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High school essay winners write from the heart
This I Believe is an annual essay contest for high school seniors sponsored by NPR Illinois. Modeled after the program…
New hospital planned on west side
A freestanding, 60-bed hospital costing $66.3 million and focused on rehabilitation for people after strokes, brain injuries, fractures and a…
Democrats sweep statewide races, expand already-historic supermajorities
Democrats once again cruised to an easy sweep of statewide offices Tuesday night as the party gained ground across the…
Springfield landlord registry referendum passes overwhelmingly
A majority of Springfield voters support the city adopting a landlord registry with nearly 70% voting “yes” for the referendum…
COVER STORY
High school essay winners write from the heart
This I Believe is an annual essay contest for high school seniors sponsored by NPR Illinois. Modeled after the program started by radio journalist Edward R. Murrow in 1951, students are invited to write an essay sharing their own personal beliefs. This is the 21st year for the contest; 226 students within the NPR Illinois…
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News
Republican Paula Crouch elected sheriff
Republican incumbent Paula Crouch defeated Democratic challenger Marc Bell in the race for Sangamon County sheriff in the Nov. 3…
Election results for contested County Board races
Despite a total of 17 seats up for reelection on the Sangamon County Board and increased eyes on county politics,…
A strong showing for Doris Turner
Four years ago, state Sen. Doris Turner barely survived her first election to the Illinois Senate. On Tuesday, Nov. 3,…
Incumbent U.S. Reps. Budzinski, Miller win their reelection bids
Incumbents in the two congressional districts that include parts of Sangamon County – the 13th and the 15th — both…
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Previous Issues
opinion
School’s Out
As our Scott Reeder reported in April, the Sangamon County State’s Attorney’s Office and the state Regional Office of Education are working together on…
Letters to the Editor
GOOD MEMORIES We lived a block over on David Street in the early 1970s and we would walk over to this location for groceries…
Major issues vie for legislature’s attention
A few weeks ago, Gov. JB Pritzker told reporters that negotiators are closer than they’d ever been to a deal with the Chicago Bears…
Small town elections are important
For weeks, candidate ads have dominated television viewing. Text messages and phone calls are nonstop. Yard signs are popping up like my late season…
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Food and drink
Aligot is a favorite in France
Last autumn, my wife, four family members and I had the good fortune of staying in a restored 16th-century farmhouse…
Great Halloween recipes with minimal fuss
Halloween cookery can range from playfully autumnal to murderously macabre. From festive pumpkin crostini to bloodied witches’ fingers and ghoulish…
The secret to tender meat
With soaring grocery prices, I’ve been passing up the expensive, well-marbled T-bone steaks for more affordable proteins. Top-notch ingredients will…
> More Food and Drink
Music
November music-making
Here we are, as promised, back with a Now Playing for the first full weekend of November…
Ricki Marvel to play Hobgoblinspookadelic concert Saturday
This Halloween night, your best rock ‘n’ roll entertainment value might just be the return of NIL8’s…
A spooky start to ISO’s new season
The Illinois Symphony Orchestra will kick off its 2026-2027 season on Halloween eve (Friday, Oct. 30), with…
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ARTS AND CULTURE
My Dad writes a college friend
Dear Oots, It’s about midnight Sunday. My wife has gone East on a music deal. Our capable Norwegian help has left for Norway and my…
IT Pick
THEATER | Drama charts path from grief to love and hope UIS Theatre presents David Lindsay-Abaire’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play about a happy suburban couple, Becca…
High school students present “This I Believe”
NPR Illinois brought together the 2026 This I Believe featured authors Nov. 4 at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, where 10 selected student…
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Best of Springfield®
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Best Of Springfield 2026 Intro
LINK TO ARTICLES 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. This year, more people voted…
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