Cover Story
Springfield’s man on Capitol Hill
When he first arrived in Congress after defeating incumbent Representative Paul Findley in the 1982 election, Richard J. Durbin wasn’t sure how long he’d be there. “Congressional staff wanted to talk to me about my retirement system choice. I said, ‘If I think I’m going to lose the next election, what should my choice be?'”…
It’s about time
The Old State Capitol will close tomorrow and remain shuttered until late April to allow restoration and repair work. The $1.45 million project comes after years of decay. Paint on the external columns has chipped and is peeling off. Leaks have been an issue. Work will include a new roof, restoration of exterior columns and…
Sangamon County quietly changed leftover COVID vaccine policy
The COVID-19 vaccination clinic at the Sangamon County Department of Public Health has a new process for giving out doses left at the end of each day, department director Gail O’Neill confirmed Monday. For about the last week and a half, the first nine cars lining up at 2 p.m. at the health department’s building…
Cops blast mayor for backing brawling alderman
The Springfield police union is denouncing Mayor Jim Langfelder for defending Ward 2 Ald. Shawn Gregory, who got into a public fistfight Thursday, one day before the alderman, the mayor and other community leaders held a press conference to urge an end to violence in the capital city, which recently has been rocked by shootings.…
ALPLM board names new director
A new director for the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum will start work June 8. The ALPLM board this morning unanimously picked Christina Shutt, who is currently director of the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center in Little Rock, Arkansas, to become the fifth director of the ALPLM, which opened in 2005. Alan Lowe, the previous…
Making a fairer map
Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch gave his standard reply to a question about redistricting reform last week when queried at the Chicago Economic Club, saying different people have different opinions about what a “fair map” actually is. But then the new House Speaker leaned a bit harder into the concept of protecting minority rights when…
strong advice poem #1
these lines come from a young mom daughter of a former student – we’ve kept up over the years here she hits a bullseye with me I bet many of us: “When my elderly aunt died the task of cleaning up her affairs fell to me her closest relative. She was a painter writer hoarder…
Letters to the editor 3/4/21
We welcome letters. Please include your full name, address and telephone number. We edit all letters. Send them to letters@illinoistimes.com. —- SANGAMON AUDITORIUM TURNS 40 On Feb. 21, 1981, Sangamon Auditorium was sold out for its inaugural public offering starring Hal Holbrook in “Mark Twain, Tonight!” After years of political maneuvering to seek funding, as…
Code violations pile up
Eyesores can last years in Springfield. Consider 2809 Poplar Avenue. In lieu of shingles, a sheet of plastic is nailed to part of the roof. A green notice posted by city inspectors who declared the building unsafe has faded from the sun. Roxana Talley, who has lived next door for two decades, said that the…
MORE DOSES
On Tuesday, March 2, President Biden promised enough COVID-19 vaccines for the entire U.S. adult population by the end of May. Also on Tuesday, Sangamon County announced the mass vaccination site on the Illinois State Fairgrounds now plans to distribute up to 1,100 doses daily, nearly double its previous daily capacity. Hours have been expanded…
POLITICS?
Roy Williams, Jr., would-be replacement for former Ward 3 Ald. Doris Turner, was voted down 6-3 on Tuesday, March 2, by the Springfield City Council. Afterward, he said he’s not withdrawing his candidacy, and so the council is expected to take another shot on March 16, when a simple majority vote will be needed to…
School board candidates square off
Response to the pandemic and how to address equity issues were hot topics during a virtual forum for Springfield school board candidates. The Feb. 25 event was hosted by the Faith Coalition for the Common Good and League of Women Voters. Two of seven seats will be up for grabs during the April 6 election.…
The toll on youth
Illinois ranks second in the nation for the cumulative number of children and youth diagnosed with COVID-19. Illinois youth, 19 years old and under, make up 15% of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Illinois as of Feb. 11. That’s according to figures from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association. Only 2.3% of…
Library reaches out
“I will not talk. I want my lawyer. Am I free to go?” These are “magic words,” according to Belleville attorney Alex Enyart. On Feb. 23, Lincoln Library, Illinois Access to Justice and Illinois Legal Aid Online teamed up to talk virtually about individual rights when coming into contact with law enforcement. About a year…
The library that Dolly built
For several years there has been a waiting list in Sangamon County for children to receive free books through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library (DPIL), a program that helps get children ready for kindergarten, beginning at birth. This week United Way, which administers the program, announces that an anonymous donor has come forward with a donation…
Springfield’s new elementary school
Two elementary schools in Springfield are to be replaced by a new school, according to plans obtained by Illinois Times. The new school would mean the shuttering of Hazel Dell and Laketown K-5 schools. Hazel Dell, at 850 W. Lake Shore Dr., was built in 1948, according to the October 2020 document. Laketown, at 1825…
It’s time for corned beef and cabbage
Nothing says St. Patrick’s Day like corned beef and cabbage, unless of course you’re actually Irish. Although the dish has become synonymous with the Ides of March around much of the world, the Irish aren’t traditionally a beef-eating culture. In Gaelic Ireland, cattle were sacred creatures and an important symbol of prosperity, used as work…
Sound the alarm
When it comes to fire departments, I have street cred. I am junior fire chief emeritus for Elmhurst Elementary School. My yearlong reign, won by virtue of writing an essay on how to survive house fires, stretched from 1973 to 1974. For a solid week, a fire engine, siren blaring, picked me up at home…
March is on
Hello folks, and come on into the first weekend of March 2021 as we continue to work toward reopening our world in a hopefully hope-filled post-pandemic place and time. Little by little, we are seeing the signs of a safe society beginning to bloom, and boy howdy, is this guy ready for that to happen.…
Editor’s Note 3/4/21
I made a mistake last week by publishing in our print edition an early version of a story about the blight that is dragging Springfield down. The final version, posted online, gives the Illinois Housing Development Authority its say on the disaster that is Poplar Place. So for the complete story read “Blight fight” at…
Around town
This warm weather is teasing us – making us wonder if perhaps winter is over and spring has made an early arrival. So, while the weather holds, this might be a good time to get out and enjoy a self-mapped gallery hop to explore the fresh new work of local artists. At Dim Art House…
Feeding the many forms of hunger
For nearly 30 years, I have served the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis, a community of religious women whose ministry is health care. For the first part of my association with them, I served at HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital in Streator, and in this present chapter of my life I serve at their motherhouse here…
What to watch next
Beautiful Raya, A moving, cautionary tale Though it does follow the template Disney has cashed in on for years, Raya and the Last Dragon is one of the strongest entries from the Mouse House in many years. Beautiful and moving, it tells the tale of Raya (Kelly Marie Tran), a young warrior who sets out…
