For those who have resolved to nourish their bodies better this year and perhaps trim off a few of those holiday cookies, salads seem to be a logical meal choice. Dark leafy greens are universally accepted as being good for nearly every facet of our physical health, and when you’re looking to downsize the amount […]
Newsletter – Main
Posted inArts & Culture
Valentine Love Notes
Send a love note to that special someone. There is no charge. They will be published in the January 30 and February 6 issues of Illinois Times based on space availability. Fill out my online form.
Posted inNews
Blockbuster verdict in prisoner lawsuit
An inmate at Taylorville Correctional Center has won $11 million after his kidney cancer was neither promptly diagnosed nor treated. After a weeklong trial, the jury award entered Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Springfield might be cold comfort to William Dean, who is still listed as a prisoner on the Illinois Department of Corrections […]
Posted inNews
In need of weed
As the state prepares for legal recreational marijuana sales come Jan. 1, some patients who use pot for medical reasons say that the price has skyrocketed and there’s a shortage. During a recent visit to HCI Alternatives, the only marijuana dispensary within Springfield city limits, a dozen patients stood outside a few minutes before the […]
Posted inNews
“There’s nothing sneaky here”
Time is short to put together a proposal for a university campus in downtown Springfield, according to Andy Van Meter, chairman of the Sangamon County Board. If a package isn’t ready within two months, Van Meter said, the project that could turn four blocks over to Southern Illinois University and the University of Illinois Springfield […]
Posted inOpinion
SJ-R veteran reporter set to depart
Dean Olsen, longtime State Journal-Register reporter, is leaving the paper for a job in media relations and communications for Memorial Health System. His last day at the paper will be Dec. 13. Olsen has worked at daily newspapers since 1982 and at the SJ-R since 1999, starting out as a statehouse reporter and becoming the […]
Posted inNews
Green New World
Just taking a photograph at Nature’s Grace and Wellness in Vermont, about 75 miles northwest of Springfield, can be tricky. Fire away, you’re told in the grow area, where glare from high-pressure sodium bulbs makes ordinary cameras go nuts, drawing excessive amounts of blues and purples from rows of lights above hundreds of pot plants […]
Posted inNews
Demanding action on Pillsbury
A community group wants the city of Springfield to take over the Pillsbury Mills Plant, tear it down and redevelop the site. But, first, they want the city to make sure the area is closed off to trespassers. “It’s a partially demolished old factory that has some level of asbestos contamination still on site. And […]
Posted inMusic
Morgan Minsk
This hometown hero gets credit for being an award-winning vocalist, acclaimed performer and passionate composer, and we can assure you she’s also a hard-working, well-respected and motivated maker of music. Morgan Minsk left Springfield for Boston in 2011 to use her recently awarded, quite coveted, full scholarship to Berklee College of Music. A recipient of […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Challenges abound in making The Irishman
To say there’s a mutual admiration society between Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Martin Scorsese is something of an understatement. During a recent press conference in Hollywood after the premiere of their long-awaited film, The Irishman, it was obvious what high esteem these three have for one another. During their discussion, compliments flowed back […]
Posted inNews
Evidence of huffing found in homeless man’s demise
A homeless man found dead a week ago had apparently been huffing, according to Springfield police reports. In September, Ahmad Basheer Verdell became the face of homelessness in Springfield as he urged the city council to approve an east side homeless center on 11th Street that would also include a detox unit and services for […]
Posted inNews
Breasts, Viagra and hotel sex
An investigator with the inspector general’s office for the state Department of Human Services remains on the job despite findings that he has sexually harassed employees of agencies that hold DHS contracts. According to a report released last month by the state Executive Ethics Commission, Manuel “Manny” Zepeda told three women employed by Marcfirst, a […]
