Cover Story
Talking trash
Dave Allen encounters familiar sights as he drives down alleys in Springfield’s Harvard Park neighborhood. Some alleys are relatively clean while others are filled with overflowing bins of garbage that haven’t been emptied for weeks, half-open bags of trash on the ground, trails of garbage blowing into yards and streets, discarded furniture and old mattresses.…
United Way volunteers are the unsung heroes of central Illinois
As April unfolds its vibrant colors and flowers, it’s not just the blooming flowers that are deserving of our attention and appreciation. In central Illinois, amidst the bustling streets and tranquil neighborhoods, lies a network of individuals who continually show the true spirit of community service. They are the volunteers of our community and of…
A new direction for DCFS
The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services has been a very big state problem for a very long time. The department now has new leadership under Director Heidi Mueller, whose appointment was met with widespread praise. The former director of the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice was confirmed by the Senate without a single…
Bill ending state’s tipped wage advances but prospects uncertain amid pushback
An Illinois House committee advanced a measure that would end the state’s subminimum wage for tipped workers amid bipartisan opposition this week, but the bill’s sponsor said she’d seek further compromise before presenting it for a vote. Current Illinois law allows employers to pay their tipped workers 60% of the state’s minimum wage. That amounts…
Light the Way Celebration
Light the Way Celebration Sat., April 6, 6-9 p.m., program begins at 7 p.m. BOS Center, North Terrace, downtown Springfield 217-726-9808 gotrcentralillinois.org FUNDRAISERS AND GALAS | Girls on the Run event to feature founder In 1996, Molly Barker founded Girls on the Run in Charlotte, North Carolina, with 13 girls. The group has expanded to…
Fresh culinary talent on the menu at LLCC
For a few short weeks each semester, students in the final stage of the Culinary Arts and Hospitality training program at Lincoln Land Community College work together to develop a unique menu from scratch for the student-run restaurant. The restaurant is located in the Workforce Career Center on the southwest corner of LLCC’s main campus,…
Sangamon County Board to vote on ending 3 a.m. liquor licenses
No taverns in unincorporated parts of Sangamon County would be able to stay open and serve alcohol until 3 a.m. under a proposal scheduled for a Sangamon County Board vote on April 8. A proposed resolution to eliminate 3 a.m. liquor licenses from the Sangamon County code’s alcoholic beverages section was approved March 20 by…
Wicked Little Letters is entertaining and Musica delightful, Monkey Man an impressive action debut
Letters an entertaining tale of slander and pain In 1920, a scandal broke out in Littlehampton, England, that rocked the community to its core and resulted in two sensational trials that left its citizens in shock and disbelief. A series of anonymously written letters had been sent to Edith Swan and her family, missives that…
Expressions in the Dark returns with monthly poetry events
Expressions in the Dark is returning to Springfield in its original monthly format this April, coinciding perfectly with National Poetry Month. For two decades, Kimberly Moore and her team have worked to cultivate a platform for the art of spoken word poetry. They are bringing back the popular monthly open mic night, Expressions in the…
LaHood, comfortable in Congress
The dark-paneled office walls in the United States Courthouse in downtown Peoria are steeped in history. Photographs depict the office’s previous esteemed denizens meeting world leaders, appearing at historic events, meeting constituents and even riding an elephant in a parade. That tradition isn’t lost on the current office occupant, 16th District Congressman Darin LaHood, 55,…
Editor’s note 04-04-24
Lately I’ve been remembering one afternoon horseback riding at the farm with Dad, something we often did on weekends when I was a kid in southern Illinois. The sky got dark. We stopped the horses as a breeze came up, and we experienced what must have been a solar eclipse. We hadn’t known it was…
Letters to the editor 04-04-24
GREAT STORY Great story by Dean Olsen about a special guy, Lee Milner (“Photographing history: Lee Milner reflects on his life and career,” March 28). Kay Shipman-Swiech Via Facebook.com/illinoistimes GREAT PERSON A great photographer and an even greater person. Grant Hammer Via Facebook.com/illinoistimes CLASS ACT I enjoyed crossing paths with Lee whenever we covered the…
Snow Spell
Snow Spell Years ago, my kids and I emerged from our evening swim to discover an April snowstorm coming down in huge fat wet flakes. I stood under a lamppost to see the snow better; and found I wasn’t aware of the ground or anything around me. I underwent an eerie sensation; the flakes were…
Ways to protect both renters and landlords
After interviewing renters and city and county officials in Springfield and other major cities with established centralized database systems for routine landlord housing inspections, including photos and code tracking methods, several issues have come to light in Springfield. We are at risk by not requiring annual rental inspections and our current system of tracking code…
April showers us with music
Along with an excess of inclement weather this past week, our music listings are flooded in the upcoming weekend with an assortment of styles, acts and genres raining down upon our glorious community scene. Let’s wade through the puddles, wet our whistles and see what we have on tap. After hoping here last week for…
