COVER STORY
Fighting for the innocent
The Illinois Innocence Project at University of Illinois Springfield has freed 34 innocent people who were convicted and imprisoned in Illinois for crimes they did not commit. Collectively, they lost 797 years of freedom. There are innocence organizations in 10 other…
LATEST NEWS
Water puts damper on downtown businesses
A downtown Springfield business has been forced to postpone its grand opening plans after a water main break flooded the…
The Super Bowl of motorcycle racing
As it is to the fifth-generation farmer on the homestead, the dirt at the oval track of the Springfield Mile…
Founding of the Illinois Innocence Project
Dr. Larry Golden, the founding director of IIP, was the youngest faculty member when he came to Sangamon State University…
Recent graduates, new arrivals seek opportunities at semi-annual career fair
Job seekers navigated through rows of prospective employers stationed at tables with pamphlets, listings of job openings and candy at…
Doris Turner joins Mid-Illinois Medical District
The Mid-Illinois Medical District has a new, but familiar, member in state Sen. Doris Turner, D-Springfield. She was nominated to…
Springfield Park District going solar at two facilities
The Springfield Park District Board has approved issuing bonds to help pay for a major solar energy upgrade that’s already…
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News
$60 million BOS Center expansion backed
Unwilling to wait on the Illinois General Assembly, the Sangamon County Board plans to vote as soon as Sept. 1…
Community Foundation commits more than $500,000 to local journalism and civic engagement
Local Journalism and Civic Engagement The Community Foundation for the Land of Lincoln has committed more than $500,000 to strengthen…
Sean Grayson dies in custody
Sean Grayson, the white former sheriff’s deputy whose shots at Sonya Massey inside the Black single mother’s Woodside Township home…
Darren Bailey calls for expanding outreach
“Happy Republican Day!” House Minority Leader Tony McCombie, R-Savanna, greeted the crowd gathered Aug. 20 on the Illinois State Fair…
opinion
Letters to the editor 8/27/26
We welcome letters. Please include your full name, address and telephone number. We edit all letters. Send them to editor@illinoistimes.com. LIVED TO SEE IT…
Another harassment allegation
Yet another sexual harassment allegation has been made against an Illinois House Democrat. But this time, the House speaker’s operation is fully supporting its…
Unamended consequences
With luck, the $350 million renovation of the Illinois State Capitol north wing will open by the time the snow flies and Springfield will get a glimpse…
Grandparents: The greatest influencers
I work hard at limiting the amount of time I spend watching reels and videos online. But I can’t control myself when I see…
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Food and drink
Budget dinners
August is undoubtedly our household’s most expensive month of the year, and the busiest. In addition to both of my…
No lettuce, no problem
If you are finding yourself casting a wary eye toward bagged lettuce after the latest cyclospora health alert, consider looking…
Cantaloupe creations
My household has been under a compulsory cantaloupe consumption mandate for the past week. I’d ordered four of them from…
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Music
August ending music rambles
As we roll on through the end of August, next weekend brings Labor Day and the unofficial…
Music at the fair and elsewhere
Here we go into the last weekend of the Illinois State Fair for 2026 with plenty left…
More than fair music
Entering into the 2026 Illinois State Fair, we can safely say that music rules on the fairgrounds.…
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ARTS AND CULTURE
Acme is imaginative and fun, great acting saves Tony
Satire and humor run riot in Acme Propelled by the kind of publicity money can’t buy as well as a cleverly subversive advertising campaign, Dave…
Turtle Creek
Ron Dougan writes of a tripdown Turtle Creek; “Perhapsthe high point of my grandkids’visit was a canoe trip down TurtleCreek from the Shopiere Dam to Colley…
Balloons return to light up Lincoln sky
Nineteen balloons will return to Lincoln this weekend for the popular two-day Balloons Over 66 Weekend. The balloons will be a welcome sight, especially after…
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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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