Cover Story
This I believe Illinois
This I Believe is an annual essay contest for high school seniors sponsored by NPR Illinois. Modeled after the program started by radio journalist Edward R. Murrow in 1951, students are invited to write an essay sharing their own personal beliefs. This year, 151 students within the NPR Illinois listening area submitted essays. Ten reviewers…
Illinois has some success in attracting manufacturing
I told you back in January that if Gov. JB Pritzker managed to help convince Stellantis to reopen the Belvidere auto assembly plant and even expand, “he’ll have overcome some gargantuan hurdles.” Credit where credit is due. Pritzker helped the United Auto Workers Union and the White House put together a deal with Stellantis to…
Cannabis business grant recipients push back on audit claims
Some recipients of business grants funded with a portion of Springfield’s share of sales taxes on adult-use cannabis are upset their businesses were mentioned in an independent audit critical of the new program. Meanwhile, city officials are considering changes to the program in coming months to create a more consistent system for disbursing and monitoring…
Sauerbraten memories
I grew up in Arlington Heights, a suburb about 30 miles from Chicago. Depending on traffic, driving downtown could take up to an hour, so our trips into the city were infrequent and usually reserved for special occasions. Once a year for my birthday, my father would take me to one of Chicago’s museums or…
Hello November music
It’s hard to believe – or maybe it isn’t – that we are into the first weekend of November 2023. We sneaked through October with some warmer-than-usual weather, allowing for pleasant enough outdoor music activities for longer-than-normal, but the time for cessation of most live music outdoors is here. Nevertheless, our intrepid readers know that…
Fingernails dissects love, Pain Hustlers push profits, Story Ave genuine, sincere
Uncertainty, hope do battle in Fingernails Christos Nikou’s low-key Fingernails delves into matters of the heart through the lens of science, or at least the science of the nebulous future where it takes place. In a world in which uncertainty is prevalent, a test has been created that determines whether you are with your one…
City’s employee residency requirement could be suspended
A residency requirement for Springfield city government employees that first took effect in 1976, was abandoned in 2000 and then reinstated in 2017, could be suspended under a moratorium proposed by Mayor Misty Buscher and two alderpersons. Supporters of the measure say suspending enforcement of the requirement is needed – at least for a year…
Letters to the editor 11-02-23
REDIRECT FUNDS The allocation of cannabis revenue in Springfield raises important questions about responsible financial management and the prioritization of social initiatives (“Marijuana money mistakes,” Oct 12). While it is commendable to support minority businesses, it is equally essential to ensure that these funds are utilized effectively, responsibly and transparently. Supporting unorganized and inexperienced minority…
Beware the nuclear industry bearing gifts
Most people are familiar with the story of the Trojan Horse – the “gift” that disguised destruction, at least for Troy. When legislators reconvene in the fall veto session, they will be confronted with a legislative Trojan Horse called SB76 – a pro-nuclear power bill which Gov. Pritzker wisely vetoed this past spring. Nuclear advocates want this…
Bring back the bison
The shiny silver buffalo on the grounds of the Springfield Art Association (SAA), 700 North Fourth Street, is a beloved community icon that is now in need of restoration. John Kearney, a Chicago-based artist, created the 800-pound sculpture out of chrome car bumpers. The “Bicentennial Bison” was installed Oct. 18, 1975, in the SAA courtyard.…
United Way of Central Illinois supports racial healing initiative
In an inspiring collaboration that promises to transform communities across the state, United Way of Central Illinois has partnered with the Field Foundation of Illinois to support statewide funding as part of Healing Illinois, a racial healing initiative funded by the Illinois Department of Human Services. Healing Illinois is an initiative designed to promote unity,…
Presidential hopefuls
Ten years ago, I mentioned the name Chuck Percy in a college classroom only to receive, rather than nods of recognition, perplexed gazes. Another sign of a new generation gap and the ruthlessness of time. More and more, the political giants who dominated the baby boomers’ years – Paul Douglas, Everett Dirksen, James Thompson, and…
Enhancing penalties hasn’t reduced Chicago gun violence
Back in May 2017, Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson traveled to Springfield and promised a House committee that passing a criminal penalty-enhancement bill he favored would drastically reduce gun crimes in his city. The bill, SB1722, was sponsored by then-Sen. Kwame Raoul, who would run successfully for attorney general the following year. It sought to…
