Editor’s Note

 This week we welcome our new journalism intern, Megan Swett, a student in University of Illinois Springfield’s Public Affairs Reporting master’s degree program. Megan, from O’Fallon, received her undergraduate degree from UIS, where she was editor-in-chief of The Journal, the student newspaper. For the next six months Megan will be reporting for IT from the […]

 Mayor Jim Langfelder’s end-of-year selection of Gov. Bruce Rauner’s plan for a park on the YWCA block, renamed the North Mansion block, fell on Springfield’s holiday season like a lump of coal. It could turn out to be a nice park, as it was designed by an internationally known landscape architect, but that’s not why […]

In this, the final issue of 2017, we are grateful for many things. For another year, our 42nd, of Illinois Times surviving in business to have a voice in this raucous and turbulent world of public affairs. For the coworkers who dedicate their best efforts each week to putting out this little paper. For the […]

Nobody laid a glove on the popular and confident Mayor Jim Langfelder during his appearance at Citizens Club last week. In answer to questions, the mayor made clear he has no intention of reducing police or fire personnel. This is despite growing evidence that Springfield can ill afford its force that numbers far more than […]

One of the best things about Doug Jones’ win over Roy Moore in Alabama is that it energized the state’s long-dormant Democratic Party and chastened the Republicans. There is nothing like a win to get a political party thinking about the possibility of more wins down the road, and nothing like an atrocious candidate losing […]

Trolls of old were the ones who ate farmers’ goats. Now President Trump takes pride in being regarded as an internet troll, one who sends out provocative messages intended to cause maximum disruption. This week Trump has taken his trolling far beyond Twitter, reversing national monument protection for Bears Ears, endorsing Roy Moore, planning to […]

In this our Holiday Guide issue, it is appropriate to pass along some guidance for the shadow side of holidays, where not all is fun and games. Staab Funeral Home, and other Springfield funeral homes, hold regular gatherings aimed at helping their clients get through the holiday season while grieving a family member who has […]

 The furor over sexual harassment has led to what is being called a “day of reckoning,” with wrongdoers being held to account for their transgressions. The reaction to past abuse, sometimes long past, is now happening with lightning speed. By rapidly changing the culture that has tolerated harassment, women are becoming empowered to change the […]

 Mayor Jim Langfelder and some members of the city council who oppose the welcoming cities resolution are overthinking the issue. (See commentary, “Mayor trumpets anti-hate measure,” by Bruce Rushton, p. 11.) They, like most lawmakers, know to be wary of fine print and hidden agendas, particularly if they aren’t the ones who hid them. If […]

 “The problem with quotes on the internet is that it is hard to verify their authenticity.” – Abraham Lincoln (source: the internet). –Fletcher Farrar, editor and CEO

 It’s fun for a reporter to catch a candidate early in her political career, while she’s still feeling her way, wanting to say the right thing and not offend, while still conveying that she has substance. This week’s cover story by veteran journalist Scott Reeder is one of the first in-depth profiles of Erika Harold, […]

While many politicians were saying it’s too soon to talk about gun control, our Sen. Richard Durbin said it’s lawmakers’ job to answer tough questions. “Congress is complicit if it continues its course of inaction,” Durbin said this week. “Can we protect the Second Amendment rights of every American, yet draw reasonable lines at the […]