COVER STORY
Take care of your mental health
Every January, a representative from my health insurance company calls to schedule my annual wellness visit. Hard to believe? I thought so too, but it’s true. The calls continue until I’m reached and make an appointment or decline the visit. A…
LATEST NEWS
State funds $1.8M for local park upgrades
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources has awarded $600,000 each for park upgrades to three separate governmental bodies: the city…
City has more expenses, less revenue
Generous raises granted in collective bargaining contracts such as those negotiated for police and firefighters, coupled with a rise in…
Illinois lawmakers’ 2026 theme: affordability
House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch says this spring’s election-year legislative session will be squarely focused on tackling Illinois voters’ priorities.…
Roundabout slated for West White Oaks
If you’ve ever tried to make a left-hand turn out of the parking lot of the West White Oaks shopping…
District 186 announces new superintendent
The Springfield Public Schools District 186 Board of Education has recommended Terrance Jordan to serve as the next superintendent, succeeding…
City launches Minority Business Institute
The city of Springfield is launching the Springfield Minority Business Institute, a new multi-week educational initiative that will begin in…
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NEWSLETTER
News
Top Democrats say they would consider small changes to Illinois’ SAFE-T Act
Some of Illinois’ top Democrats say they’re open to considering targeted changes to Illinois’ controversial SAFE-T Act this spring if…
Drowning in noise: A warning from Project Censored and President Obama
Project Censored released the 2026 edition of its State of the Free Press in November. About a week later, Random…
Court finalizes HSHS settlement
A $7.6 million court settlement stemming from a data breach that affected almost 869,000 Hospital Sisters Health System patients will…
City Council approves contract with alderman’s brother
The Springfield City Council approved a contract worth up to $25,000 for Scott Hanauer, brother of Ward 10 Ald. Ralph…
opinion
Editor’s Note
Ryan P. Burge was pastor of an American Baptist church in Mt. Vernon, Illinois, for 17 years before his church closed for good in…
Letters to the editor
YES TO LOGAN COUNTY DATA CENTER As a proud Logan County resident, I support our county moving forward with the proposed data center project…
Dumb. Outmoded. Unusable.
When people who live in the rest of Illinois complain about being fleeced by the sharpers in Springfield, they usually refer to state legislators,…
Resign-and-replacement schemes
Remember the national uproar last November when U.S. Rep. Chuy Garcia bowed out of his reelection race at the last minute and quietly passed…
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Food and drink
Hangover? Nothing beats “Old Sober”
Two decades ago, I attended an outstanding performance by the Derek Trucks Band at Tipitina’s in Uptown New Orleans. The…
One-pot rice dinners
Ready in under an hour, inexpensive and pantry friendly, these one-pot rice dinners are infinitely riffable and a dependable workhorse…
The return of classic steakhouses
The period spanning the early 2010s to the early 2020s saw a significant shift in the restaurant industry, driven by…
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Music
Here we have music
Mush, my frigid friends, as we go full frozen tundra time to see what goes on in…
Music in mid-January
As the new year rolls along our community keeps up a steady flow of live music performances…
More music in the new year
We made it through the holiday season accompanied by plenty of live music that magically increased the…
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ARTS AND CULTURE
Eat more protein
Stroll down the aisles of any grocery store these days and you’re likely to see a bevy of protein-enhanced snacks, powders and drinks, cleverly packaged…
Tips to get through the winter
Winter is upon us and we are going to get through it. Here are ideas for ushering your family through the wintertime with some healthy…
The study of awe
The new year is a good time to read Awe – The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life, the…
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Best of Springfield®
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Best Of Springfield 2025
See the results 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. While anything food-related typically dominates…
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