The new downtown YMCA opens Nov. 30 in the heart of the medical district. It will be an inviting place to work out, whether you exercise individually, participate in fitness classes or enjoy group sports. The new Y is not only a state-of-the-art fitness center, but a community asset serving youth, adults and community organizations. […]
Cover Story
Posted inNews
Century of suffrage
Suffragists in Illinois were ahead of their time, earning the right for women to vote in presidential elections in 1913, before many other states. State suffragists utilized a variety of methods. In 1891, Ellen Martin, a Chicago lawyer who lived in Lombard, was reportedly the first woman in the state to vote. Since the town’s […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Share your ideas about the future of Springfield
Do you have an idea – big or small – about the future of the capital city? The Community Foundation for the Land of Lincoln (CFLL) wants to hear from you. Over the next six weeks, from now until Thanksgiving, local citizens are invited to share their ideas about the future of the greater Springfield […]
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Going nowhere
Don’t print my name, he asked, and don’t show my face. I won’t, I promised. The bargain struck, Jack, with help from me, pulled off his left boot so I could take a picture. “Whose fault is this?” I ask. “Mine,” he answers. He’s embarrassed that he lost all five toes to frostbite a couple […]
Posted inArts & Culture
A generous community
“I can’t work on a vaccine, but I can give what I have,” says Cecelia Wendler, a Springfield resident who has been regularly fulfilling requests posted to the Springfield Families Helping Families Facebook (SFHF) group. “It’s the immediacy of stepping in; it’s very in-the-moment. It gives a sense of the lived concern for everyone in […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
Illinois escapes
North. East. West. South. Any direction you head in Illinois, the NEWS is good for salvaging some summer adventures. As the state awakens from its pandemic hibernation, tourism sites are opening and scheduling events for August and September – with precautions and caveats, of course – creating opportunities for daytrips and weekend destinations. As Carol […]
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Blood money
Plasma is already widely used for a variety of life-saving medical procedures, and it’s now being tried as a possible means of treating COVID-19 patients. However, plasma cannot be reproduced in a lab – only the human body can produce it. That means identifying willing donors, and in the U.S., paying for plasma as a […]
Posted inNews
Restaurants navigate a pandemic
The line outside The Feed Store on its last day stretched around the block. The Springfield mainstay has been around for 43 years. Its green sign faces the Old State Capitol plaza. It was a perfect place to pick up a sandwich, salad or some soup while downtown and eat outside or in the restaurant’s […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Making history
As demonstrators continue to plea for justice for people like George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, Juneteenth was marked differently this year. Many say its unofficial status is proof that, collectively, we need to do a better job of acknowledging our roots. The Juneteenth holiday comes from an announcement of emancipation made in Texas on June […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Going Above and Beyond
The people, places and things we relied on to get us through while we stayed home. We’ve all had to adapt to a new way of life, mostly on short notice. Whether it is a business owner trying to figure out how to continue to provide goods and services or a teacher engaging with students […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Closure
David Metcalf grew up in and around MacMurray College. His father was a long-serving faculty member at the east- side Jacksonville institution, and his great-great-grandfather was one of the college’s most successful presidents. When it came time to pick a college to attend, Metcalf naturally chose MacMurray. But there won’t be any more Metcalfs attending […]
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Suicide in solitary
Tiffany Rusher spent four months in a cell the size of a small bathroom. Then, she killed herself. The list of Rusher’s diagnoses over the years was long. Depression. Antisocial personality disorder. Post-traumatic stress disorder. Bipolar disorder. Schizoaffective disorder. Borderline personality disorder. With a history of self harm dating as far back as 2014, Rusher […]
