Feature

Solar panels, monarch butterflies, energy efficiency, eco-designed chairs, clean energy, rooftop gardens, manufactured construction and pollinator pockets are just some of the sustainability topics discussed at the 15th annual Green Symposium held at the University of Illinois Springfield Student Union Sept. 20. The keynote speaker addressed how the environments we create impact the lives of […]

If nothing else, hundreds of thousands of dollars in public money buys hyperbole. “This is, indeed, a once in a generation opportunity,” Timothy Killeen, University of Illinois president, said as he drew comparisons with Silicon Valley. “We are on the cusp of an extraordinary future for the state of Illinois,” Gov. Bruce Rauner stated as […]

Like most states, Illinois is struggling with a severe teacher shortage. And, also like most states, that shortage is felt most profoundly in the area of special education. There is, however, an army of teacher assistants already on the job. Could they help relieve this shortage? Decades ago, when these assistants were known as teachers’ […]

Jay Robert “J.B.” Pritzker, D-Chicago, lives by the mantra that the “the early bird catches the worm.” “I’m a guy who gets up pretty early in the morning, and my staff hates it because I’m texting and sending emails at 4:30 a.m., but you can get a lot done at the quiet dawn of the […]

“One of the things I had said all my life was, I want my own chorus,” said Marion van der Loo. “I wanted a chorus where I chose the music, I taught the music and I conducted the music.” In 2005, van der Loo got her wish when she was hired as director of the […]

The two men running for the 99th District State Representative seat in the Nov. 6 general election had the exact same thing to say about each other: “He’s a nice guy.” Democrat Marc Bell and Republican Mike Murphy have known each other for several years and have ridden bicycles together as members of the Springfield […]

“Whites have often feared that greater freedom for others necessarily implies a loss for themselves” – Michael Cassity, Chains of Fear (1984) In recent weeks, much area media attention has been focused on the 110th anniversary of the mid-August, 1908, race riot in which 5,000 white Springfield citizens were responsible for lynching two black men, […]

A sampling of the many musical performances at the Illinois State Fair. 

Some moments from the opening night of the Illinois State Fair. Click here to see more photos.

She’s 47, he’s 48. Both grew up in central Illinois, married hometown sweethearts, and they each have two sons and one daughter. Serious family health issues have shaped both of their outlooks on health care, and life experiences have firmed their convictions regarding gun violence, education and economic opportunity. Meet Betsy Dirksen Londrigan and incumbent […]

We were veritable Jetsons. Between 1970 and the mid-1980s, scores of propeller-powered planes crisscrossed Illinois, offering daily service between such towns as Jacksonville and Mt. Vernon. No trip was too short. In 1981, a plane ticket from Springfield to Decatur cost $5. Resort Air. Chicago Suburban Airlines. Piasa Airlines. The companies came and went, maintaining […]