Illinois State Police launched an investigation into the death of a Kansas man during a multi-county pursuit on Sept. 22 by Sangamon County Sheriff’s deputies. Kirtis Shane Davenport, 43, died on Sept. 26 at St. Louis University Hospital, according to the St. Louis City Medical Examiner. An autopsy was completed on Oct. 1 to determine […]
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Two new cochairs announced for Massey Commission
The Rev. T. Ray McJunkins says he will always back the Massey Commission, but the panel’s work to reduce racial divisions and restore trust in the police will go on without him as a cochair. He resigned the unpaid, volunteer post amid calls for his departure after a 24-year-old female former staff member of Faith […]
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Former SPD officer indicted on drug charges
Former Springfield police officer Clayton Hadley was indicted Sept. 18 on drug charges after sheriff’s deputies allegedly found illicit drugs and more than $5,000 in cash in his home. Hadley’s three-year law enforcement career began to unravel July 23 when the Springfield Police Department’s brass received an anonymous tip that Hadley was allegedly using marijuana. […]
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Paula Crouch to be nominated for Sangamon County Sheriff
According to a press release issued Sept. 17 by Sangamon County, Board Chairman Andy Van Meter will nominate Paula Crouch, 51, to serve as sheriff at the Sept. 18 board meeting, filling the vacancy left by the retirement of former Sheriff Jack Campbell. The press release reads as follows: A lifelong resident of Sangamon County, […]
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ADM carbon sequestration project violated Safe Drinking Water Act, per EPA
Agribusiness giant ADM violated federal regulations, a federal permit and the Safe Drinking Water Act earlier this year when a monitoring well at its carbon sequestration site in Decatur leaked liquified carbon dioxide into “unauthorized zones,” according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In an August notice, the federal regulatory agency also alleged the company […]
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“Decency and respect are on the ballot in 2024”
At times it seemed more like a celebrity A-list party or Grammy Awards ceremony than a political event as the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago entered its third day. Wednesday evening was capped by Minnesota governor, former school teacher and football coach Tim Walz officially accepting the party’s vice presidential nomination, but not before […]
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Kentucky governor, Gwen Walz address Rural Caucus at the DNC
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear knows a thing or two about rural America and politics. “My first job was bucking a stall at a horse farm,” Beshear said. “And nothing prepares you for politics like bucking stalls.” Beshear was one of the keynote speakers at the Rural Caucus during Tuesday’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago. The […]
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Tim Walz addresses Women’s Caucus at the DNC
More than 1,000 women from across the nation gathered for the Women’s Caucus on Tuesday at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. A surprise guest was vice presidential nominee and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. “People ask me why I am successful as governor,” Walz said to the cheering crowd. “It’s because I surround myself with […]
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The first night of the DNC
A long, fiery speech by the outgoing president, musical performances by Jason Isbell and Mickey Guyton, and a surprise appearance by the presidential nominee highlighted the first night of the Democratic National Convention Monday night in Chicago. Punctuated by chants of “We love Joe” and “Thank you, Joe,” President Joe Biden recited a lengthy list […]
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DNC begins with a protest
The 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago started off with a boisterous, but peaceful, protest in the city’s Union Park followed by a march toward the United Center where most of the formal convention activities are being held. The crowd was well below half of the 20,000 protesters that the organizers had hoped for and […]
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Sheriff Jack Campbell to retire
Embattled Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell announced Aug. 9 that he will retire by the end of the month amid calls for his resignation by critics of his hiring of the deputy charged with murder in the July 6 shooting death of Sonya Massey. In the five-paragraph statement from Campbell, issued at about 3:15 p.m. […]
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Sheriff defends hiring process
Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell on Aug. 1 defended his agency’s vetting of former deputy and accused murder Sean Grayson. Campbell, 60, has said he won’t resign amid public criticism in the wake of the shooting death of Sonya Massey, a Black woman, at the hand of Grayson, who is white. And Campbell disagreed with […]
