A case of COVID-19 has shuttered the Illinois State Board of Elections. Matt Dietrich, board spokesperson, said that “several” employees have shown symptoms. Dietrich said that he did not know a more precise number. Board offices on MacArthur Boulevard were closed on Tuesday and will remain closed until Aug. 7. About 60 people work in […]
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State historian parts ways with ALPLM
Sam Wheeler, Illinois state historian, has left the employ of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Museum. Wheeler’s departure, which occurred today, is the latest in a series of departures of top-level staff at the ALPLM. Alan Lowe, former director, was fired last fall by Gov. JB Pritzker after the director loaned a copy of the […]
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Madigan wants statues gone
Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan wants depictions of Stephen Douglas and Pierre Menard removed from the Capitol grounds. In a written statement issued Thursday, Madigan also he wants a statue of Martin Luther King, Jr., now placed on Second Street across the street from the Capitol, moved “to a location of more prominence and honor.” […]
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Two dead, one wounded in Bunn-O-Matic shooting
Two people were killed and one person was wounded at Bunn-O-Matic on Stevenson Drive this morning by a gunman who took his own life after leaving the scene. The wounded woman is in critical condition this evening. The shooter, identified as Michael L. Collins Jr., 48, fled and was later found dead of a self-inflicted […]
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Fraud, paintings and a Porsche
A former Springfield mortgage broker appears ready to plead guilty to wire fraud in federal court. A grand jury in Springfield indicted Chris Schaller, 46, on six counts of wire fraud last September, but the indictment was kept under seal for months while Schaller and the U.S. attorney’s office attempted to resolve the case, according […]
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No issues here, village president says
Shortly after quitting the Riverton police department after ignoring abuse by a fellow officer, Tricia Langan was hired as a sergeant in the Jerome police department following a “thorough and routine” review process, village president Michael Lopez said in a prepared statement tonight at a village trustee meeting. Lopez said that Langan, who turned her […]
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Jerome keeps questionable cop
Public officials in Jerome don’t want to talk about the village employing a police officer who quit the Riverton Police Department after a video caught her looking the other way while a fellow officer head-butted a suspect in a drunken driving case inside the police station. Tricia Langan resigned from the Riverton department in February, […]
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State Fair canceled
The Illinois State Fair is canceled. The announcement from the state concerns both the fair in Springfield as well as the Du Quoin State Fair. Springfield Mayor Jim Langfelder had said he hoped there would be a way to go forward with some agricultural aspects of the fair. Along those lines, the Department of Agriculture […]
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Wanzo indicted
A top Illinois Secretary of State administrator ran a Ponzi scheme out of the state vehicle licensing division and stole hundreds of thousands of dollars, federal prosecutors allege in an indictment of Candace Wanzo made public Thursday. During a two-year period that ended in the spring of 2017, Wanzo, 57, stole more than $303,000 in […]
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Sunday night, stay home
From a release: The City of Springfield is asking residents to please stay home this evening, Sunday, May 31. In light of recent events across the nation including disruptions with various businesses, and now with information coming in at a local level, individuals are asked to stay in. Unless an emergency situation, please remain at your […]
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Hair salon opens despite order
The Bow + Arrow Salon on Springfield’s west side opened Tuesday despite a statewide stay-at-home order prohibiting hair salons and barbershops from opening their doors. “It’s going great,” said owner Riley Craig Shaffer, who estimates that her salon has lost about $80,000 in revenue since closing in March pursuant to Gov. JB Pritzker’s order that […]
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It’s your money
Since March, Gov. JB Pritzker has spent nearly $240 million for supplies needed to respond to the pandemic. Records on the comptroller’s website outline the spending and amounts involved. Disinfectant. Bleach. Thermometers. Body bags. Sanitizer. Hospital beds. The list of stuff bought with public money under the governor’s emergency declaration is extensive. It includes, according […]
