Cover Story
Spring Guide 2022
A new acquaintance was wondering why we hadn’t met before, after having worked within blocks of each other for the past 20 years or so. “I don’t get out much,” is what I told him, although I do, but it’s to the same routine things, not much new. And for the past two years, nobody…
Concerns over CO₂
Kathleen Campbell doesn’t want to see a pipeline carrying pressurized, liquid carbon dioxide – which can cause suffocation – installed underground less than a football field away from her home in rural Sangamon County. “How do you go to bed at night knowing you might not wake up in the morning?” Campbell, a Glenarm resident,…
In-network doctors in decline
State officials have asked Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois to prove that its central Illinois health care network remains adequate for meeting patients’ needs, despite the loss of more than 600 Springfield Clinic doctors and other providers from its network. The Chicago-based insurer sent documents to the Illinois Department of Insurance after the…
The Black valedictorian who never received the title
In 1984, Tracey Meares had the highest grade-point average in her class and was prepared to be her class’ valedictorian. It was of particular significance to her because she would be the first Black person to claim the title in Springfield High School’s history. But the title was denied to Meares, leaving a Springfield documentary…
Cherry blossom time
Rows and rows of blooming cherry trees are a happy sign of spring, but if you can’t make it to Japan or even Washington, D.C., to take in the stunning sight, don’t despair. Three spots within a few hours of Springfield can provide petal magic. The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the Missouri Botanical Garden in…
Hotels seek help from state
High gasoline prices and inflation worry Marianne Zarndt as the Springfield hotel she runs sees more customers during the latest lull in the COVID-19 pandemic but the traditionally busy summer season approaches. The uncertainty over whether the latest economic factors will depress local tourism is all the more reason lawmakers should support a proposed $250…
Getting away from it all
The 164-acre eco-center Jubilee Farm in New Berlin sits just a handful of miles away from Springfield and has been a peaceful destination for many since its original opening in 2000. Jubilee Farm is run by the Dominican Sisters of Springfield and features outdoor walking trails, an outdoor labyrinth, indoor meeting spaces for retreats or…
Both sides dealing with Madigan issue
For decades, House Speaker Michael Madigan and everyone around him insisted that the man was always very scrupulous and extremely careful about not only the language that he used, but the language he allowed to be used in his presence. For instance, if a property tax client of his law firm began to speak about…
Starting kids in sports
For many of us, the start of warm weather means the return of beloved outdoor activities like walking, running, biking or hiking. For families with young children, finally getting outside to play can feel like a breath of (literal) fresh air after a winter spent cooped up indoors. Many families choose to enroll their little…
Letters to the editor 03-17-22
WORTH THE COST UIS’s Engaged Citizenship Common Experience curriculum is a very small requirement and I found it to be a valuable experience (“Diversity curriculum still debated,” March 10). I think the perspectives and information you are exposed to make people think beyond themselves as well as challenging ideas about the world. I don’t always…
Spring Guide Calendar
MARCH Friday Night Jazz March 18 and every Friday, 5:30-7:30pm. Sponsored by the Springfield Area Arts Council. No cover charge. Family friendly, free parking and accessible. Boone’s, 301 Edwards St. 217-679-3752. “Color Symphony” reception March 18, 5:30-7:30pm. A reception of the Illinois Prairie Pastel Society’s judged member show. Open to the public. Free. Springfield Art…
Not your grandmother’s quilts
Nearly 500 creative and colorful quilts will fill the Orr Building at the Illinois State Fairgrounds March 18 and 19. This biennial event features quilts made by members of the Springfield Area Quilt Guild. It is one of the largest quilt shows in the Midwest and is not just for quilters. These aren’t your grandmother’s…
When “the sky is a hazy shade of winter”
I love browsing through seed catalogs. They arrive just in time to nudge me out of my winter doldrums. By now I’ve grown bored with my off-season romaine salads and I’m longing for farmers market salads made with local spinach or leaf lettuce, spring onions, green garlic and tiny radishes. But springtime starts, and then…
Irish music and happy birthday blues
Come on in folks, and see what’s happening this week. We have a parade and a birthday party, with lots of live music covering Celtic, blues, rock, Latin and other goodies. Shall we? After our annual St. Patrick’s Day parade was postponed over the last two years due to pandemic issues, and again last week…
African American History Museum receives $660,000
Big improvements are in store for the Springfield and Central Illinois African American History Museum, thanks to a $662,545 Public Museums Capital Grant from the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Governor JB Pritzker recently announced that 36 Illinois museums will receive a total of $19.7 million through the Rebuild Illinois capital program. Kidzeum is the…
Power and politics
My first in-person encounter with House Speaker Michael Madigan occurred in 1998, when I was a Copley News Service reporting intern covering a news conference of his at the Capitol. I don’t recall the topic, but I do remember how he spoke so calmly and softly, you had to lean toward the podium to make…
Guilty by association
I always feel bad for the spouses. When politicians get charged with a crime, the political powers that be go after their mates too. Early this month, Gov. JB Pritzker booted Shirley Madigan from her position as chair of the Illinois Arts Council. It’s a position that she served well and ably in for 37…
Editor’s note 03-17-22
A new acquaintance was wondering why we hadn’t met before, after having worked within blocks of each other for the past 20 years or so. “I don’t get out much,” is what I told him, although I do, but it’s to the same routine things, not much new. And for the past two years, nobody…
Capitol News Illinois to expand investigations
When Capitol News Illinois launched in January 2019, Gov. JB Pritzker had just been sworn in, Michael Madigan was elected to his 18th term as House speaker and the Senate’s president was Chicago’s John Cullerton. Now, as our fourth year is well underway, Pritzker is battling a wide field of Republican challengers in hopes of…
They’re baaaacck
One year after an acrimonious divorce from the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, a private foundation that raised funds and supplied the state-owned institution with exhibits has established a partnership with the National Park Service. “The Lincoln Presidential Foundation, formerly known as the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation, is taking on a new role…
Gathering to garden
When we think of community gardens, what usually comes to mind is a juicy strawberry or a tomato plucked fresh from the vine. While home-grown local produce is delightful, also keep in mind that community gardens function as a nexus of community. They are places to meet and get to know others with similar interests,…
