A popular Springfield middle school slated for closure may get a second chance at an upcoming school board meeting, based on public outcry and disputed cost-savings estimates. At the Feb. 18 meeting of the Springfield Public Schools Board of Education, board member Bill Looby disputed the $1.7 million savings estimate associated with closing the Capital […]
Patrick Yeagle
Posted inNews
National ‘Amazon tax’ could mean big bucks for Illinois
As Illinois residents file their income tax returns, they’re faced with a choice: admit to buying something online and pay sales tax to the state, or skip the tax and risk paying a penalty later if they get audited. With the understaffed Illinois Department of Revenue swamped by a backlog of unprocessed filings, taxpayers who […]
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Health insurance reform closer to reality in Illinois
The Illinois Senate could vote next week on implementing a crucial piece of the federal health insurance reforms passed in 2010, but two competing bills could lead the state in opposite directions. The federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, sometimes called “Obamacare,” calls for each state to set up public health insurance […]
Posted inNews
School closure questioned
Scroll to the bottom to see what the School Board cut and what it kept. In the wake of a controversial decision to close a popular and successful middle school in Springfield, the divided school board continues to field questions about the reasoning for the closure and its estimated savings. About 200 “scholars” at the […]
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She may be innocent
In the early morning hours of Dec. 3, 1986, Richard Harshbarger grabbed his .38 caliber revolver and a homemade bat, climbed into his Dodge Rampage truck, and departed from his home in Pana. His younger sister, Peggy Jo Jackson, lived in the southern Illinois town of Mt. Vernon with her abusive husband, William Jackson, and […]
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Natural gas fracking is coming to Illinois
Illinois is poised to tap into a rich vein of money by allowing an oil and gas drilling method known as “fracking,” but environmental concerns and disagreement over state taxes are keeping that financial well plugged for now. Hydraulic fracturing of shale rock – called “fracking” for short – has been used since the 1940s […]
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Firearms, medical pot and gay marriage, oh my!
When Illinois lawmakers return to Springfield early next year, they’ll face three issues more divisive than even the ongoing pension battle. But like the pension issue, these battles have been brewing for years, and conditions now seem ripe for big changes. The issues are concealed carry of firearms, legalization of medical marijuana and legalization of […]
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Illinois laying off 18 medical regulators
Seven state workers in Springfield could lose their jobs at the end of the year as regulators scramble to cover the increasing cost of overseeing doctors in Illinois. That’s because the fund that pays for doctor regulation and discipline is expected to dry up this month, forcing the layoff of 18 regulatory workers total in […]
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No raises for unions under House resolution
Kevin Holmes of Springfield devotes his life to caring for a young man with severe disabilities. For that full-time work – seven hours a day, seven days a week – Holmes makes just more than $11,000 per year, which puts him and his wife below the federal poverty level while she goes back to school. […]
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Education in Illinois not getting any better
More than two thirds of Illinois students won’t earn a college degree. In the modern economy, that’s not good enough to compete, says education advocacy group Advance Illinois in a recent report on the state’s public school system. While Illinois does have changes in the works, Robin Steans, executive director of Advance Illinois, says performance […]
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Phone a friend
Karen Zangerle dials the number and waits expectantly as a young man answers with a gentle tone. Zangerle explains that her husband has lost his job and the family won’t be able to pay an upcoming utility bill. As the young man on the phone tells her where she can find assistance, a knowing smile […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Skin City
Why would someone voluntarily undergo several hours of a needle stabbing them several thousand times per minute? The simple answer is for the sake of art, but the long answer is a bit more complicated. Thanks to athletes, celebrities and TV shows, tattoos have gone from taboo to typical over the past 20 years. What […]
