Adam Lopez, former Springfield School Board member who’s been jailed since November on suspicion of stealing from people who entrusted him with money to invest, is in trouble again. Lopez was indicted today on two counts of theft. He is scheduled for arraignment on Friday. Multiple sources tell Illinois Times that Lopez is suspected of […]
Breaking News
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Weed-a-licious
Operators of a downtown Springfield medical marijuana dispensary are working on opening a second outlet within city limits. Chris Stone, CEO of HCI Alternatives, confirmed that the company has identified a second Springfield site where the company hopes to sell recreational marijuana when legal sales are allowed beginning Jan. 1. He declined to identify the […]
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Bad Company is anything but
As British bands from the classic rock era go, Bad Company isn’t one that instantly rises to the top, compared with, say, Led Zeppelin or Pink Floyd. Along with a lot of other groups, Bad Company long has been snubbed by folks who think that they know everything, which is why there is a Facebook […]
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Wyndham under new ownership
The downtown Wyndham Centre hotel has changed hands. Crescent Hotels and Resorts, which had been managing the property that went through foreclosure last year, no longer has the hotel in its portfolio, according to a woman at Crescent headquarters in Virginia. The liquor license was transferred on Wednesday from Crescent to Tower Capital Group, said […]
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Not so fast
Tomorrow’s grand finale party at Club Station House, Springfield’s oldest gay bar, has been canceled. Ryan Bandy, the bar owner, says that developers who want to erect a hotel on the site have asked to postpone a July 31 date to close on the property sale. Bandy said that Allen Williams, a representative of the […]
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It’s Code Red time at ALPLM
Joe Crain, fired in June as meteorologist for WICS television, has been hired by the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum as director of public programming. ALPLM spokesman Chris Wills said that Crain will start on Monday. Wills initially told Illinois Times that the position was new, then sent an email stating that the job […]
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Hotel land deal set to close
Ryan Bandy, owner of Club Station House, says he has a July 31 closing date to sell the site of Springfield’s oldest gay bar to developers of a proposed hotel. Bandy said that he has identified a site downtown that he declined to identify for the bar’s new home. “The lease is going to be […]
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Gregory named Ward 2 alderman
April 2 aldermanic elections are finally over, with Shawn Gregory, a political newcomer, becoming the Ward 2 alderman after the Springfield City Council tonight declared a tie. After a tie was declared, City Treasurer Misty Buscher pulled one of two ping pong balls, one representing Gregory, the other his rival Gail Simpson, from a cloth bag. […]
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What happens when you cross your own party?
For the second time this year, House Republican Leader Jim Durkin has stripped one of his member’s access to a House communications staffer. Rep. Chris Miller (R-Oakland) is the most recent to lose his state-funded communications staff member. Earlier this year, Rep. Dave McSweeney (R-Barrington Hills) lost his comms staffer for criticizing fellow Republican Rep. […]
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Top SJ-R editor announces departure
Jason Piscia, digital managing editor for the State Journal-Register, will depart the paper next month to become head of the Public Affairs Reporting program at University of Illinois Springfield. Piscia, a 1998 PAR graduate who’s worked for the SJ-R for 21 years, will take his new position on Aug. 5, according to a UIS press release. […]
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Cops call the cops
The Illinois State Police Heritage Foundation, a private nonprofit that’s helped fund the new downtown memorial park to fallen police officers, has frozen bank accounts and reported a suspected case of fraud to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. According to a posting on its Facebook page, the foundation’s bank contacted the organization on June 6 […]
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Feds charge shooting range owner with arson
The owner of a Springfield shooting range heavily damaged by a 2017 fire is facing 40 years in prison after being charged with arson by federal prosecutors. Arrested Monday, John W. Jackson, 45, made an initial court appearance today and is scheduled for arraignment on Thursday. Prosecutors say he bought $1.625 million worth of insurance […]
