Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell came under fire for his hiring practices after he employed a deputy with two DUI convictions, who is now accused of the murder of an unarmed Black woman in her kitchen. But it wasn’t the first time he chose to hire someone accused of drunk driving and repeated misconduct. In […]
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Finding a way forward
Never in his 26½-year career had he seen it before. Springfield Police Chief Kenneth Scarlette, 48, said he and one of his deputy chiefs were driving in an unmarked car on South Grand Avenue to get lunch on the city’s east side when a young man on the side of the road, without provocation, spotted […]
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Tiny houses, big controversy
Tiny homes have generated big discussion recently as the Springfield City Council tries to decide if it should provide financial backing for a resource center that would serve a planned east-side housing development for homeless veterans. As of press time the proposal by the city to commit $400,000 in federal Community Development Block Grant funds […]
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A deadly delay
An Illinois law intended to help people with mental illness avoid confrontations with police had been on the books for three years when Sonya Massey was shot by a Sangamon County Sheriff’s deputy. The Community Emergency Services and Supports Act, or CESSA, requires mental and behavioral health calls to 911 be handled by mental health […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
FALL GUIDE
This year’s Fall Guide highlights what’s new at the Illinois State Museum and Historic Marbold Farmstead, classic car shows and motorcycle races, where to find covered bridges in Illinois and much more, plus a three-month calendar of upcoming events for the whole family to enjoy. Related Related Related Related Related Related Related Stories
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“No schoolers”
It was on L.J.’s 11th birthday, in December 2022, that child welfare workers finally took him away. They arrived at his central Illinois home to investigate an abuse allegation and decided on the spot to remove the boy along with his baby brother and sister – the “Irish twins,” as their parents called them. His […]
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Not present at crime, still charged with murder
Sangamon County State’s Attorney John Milhiser says Katherine Smith wasn’t present when 19-year-old Dohndre Hughes received a fatal stab wound to the chest in February 2018. Prosecutors also said they don’t believe Smith, a Chatham resident and 18 at the time, anticipated the home invasion, armed robbery and theft that she allegedly helped arrange would […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Juneteenth
This year is the 30th anniversary of the official Juneteenth celebrations in Springfield, although the holiday itself dates back to 1865. Locally, it has grown from a one-day event to more than a week’s worth of activities taking place citywide: live music, art exhibitions, panel discussions, presentations, kids’ activities and more. Organizations such as the […]
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High expectations
The small-scale, $8 million marijuana cultivation center expected to open in June on Springfield’s northeast side would be the largest site of its kind in the state, and perhaps the nation, to produce beverages infused with cannabis and hemp oil. So says Christopher Stone, a Springfield-based cannabis entrepreneur and managing partner of CoPack Industries, 3451 […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Growing old gay
I started living openly gay in 1987. I lived in a house in Laketown and I moved my lover in with me and my sons. Many in the gay community seemed unimpressed by my story. I don’t understand that. Maybe it’s because they were accustomed to such things, and I was in my late 30s […]
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Liturgical Arts Festival returns to Springfield
The study of religion is fascinating because it is inherently the study of all the social sciences. But it is the many living, breathing faith traditions that show us the beauty of belief and our shared commonalities in life. These vibrant faith traditions help us to understand the relationship between human life and the natural […]
