Criminal charges possible

Prosecutor probes tree cutting

Sangamon County state’s attorney John Milhiser is considering criminal charges against Springfield workers who cut down a tree on property owned by a relative of one of the city employees.&ldquo

Springfield groups push for immigration reform

On April 4 and 5, two Springfield organizations took to the streets and the Springfield offices of members of Congress to generate support for federal immigration reform. More than 11 million people m

Seeking a transformation

Young transgender Springfield woman pushes for nationwide change

Around age six, Emma Todd of Springfield began to feel like something wasn’t right. Born genetically male, Emma says she wasn’t comfortable growing up with her assigned sex.“I just f

Abused wife freed from prison after 26 years

Gov. Quinn commutes Peggy Jo Jackson’ life sentence for her husband’s murder

When the Springfield-based Illinois Innocence Project hosts its annual fundraising banquet this weekend, they’ll have a fresh victory to celebrate. Peggy Jo Jackson of Shelbyville was released f

Debt piles up behind bars

An Illinois prisoner can accrue tens of thousands of dollars in child support debt while incarcerated because of Illinois child support laws.This, according to Rep. Monique Davis, D-Chicago, is counte

Wrongly convicted man wins settlement 26 years later

Randy Steidl won his lawsuit, but he remains unpardoned for murders he didn’t commit

After more than 26 years of fighting, Randy Steidl is ready to put the past behind him.The Paris, Ill., man spent 17 years on Illinois’ death row for a double murder he didn’t commit, but

Upping the ante

Jennifer Watkins faces jail

Jennifer Watkins, the erstwhile Ashland resident who won’t let her five-year-old daughter visit with the child’s paternal grandparents, may soon become a felon.Whether criminal charges wil

Feds want document back

State hangs on to a page of Lincoln history

The Illinois Historic Preservation Agency has balked at a demand from the National Archives to return a page torn from a ship’s log so that the damaged document can be restored to its original c

The cost of fracking

What are the risks of tapping Illinois’ trapped oil and natural gas?

Nearly a mile below the surface of southern Illinois, a vast reserve of oil and natural gas sits locked in thick shale rock. While Illinois has a long history of tapping into its enormous fossil fuel

Shortchanging Illinois children is a choice

Although times are difficult for social services in Illinois, a statewide advocacy group thinks that it is still possible to positively affect the lives of children. Voices for Illinois Children, a no