Springfield School District 186 is on a mission to reignite a program aimed at fostering a passion for reading among young boys. The initiative, aptly named “Real Men Read,” has gathered male volunteers within the community to partake in this noble cause. Initially, the program encountered a hiatus because of he disruptive impact of the […]
Section Feature
Posted inBest of Springfield®
Best of Springfield® 2022 Readers’ Poll
READ THE ISSUE IN PDF DIGITAL VIEW Every year, we ask our opinionated readers to tell us about their favorite people, places and things in the Springfield area. Over the decades we’ve been doing this, we’ve continued to tweak both the process and the results issue to try to keep things fresh and interesting, and […]
Posted inNews
UIS faculty approves new contract, avoids strike
Annual salary increases of 2% to 3.5% are part of a new four-year labor contract ratified by University of Illinois Springfield faculty members retroactive to the 2021-22 academic year. “I was glad,” Kristi Barnwell, president of UIS United Faculty-Local 4100, told Illinois Times. “We’ve got a contract that is stronger than our previous contract.” Ratified […]
Posted inNews
Town & Country to be auctioned
The scheduled auction of Town & Country Shopping Center in May could bring a revival of sorts to the 61-year-old retail site and more positive news for the west side neighborhood, Ward 7’s alderman says. “That site has got a lot of potential, and I’m sure the new buyer will maximize its use,” alderman Joe […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
Planning amid uncertainty
Over the last two years, many couples planned weddings amid uncertainty and held celebrations with caveats. The wedding industry found itself recalibrating its offerings to provide safe and meaningful experiences for engaged couples and their families. All of this change, while hard, has also provided an exciting opportunity for weddings to look a little different […]
Posted in217 Food Week
217 Italian Food Week
November 9-15 $7 Italian Food Week is November 8-14. Support these local restaurants this week for a little taste of Italy from area chefs who have created some amazing dishes for this new food week. 217 Food Week will be a bit different with the current restrictions and social distancing requirements. Most locations will offer […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
Back-and-forth over back to school
I vividly remember that early afternoon on March 13, 2020, when my children walked home from school for the final time. I watched as they slowly ambled down the sidewalk and up our driveway, weighed down by book bags that had been stuffed to the brim with the entire contents of their desks and crinkled […]
Posted in217 Food Week
217 Pony Shoe Week July 12-18, 2021
$7 Pony Shoe Week is Monday, July 12 through Sunday, July 18. Explore the amazing pony shoe dishes area chefs have created for these seven days. Many restaurants will also offer specials on Peroni Beer. To help you plan your food week travels, you can download a passport from 217foodweek.com. By downloading the passport, you […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
Resilient
Being the mother of an NBA player is exciting, but that’s not this ’60s baby’s only claim to fame. Linda Joyce Fields was born the sixth of eight children in Kansas City, Missouri. She grew up in a Black middle-class neighborhood. While the majority of families were working, two-parent households, these four brothers and three […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
Sumerguide 2021
There wasn’t much to celebrate last summer, with most fairs, festivals and annual events canceled. However, this year’s 68-page Summerguide shows that summer activities have returned. We have a three-month calendar to help you plan your leisure time, plus a round up of live music and art exhibits. There are ideas for day trips, and […]
Posted inNews
Remembering the lives they lived
Our annual REMEMBERING edition, the last issue of the year, reminds us small-town folks that people we thought we knew we didn’t know as well as we wish we had, and those we didn’t know, we wish we had known. It reminds us that many more have died this year than we could possibly write […]
Posted inNews
Bars, restaurants to reopen on Sunday
Restaurant and bars will reopen on Sunday under measures approved by the Sangamon County Department of Public Health. The reopening comes despite the health department acknowledging that fewer than 20 percent of intensive care unit beds have been open. National experts also warn that travel over the holidays could spread the virus. In Colorado and […]
