News

When customers came to Capitol Teletrack on May 2 for the Kentucky Derby, a yearly event that still packed them in at 1776 Wabash Ave., a real estate broker’s phone number on a sign was the only proof that anyone has been inside of late. Sandwiched between a Salvation Army store and a plasma donation […]

The only revenue Springfield city government might forfeit to help pay for the proposed BOS Center expansion and new hotel next door would be the city’s share of hotel taxes on room rates at the site and part of the expected increase in city sales taxes. Those were guarantees that Sangamon County Board Chair Andy […]

The Illinois General Assembly continues to debate what to do about data centers as the artificial intelligence business keeps booming, and communities complain about their energy bills, noise and environmental impacts. Data centers are warehouse-like buildings that house computer servers and other infrastructure that power the internet, cloud storage and more, but massive data centers […]

In a ceremony at the state Capitol, family, friends and supporters honored the lives of two law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty in 2025. The ceremony honored Officer Krystal Rivera of the Chicago Police Department and Detective Tim Jones of the Park Forest Police Department. Held annually on the first Thursday […]

Dowson Family Farms, which has four parcels of land under contract to CyrusOne for construction of a $500 million data center project in Talkington Township, contacted area school officials to tout “a once-in-a-lifetime tax revenue opportunity.” Darrel Thoma, chief financial officer of Dowson Family Farms, sent a follow-up email April 3 to Becca Lamon, superintendent […]

The Trump administration’s lawsuits seeking access to sensitive voter registration data in Illinois and dozens of other states is one part of a broader effort to purge state voter rolls of suspected noncitizens, according to documents filed recently in federal court in Springfield. Those documents were filed April 30 by attorneys representing the Illinois AFL-CIO […]

Regardless of whether estimated new property taxes are accurate, Hut 8 Corp. would guarantee Logan County schools and local governments $65 million a year in annual payments if the company’s proposed data center becomes a reality. Gregory Irwin, senior vice president of energy origination and asset management for the Florida-based company, made that pledge April […]

The Illinois State Board of Education is asking lawmakers this year for $200,000 to develop a new way of counting low-income students. Although that’s only a small fraction of the overall $10.9 billion general revenue fund budget the agency is seeking to fund preK-12 public schools next year, the request points to a larger issue […]

Since the first term of Dwight D. Eisenhower’s presidency, one organization – the American Business Club of Springfield – has volunteered to serve beer and other concessions at the Illinois State Fair, with their share of money earned funding grants to dozens of local charities. For the first time since 1954, ABC will no longer […]

The ghosts of Shoeless Joe Jackson and Ty Cobb did not emerge from a cornfield Tuesday afternoon at Scheels Sports Park at Legacy Pointe. But Springfield’s version of Field of Dreams became another step closer to reality when Gov. JB Pritzker came to a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the $70 million development just off MacArthur Boulevard. […]

A plea deal in the death of Earl L. Moore Jr. is drawing mixed reactions from family members and civil rights advocates, who say it delivers a measure of accountability but falls short of full justice. Peter J. Cadigan, 53, a former emergency medical technician with LifeStar Ambulance, pleaded guilty April 24 to involuntary manslaughter […]

The Citizens Club of Springfield hosted Springfield’s healthcare leaders April 24 to discuss the industry’s future in the capital city and central Illinois at large. CEOs from four major pillars of Springfield’s economy who are responsible for more than 10,000 employees – Memorial Health, Springfield Clinic and HSHS Central Illinois, in addition to the executive […]