News

Lawmakers have a busy summer of negotiations ahead of them with pressure from both the governor’s office and their constituents to craft data center regulations that stakeholders and legislators can live with. The pressure comes after lawmakers failed to pass any regulations during the spring session, despite widespread concerns from Illinois communities about data centers’ […]

President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” severely impacted two of Illinois’ most economically vulnerable groups: the hundreds of thousands of Illinoisans set to lose Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program food assistance this year and the small farmers who are losing them as customers. The bill, H.R. 1, made changes in who can receive SNAP benefits and […]

NextGen Communities, the new owners of Jubilee Farm Ecology & Spirituality Center west of Springfield, has pledged to continue to protect and preserve the farm’s natural areas as well as honor certain existing collaborations. It’s a promise that continues what former owners the Dominican Sisters of Springfield began at the 164-acre center that has pasture, […]

The Sangamon County Board voted 15-8 to reject a proposed 20-acre solar farm adjacent to a residential subdivision on the west side of Springfield, even as the board’s lawyer warned Summit Ridge Energy, the petitioner, may be able to sue the board and get the solar panels installed anyway. Assistant state’s attorney Joel Benoit, who […]

Plans for CyrusOne’s $500 million data center in Sangamon County are moving forward, with construction expected to begin this summer, after approval two months ago in a County Board vote that crossed party lines. Meanwhile, debate on the potential Meridian Technology Park data center – 10 times more expensive and two miles west of Taylorville […]

The Illinois Department of Corrections is officially planning to rebuild both Logan and Stateville correctional centers in Crest Hill, dashing locals’ hopes that the state would rebuild Logan at its current Lincoln location. The June 5 announcement comes two years after Gov. JB Pritzker and IDOC originally announced the state would rebuild the Logan and […]

Lawmakers on the final day of the General Assembly passed a bill to regulate how minors interact with social media and other online platforms to make them less addictive. The goal of House Bill 5511, the Children’s Online Social Media Safety Act, is to prevent children under the age of 18 from being exposed to harmful […]

A new public space in downtown Springfield for people to learn about history will be located in a former bank building. It will tell stories of the 74 Illinois State Police officers who have died in the line of duty and display unique ISP artifacts such as uniforms, old equipment and a fleet of eight […]

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect a statement issued the morning of June 5 by the Springfield Municipal Opera Association Board of Trustees. Springfield Municipal Opera is facing criticism, resignations of cast members from several of the season’s musicals and a boycott of concessions sold at performances over its response to sexual […]

In the waning hours of legislative session, the Illinois General Assembly got close, but failed to pass a bill that would create multiple government boards to promote redevelopment of downtown Springfield. Sangamon County Board Chair Andy Van Meter said he expects elected officials to keep working on the proposal. The Senate approved an amended House […]

Conversations about the POWER Act, a multifaceted data center regulation bill, are not over yet, even though the bill wasn’t ready by the General Assembly’s May 31 deadline. That means pending data center projects will not be subject to guardrails proposed in the bill, such as water use reporting, community benefits agreements and requirements that data […]

 Illinois lawmakers approved the state budget early Monday morning after slogging through the night, enacting new taxes on businesses and authorizing less spending than what Gov. JB Pritzker proposed in February. “It’s allowed us to be prepared for the great reality we face today,” Senate Democrats budget leader Elgie Sims, of Chicago, said during debate. […]