Republican presidential hopeful Sen. Ted Cruz. PHOTO BY OLIVIER DOULIERY/TNS For presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz, Feb. 1 was a good day. Not only did the Republican from Texas top presumed front-runner Donald Trump to win the influential Republican primary in Iowa that day, but Cruz also won a favorable ruling in Illinois saying he’s […]
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Missing the money
Computer tampering charges have been dropped against a defendant in a bizarre court case involving supposed computer hacking at a defunct Illinois nonprofit. Still, millions of dollars in state and federal grants are missing, and the nonprofit’s director has yet to account for the money. Annabel Melongo of Chicago was found not guilty of computer […]
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Panhandlers appeal lawsuit setback
Don Norton panhandles in Springfield. PHOTO BY PATRICK YEAGLE Two well-known panhandlers in Springfield are appealing an initial defeat in their lawsuit against the city. Even if they lose the appeal, however, they’ll likely have another chance to make their case. The panhandlers seek to have the City of Springfield’s ban on panhandling downtown struck […]
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Drug dogs fail the sniff test
Flip a coin and pick a side. Repeat 50 times. Chances are, you’ll guess the coin toss more often than drug-sniffing police dogs in Springfield found contraband during traffic stops in 2012. Traffic stop data reported by the Springfield Police Department shows the police found contraband in 25 percent of searches prompted by a drug […]
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AFSCME under siege
What would drive a crowd of unionized state employees to boo the very governor they helped elect? The answer is about $83 billion of pension underfunding, a broken labor contract and a lot of jobs in jeopardy. When Gov. Pat Quinn stood before a crowd of fellow Democrats and union members on Governor’s Day at […]
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City proposal could spur action on civil union benefits
The City of Springfield is one step closer to an agreement on health benefits for civil union partners of city employees and retirees. A committee composed of representatives from the city and labor unions previously decided to allow civil union partners of city employees and retirees to get city health insurance, but a judge’s ruling […]
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10-year prison sentence for hit-and-run driver
He was left to die in a pool of his own blood “like roadkill.” That’s how Sangamon County Circuit Judge Leo Zappa described the death of Danny Dapron Jr., a 30-year-old cyclist killed in a hit-and-run accident on Aug. 8, 2010. Zappa sentenced the driver, Ursula Jones, 23, of Springfield, to 10 years in prison […]
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Power company generates questions
A power generating company with plans for a major new plant in Illinois has been implicated in the corruption trial of a former Oklahoma senator convicted of bribery. During federal court testimony last week in the trial of Oklahoma’s former senate president pro tem Michael Morgan, Nebraska-based power company Tenaska was identified as the firm […]
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I killed my mom
By all accounts, Terry Payton is a quiet, shy 16-year-old with a brilliant mind and a penchant for Pokémon. Family, friends and neighbors in the Edgar County community of Paris say Terry is meek, eager to help and never says an ill word against anyone. So it was a shock to them when Terry was […]
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Fired worker sues state over medical privacy
A dispute over a computer program at a state agency in Springfield has escalated into a federal court case involving doctor-patient confidentiality, more than $771,000 in damages sought and even a fake bomb threat. Michael Sanders, 46, of Springfield, a former data processing technician with the Illinois Department of Central Management Services (CMS) since 2005, […]
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Overcrowded Illinois prisons could be next
A U.S. Supreme Court opinion ordering the State of California to reduce its prison population should serve as a warning to Illinois lawmakers, says an Illinois prison watchdog group. In a 5-4 vote, the U.S. Supreme Court held in late May that California’s overcrowded prisons violate the constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment, so […]
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Court blasts VA for mental health failings
Every day, 18 veterans in the United States commit suicide, while another 1,000 attempt suicide each month. That’s according to a federal district court which recently ordered the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to address long delays experienced by veterans seeking mental health services. The decision, issued in the United States Court of Appeals […]
