A study of traffic stop data released by the Illinois Department of Transportation shows minority drivers in Illinois and in Springfield are more likely than white drivers to be stopped and searched by police. Meanwhile, the American Civil Liberties Union is pushing the federal government to investigate racial bias in traffic stop searches. The IDOT […]
Patrick Yeagle
Posted inNews
Illinois can’t control its money
A statewide audit of Illinois government released July 28 highlights more than 100 problems with the state’s financial reporting process, case management and more. The 274-page audit by Illinois Auditor General William Holland found issues at 18 state agencies, as well as the governor’s office and the state comptroller’s office. Some problems apply to multiple […]
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‘I see a whole lot of opportunity here’
Henrik Rasmussen calls himself a “Springfielder by choice.” A native of Denmark, Rasmussen moved his family to Springfield in 2009, seeking opportunity, freedom and space to innovate. Now a U.S. citizen, Rasmussen is launching his own public affairs consulting firm in Springfield on Aug. 1, after seven years at another consulting firm. Addressing the crowd […]
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I killed my mom
By all accounts, Terry Payton is a quiet, shy 16-year-old with a brilliant mind and a penchant for Pokémon. Family, friends and neighbors in the Edgar County community of Paris say Terry is meek, eager to help and never says an ill word against anyone. So it was a shock to them when Terry was […]
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Fired worker sues state over medical privacy
A dispute over a computer program at a state agency in Springfield has escalated into a federal court case involving doctor-patient confidentiality, more than $771,000 in damages sought and even a fake bomb threat. Michael Sanders, 46, of Springfield, a former data processing technician with the Illinois Department of Central Management Services (CMS) since 2005, […]
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Veterans help out at Jubilee Farm
More than 8,000 miles and three decades separate the quiet fields at Jubilee Farm west of Springfield from the violence and death of the Vietnam War. But for Richard Tapia, a Springfield veteran of the Vietnam War, there is a common element to both places: the camaraderie and trust of a fellow veteran. Tapia spent […]
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Summer with the blind in Bolivia
Molly Clesen may be 4,200 miles from home, but she’s still in a familiar environment: the classroom. Clesen, a 26-year-old teacher of blind and visually impaired students in Springfield School District 186, is spending part of her summer teaching kids with vision impairments in Cochabamba (Co-cha-bomb-ba), Bolivia, a city of more than 608,000 people situated […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Hark! A behemoth is here.
The first thing I did this morning upon actually opening my eyes was read today’s State Journal-Register. As I turned to page 11 – the front page of the “City & State” section – I can’t say that I was surprised to see yet another story about Springfield’s newest Big Box. My fellow staff writer […]
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Overcrowded Illinois prisons could be next
A U.S. Supreme Court opinion ordering the State of California to reduce its prison population should serve as a warning to Illinois lawmakers, says an Illinois prison watchdog group. In a 5-4 vote, the U.S. Supreme Court held in late May that California’s overcrowded prisons violate the constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment, so […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Rebirth of a rivertown
Walking down the main business street in Cairo, Ill., it’s tempting to think that this spring’s floodwaters of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers were sent to put the languishing town out of its misery once and for all. Many buildings along Commercial Street in Illinois’ southernmost town have long been abandoned, left to decay since […]
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Holding Wall Street accountable in Illinois
If corporations paid their fair share of taxes in Illinois, the state’s budget crisis would disappear, according to an advocacy group calling for higher taxes on big businesses. Make Wall Street Pay Illinois says large banks and corporations in Illinois “continue to hoard their wealth” while slipping through tax loopholes and sending jobs to other […]
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Sex offender board can’t manage sex offenders
An audit of the Illinois Sex Offender Management Board shows failures in tracking sex offenders, even as the state legislature considers ramping up monitoring requirements. The audit, released May 26 by Illinois Auditor General William Holland, says SOMB failed to develop a system for monitoring sex offenders seven years after those requirements took effect. Created […]
