NOT THAT EASY
I’m a Springfield native who moved back a couple of years ago, but was a resident of Normal for many years. Leah Wilson’s column is an apples and pineapples comparison with Springfield (“From planning to implementation” Dec. 18). I lived there throughout that progression, for almost 30 years.
Uptown Normal may look good, but the people there are taxed to death. Uptown Normal has lost a lot of its college town charm. It is more for the non-students in the community, so much so that the students go to Bloomington for any sense of night life.
I do agree that Springfield needs to modernize downtown, but I think the city should be looking at how larger communities do it. Normal just approved another tax increase to help fund a $40 million pedestrian underpass that no one asked for. I want to see Springfield’s downtown thrive but the changes that were made in Normal are not as simple as the article seems to indicate.
Cheryl Jones
Springfield
NEED STUDENTS
The critical phrase in this article, and a critical difference between Normal and Springfield is this: “…the student population at Illinois State University, which is embedded in downtown.”
David Finnigan
Via illinoistimes.com
STOP IT
I hope we can stop the monstrosity that’s proposed for our community. The whole thing is sneaky. The site CyrusOne chose is literally a stone’s throw from the county line. What does that mean? It means all talks, meetings and votes about it take place almost 30 miles away from the building site.
The developer also said the construction would bring jobs, but the truth is, they are using pre-fabricated structures. Finally, they claimed the local utilities wouldn’t increase. By local, they mean in Springfield, the county seat – they failed to even mention the utilities in the rural area of this center, which is misleading.
I haven’t seen many people who actually live in this area who are for the project.
Heather Wolf
Via Facebook.com/illinoistimes
CHRISTMAS MEMORY
When I was a boy growing up in Peoria, I remember one Christmas in particular. I was in charge of decorating the house, which included a full-scale nativity on the porch roof. I also used stencils to paint decorations on the door and windows and hung lights on the porch with one of those multicolored lights changing colors and Christmas music.
This year was no different. Gram was deaf-mute and lived with us. My mother had learned to use sign language from birth and was a volunteer interpreter for the deaf, signing at funerals, court appearances, weddings and other legal activities.
This year there was a deaf couple who were being married at the courthouse. I remember them coming to the house to arrange for my mother to interpret their marriage. They stopped at our house just before going to the courthouse.
After the wedding they brought Mom back to the house to drop her off. It was then that I noticed my painted wreath stencil on the glass of the front door was gone.
After they left, my dad explained that earlier she had bumped the wreath with her behind coming into the house. At the wedding, those in attendance stood for the bride and were treated to Merry Christmas and a wreath. Nobody ever said a word.
Jerald Jacobs
Springfield
This article appears in December 25-31, 2025.
