTORY | Tour three iconic buildings rich in history Take a guided tour of the historic Ursuline Campus – a treasured Springfield landmark featuring three iconic buildings rich in history and architecture. The tour will include the three-story 1867 original schoolhouse, the 1895 Romanesque chapel and the 1908 St. Ursula Hall Music Conservatory. See how…
Rolling through November
Oh yeah, it’s true that Thanksgiving is coming up soon and the holiday season is upon us. With that comes lots and lots of extra live music-making in all kinds of ways. Remember that it’s out there, but you have to make the effort to go experience the events. As obvious as that sounds, it…
Fences is raw and essential theater
August Wilson’s Fences is one of those plays that most people read at some point in their education, but only by seeing it performed can one fully grasp its poetic simplicity. Fences was awarded the Pulitzer Prize and a Tony Award for its intricately woven story of the personal struggles of a 1950s Black family…
An Italian-American classic
Growing up in a middle-class Chicago suburb during the 1950s and 60s, my family’s life was comfortable, though not lavish. My father, an art school graduate, became a commission-based salesman when he realized he couldn’t support his young family as an artist. Consequently, vacations were beyond our means, and except for our weekly Saturday outing…
Springfield’s city plan at 100
Rampant and haphazard growth after the Civil War left Springfield dirty, dangerous, unhealthful and inconvenient. The race riots in 1908 left the city’s worthy citizens with what we might call a reputational problem, so progressive-minded locals undertook a municipal housecleaning. The 1911 commission reform promised to fix politics. The election that same year of Willis…
Misinformation about Pretrial Fairness Act in Illinois
Spurred on by Donald Trump’s fearmongering about “cashless bail” and a “lawless” Illinois, some law enforcement officials and Republican elected officials are recycling tired misconceptions about the Pretrial Fairness Act to distract the public from their real policy failures. This was most recently seen in the Illinois Valley, where hospitals are closing, shelters are overflowing…
Public hearing on data center proposal
It’s unclear whether the Sangamon County Board can, or will, delay a vote for six months or more on zoning, as some residents have requested, for what would be the county’s first data center. But the board has taken a step to broaden discussion on the controversial proposal by scheduling a Dec. 3 public hearing.…
