Catherine Edmiston PHOTO BY PATRICK YEAGLE An 11-year legal battle over a coal mine 40 miles south of Springfield continues as one woman claims the Illinois Department of Natural Resources didn’t follow its own rules. The case questions how coal mines clean up their mining sites, but the plaintiffs say they’re fighting against a system […]
lawsuit
Posted inNews
For-profit school under fire for business practices
A for-profit college with a branch in Springfield is taking criticism for alleged deceptive practices. U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin is calling for stronger oversight of ITT Technical Institute and other for-profit schools by the federal government, citing the collapse of a school system that left students with no diplomas and a mountain of debt. Durbin […]
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Illinois may end ‘planned abandonment’
Toni Hoy speaks to lawmakers during a legislative hearing on a bill to end “planned abandonment” of adopted children who need intensive care for emotional disturbances. Photo BY PATRICK YEAGLE When Dan Hoy was just six months old, he was taken from his biological parents by the state. He was lethargic and starving to death, […]
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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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Chipping away
A review board for the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission has rejected a Springfield bankruptcy attorney’s appeal of an ARDC hearing board recommendation that his law license be suspended due to unethical and dishonest conduct. The decision by the review board brings the matter of John Stephen Narmont one step closer to resolution. The […]
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Bumps in the roadshow
THR and Associates says it will make good on thousands of checks written on an account that was unexpectedly closed last week. Meanwhile, the Springfield-based company and its owner, Jeffrey Parsons, who owes more than $3.5 million in delinquent federal taxes, are facing lawsuits, including one filed by employees who say that the company has […]
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Judge sides with Illinois Times on lawsuit
A Sangamon County judge has ordered a Springfield city government committee to hold open meetings following a lawsuit by an Illinois Times reporter. Bruce Rushton, a staff writer for Illinois Times, filed a lawsuit against the city’s Joint Labor Management Health Committee after a closed-door meeting on Jan. 10 in which the committee decided to […]
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Lawsuit claims Illinois illegally withholds treatment for kids
A class action lawsuit against the state of Illinois alleges state welfare agencies illegally withhold treatment for children with emotional and behavioral disorders. The lawsuit could affect more than 18,000 youth with severe mental illnesses and emotional disturbances in Illinois. Filed against the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, the lawsuit seeks to force […]
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Former Phoenix Center head in new financial trouble
Mike Palmer says he and his wife, Bev, just wanted to help the community of Griggsville when he loaned a fellow church member $10,000 to help pay back taxes on a local restaurant. “We figured, you know, he’s Christian and everything, so we offered to loan him $10,000 on our credit card, as long as […]
Posted inOpinion
A corporate Monster v. “The Vermonster”
Where are those lawsuit abuse groups when you really need them? Chance are that you’ve seen ads, letters-to-the-editor, op-ed pieces and other materials put out by outfits with such civic-sounding names as Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse. By whatever name, the message is always the same, usually delivered in a sort of urgent, basso profundo voice […]
