What does the future hold for Springfield? That depends largely on what happens with the proposal to consolidate rail traffic on the 10th Street rail corridor. If the project withers without funding, downtown Springfield may be doomed to choke on a twofold increase in trains hemming in the city’s core. Relocating the Third Street rail […]
Patrick Yeagle
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Shell game
A Texas-based energy company wants to take over several coal plants in Illinois, but environmental groups claim the company is planning to skip pollution controls and use a shell company to avoid taking on any risk. Dynegy Inc. of Houston, Texas, is planning to acquire five coal plants in central and southern Illinois from Ameren […]
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Fighting DCFS on how it takes children
The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services still uses a rule that was struck down by the state’s highest court to take children, according to a lawsuit filed last week. Filed in Cook County Circuit Court, the class action lawsuit aims to stop DCFS from using the invalidated rule to “indicate” parents for neglect […]
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Mike Bell of Edinburg wants Scherer’s House seat
Mike Bell of Edinburg has a lot on his plate. He’s on the boards of both the Edinburg and Christian County economic development groups, co-chairman of a highway expansion project on Illinois Route 29, and vice president of the Edinburg school board, among many other roles. Now, Bell wants to fulfill a dream that began […]
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Panhandlers sue city
Two Springfield panhandlers filed a federal class action lawsuit against the City of Springfield and a handful of city police officers on Tuesday, alleging the city and the officers violate panhandlers’ right to free speech by ticketing and arresting them. Don Norton and Karen Otterson, both of Springfield, often panhandle for money in and around […]
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A new plan for the Boys and Girls Club
When William “Bill” Legge first took over as acting director of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Illinois in February, he found disenchanted donors, a building in need of renovations and a quarter of a million dollars in debt. The troubled organization had missed a major grant deadline, closed its main facility and hadn’t […]
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Looking for jobs
A local activist group is putting pressure on the City of Springfield to hire more minorities and to only work with contractors who also hire minorities. Larry Beckom of Springfield leads Bridging the Gap, a group dedicated to ensuring minority job opportunities. He calls the city’s record of minority hiring “dismal,” and is pushing for […]
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A boxer gives back
On a muggy summer day in Springfield’s Lincoln Park, about 10 young kids jog a slow lap around the park’s perimeter, making their way to a raised concrete platform near the Nelson Center. Every hand is wrapped in thin cloth to protect the knuckles, the sure sign of a boxer. They begin to jump rope […]
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Tiff over taxes
Though they disagree on just about everything else, Ted Dabrowski and Ralph Martire agree on one thing: Illinois’ poor fiscal condition offers an opportunity to make the state better. For Dabrowski, vice president of policy for the Illinois Policy Institute, that opportunity is a chance to spur business investment by letting the state’s 2010 income […]
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Lanes on Lawrence?
The City of Springfield is considering widening two accident-prone intersections and adding turn lanes, but nearby residents may put up a fight. In April, the city submitted a pair of grant applications to the Illinois Department of Transportation, asking for $1.2 million to study options for making the intersections of Lawrence Avenue at MacArthur Boulevard […]
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Extreme school makeover
What would cause parents to be excited about sending their children to a 102-year-old school building where 82 percent of the students come from low-income homes? The answer is an outpouring of generosity from a community intent on seeing the school succeed. Ever since the summer of 2011, Springfield’s Harvard Park Elementary School has seen […]
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Insurance regulator slams companies for ‘manipulation’ to charge more
Calling their scheme “manipulation,” Illinois’ head insurance regulator in April blasted a plan by health insurance companies to circumvent federal health insurance reforms and continue to charge discriminatory rates for an extra year. While the Illinois Department of Insurance says it won’t approve such plans, which it politely says are “contrary to law,” a statewide […]
