Despite the governor mentioning a pause on data center tax breaks at his budget address in February and a massive swell of political will to regulate the energy-hungry centers since then, Illinois lawmakers did not meaningfully address data centers during their spring session. Gov. JB Pritzker, less than a week after legislators left Springfield, ordered […]
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Man fights city hall
He lives in an 18-square-foot home on a corner lot at 17th and Carpenter streets. He built the “pod” himself, he says, from watching how-to videos on YouTube, and it features solar panels, battery-powered generators, a foundation of heavyweight tires, air conditioning, insulation, a six-foot bed, a microwave and an internet connection from a cheap […]
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Divided over data centers
“The U.S. is now spending more on data center construction than public transportation infrastructure,” Bloomberg reported earlier this month. The data center boom has upended the American political landscape, connecting people from all kinds of ballot leanings while shining a light on local politics like never before. As more companies and individuals bet on artificial […]
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Crowd reacts to Christian County data center plan
Facing strong opposition to a proposed $6 billion data center near Taylorville, a founder of Eagle Rock Partners told the Christian County Board he wouldn’t want to live next door to the center his firm wants to build. But Ken Loeber added that the center, on farm ground two miles southwest of the Christian County […]
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EMT charged with murder sentenced
A former emergency medical technician accused in potentially the nation’s first murder case against a first responder received the lightest possible sentence – probation and no prison time – on June 23 after pleading guilty to a lesser charge. Members of Earl Moore Jr.’s family showed their displeasure with Circuit Judge Robin Schmidt’s decision to […]
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Lawmakers, stakeholders are ready for summer of data center negotiations
Lawmakers have a busy summer of negotiations ahead of them with pressure from both the governor’s office and their constituents to craft data center regulations that stakeholders and legislators can live with. The pressure comes after lawmakers failed to pass any regulations during the spring session, despite widespread concerns from Illinois communities about data centers’ […]
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Federal cuts are hitting Illinois food assistance recipients — and the farmers who feed them
President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” severely impacted two of Illinois’ most economically vulnerable groups: the hundreds of thousands of Illinoisans set to lose Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program food assistance this year and the small farmers who are losing them as customers. The bill, H.R. 1, made changes in who can receive SNAP benefits and […]
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New home nightmare
In a room just off the kitchen area in the Chatham home of Jaigovinda and Phalita Sharma, a wicker sofa and a rocking chair sit amid roughly four dozen potted plants. Out the window is a great view of Lick Creek, adding to the feeling of Zen the couple foresaw when they purchased the $550,000 […]
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Rolling out the welcome mat
Abraham Lincoln may always be Springfield’s top tourist attraction, but the capital city is expected to draw thousands of visitors this weekend for the kickoff of an internationally popular road rally. For the first time in its long history, the annual Hemmings Great Race will start in Springfield on June 20. A crowd will gather […]
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New owners for Jubilee Farm
NextGen Communities, the new owners of Jubilee Farm Ecology & Spirituality Center west of Springfield, has pledged to continue to protect and preserve the farm’s natural areas as well as honor certain existing collaborations. It’s a promise that continues what former owners the Dominican Sisters of Springfield began at the 164-acre center that has pasture, […]
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Muni president addresses controversy
It may not have been the full-throated apology critics wanted, but a top official from Springfield Municipal Opera says mistakes were made in the handling of sexual harassment complaints against a man ultimately banned from participation in the organization. Kevin Burke III, president of the Muni Board of Managers, told Illinois Times that the 76-year-old […]
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Show me the job losses
Across the nation, economists have expressed concerns about the reliability of Bureau of Labor Statistics data, not because of political bias or thumbs on the scale, but rather a lack of manpower amongst the scaled-back federal agency tasked with fielding data about the country’s economic health. That concern stretches to Springfield, according to Ryan McCrady, […]
