Cover Story
The state of the state
An improved revenue forecast is helping ease pressure on state finances as Gov. JB Pritzker calls for tightened spending to balance the budget without tax increases on everyday Illinoisans. During his annual state of the state and budget address on Feb. 19, Pritzker called for a roughly 3% spending increase to $55.2 billion in fiscal…
Trump administration ends reimbursements for Illinois food programs
The Trump administration has stopped reimbursing Illinois for a program designed to help farmers and supply fresh food to Illinois food banks. The Illinois Department of Agriculture announced Tuesday that changes to federal funding mean Illinois is missing reimbursements for costs for the Local Food Purchase Assistance Program, or LFPA, and can no longer run…
Norman Lee Myers
Norman Lee Myers, of Girard, Illinois, passed away peacefully at his home on Feb. 28, 2025. He will be missed by his family and friends. Norman was born to Samuel and Frances Mohn Myers on Dec. 16, 1936. He was a proud native of Springfield, Illinois, and though he lived many of his adult years…
State spending on core services drops when adjusted for inflation
The latest report from the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability shows that spending on four core state services in the governor’s proposed Fiscal Year 2026 budget will be 9.1% less in real dollars than it was way back in Fiscal Year 2000. Those four core services are education, health care, human services and public…
Breath a gripping real-life drama, Riff Raff an elevated crime caper, Monkey a dark tale
Taut Breath a testament to ingenuity and faith There are a great many moving parts necessary to keep an undersea pipeline operational. A job many don’t think of is that of the saturation diver. When repairs are needed on the pipeline, it falls to them to fix it, sometimes requiring dives of up to 1,000…
New law would punish sexual abuse in schools
Ashley Peden wants Illinois law changed to protect students because she says her daughter was sexually assaulted by someone attending the same school and she shouldn’t have to continue to see her assailant. The assaults, which allegedly happened in late January and early February 2024 on a school bus and at a bus stop serving…
Trump to implement new tariffs on Illinois’ largest trading partners
As the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget Director Alexis Sturm warned a House committee that uncertainty about President Donald Trump’s economic and administrative policies could affect Illinois revenue, the president announced new tariffs will take effect next week on imports from some of Illinois’ top trading partners. After initially pausing implementing 25% tariffs on…
Manufacturing operations moving to Clinton
A manufacturer with more than 100 workers is closing two of its Springfield facilities and moving operations to Clinton after a dispute with the city over building-code violations. Mike Hoyle has owned Kwik-Wall for 19 years, a company that makes movable partitions for conference and convention facilities. Hoyle used an LLC to purchase the former…
Springfield Urban Forestry Commission members resign
All appointed members of the city of Springfield’s Urban Forestry Commission resigned at the end of January, citing a lack of cooperation from the current administration. The UFC was reinstated in 2019 and led efforts to research grant opportunities, conduct a tree inventory, get a tree ordinance adopted, distribute hundreds of trees and secure substantial…
GOP says they can work with Dems
Following Gov. JB Pritzker’s State of the State and budget address last week, Illinois Republicans, though disheartened by some of his remarks, plan to cooperate with Democrats to balance the budget with tax cuts, reduce government spending, and support President Donald Trump’s migrant policies. Rep. Norine Hammond, R-Macomb, said many Republicans felt Pritzker’s verbal attacks…
Trees enhance communities
Trees not only provide beauty and shade, they help clean particulate matter from the air and make communities healthier. They provide cost-savings in stormwater management and create a healthier ecosystem. They sequester carbon dioxide, increase property values, stabilize soils, reduce erosion and moderate heat islands. Springfield is a designated Tree City USA, a program sponsored…
USAID is in the interest of America
Born and raised in Springfield, I am a proud graduate of Sacred Heart Academy and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Unfulfilled by my first job at Ernst & Whinney in Chicago, I searched for work that would contribute to a greater good and improve people’s lives. I joined the Peace Corps, and spent two…
CWLP compliance issues continue to raise concerns
The council approves an ordinance to prep for Route 66’s centennial, while public comments highlight CWLP’s environmental compliance failures and transparency concerns. Updates on Bally Vaughn Apartments’ asbestos issues and safety hazards are also discussed.
Black, Latino lawmakers criticize Pritzkers budget
Majority Party Democrats had mixed reactions to Gov. JB Pritzker’s budget address, with leadership in the General Assembly offering praise amid criticisms from members of the legislature’s Black and Latino caucuses. The governor’s budget speech – which outlined a $2 billion spending increase without new taxes on everyday Illinoisans – also drew immediate criticism from…
Council unanimously approves FY 2026 budget
– The council opened the floor for public comments on the Fiscal Year 2026 budget, with community members voicing their concerns and suggestions. – Ward 2 Ald. Shawn Gregory sought clarity on pension funding levels, sparking a detailed financial discussion. – Frustrations arose over delays in Lincoln Library’s bookmobile purchase, with council members seeking answers.…
Chicken and smoked sausage gumbo
There are certain embarrassing memories from childhood that are hard to shake. Like the time my family was on vacation in Jamaica when I was 5 and the kids club at our resort hosted a fashion show. I was thrilled to wear my favorite twirly dress for the show – the kind where the skirt…
Move into March music
Welcome, my friends, to another edition of Now Playing, where we dive into live music happening around the bustling metropolis of Springfield (Illinois, of course, not one of the other 67 populated places in the U.S. named Springfield, including some 34 municipalities). We have bars, clubs, restaurants, theaters, schools, universities, breweries, wine stores, gambling places,…
The Taste of Black Springfield
The Taste of Black Springfield Thursday, Feb. 27 5-8:30 p.m. Salvation Army 1600 Clear Lake Ave. Celebrate Black History Month and experience the best of local Black-owned food, music and fun at the same time. This event’s menu ranges from barbecue to soul food to sweet treats. Entry is free but event attendees are urged…
Editor’s Note
It may be too soon, but if things get any crazier in Washington it will be time for level-headed conservatives to start thinking about forming a new political movement, like their ancestors did 170 years ago. Back then the Republican Party was formed by anti-slavery activists; now, what to be against is less clear –…
Chutzpah
It would’ve been nice to be asked. After all I was a bridesmaid at their wedding 60 years ago been family historian did a lot of tending to our folks in their waning years though I live much farther away did most of the cleaning of the family home went to their kids and grandkids …
Sean Grayson’s attorneys seek change of venue
The trial of Sean Grayson, who is charged with first-degree murder in the July 6 death of Sonya Massey, needs to be moved outside Sangamon County because pretrial publicity would bias potential jurors, Grayson’s attorneys argued in court documents filed Feb. 26. “The print and electronic news media coverage relating to the death of Sonya…
UIS field stations help students engage in active learning outside the classroom
The University of Illinois Springfield operates two field stations: the Therkildsen Field Station at Emiquon (TFSE), located within The Nature Conservancy Emiquon Preserve in Fulton County, and the Field Station at Lake Springfield (FSLS). Collectively called the UIS field stations, these facilities provide students with the opportunity to apply concepts learned in the classroom and…
