COVER STORY
Ancient roots, modern future
The air inside the sanctuary was thick with incense. A priest in embroidered vestments chanted ancient prayers as parishioners stood shoulder to shoulder. Some bowed deeply before painted icons of Jesus of Nazareth and the saints. Others crossed themselves repeatedly as…
LATEST NEWS
Lawmakers seek measure to make small-scale plug-in solar panels available to renters
A bill to make solar power more accessible to renters and others who face barriers to the alternative energy source…
WICS slated to be sold again
Springfield’s main television station, NewsChannel 20 WICS, will soon be under new ownership for the second time in a little…
Social service concerns mount as federal changes take effect
The federal budget’s sweeping changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, including additional work requirements and shifting age bracket qualifications,…
No Kings rally held in Springfield
Peaceful No Kings rallies took place March 28 in cities all over the U.S., including Springfield, to protest policies of…
DSI names executive director, presents annual awards
The Downtown Springfield, Inc. (DSI) board of directors has appointed Jay Shanle as the nonprofit’s new executive director. “I’m incredibly…
New police chief for Leland Grove
The Leland Grove City Council unanimously approved hiring Kenton Oliver as the new Leland Grove chief of police at a…
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NEWSLETTER
News
Illinois Times names CEO
As Illinois Times completes its transition to a nonprofit, Kate McKenzie has been chosen as the organization’s first CEO. McKenzie…
County Board votes to table data center proposal
After almost three hours of constituents mostly deriding the idea of a data center in Sangamon County, the County Board…
Companies could be on the hook for work-related activities before and after shifts start, court rules
Illinois law does not specifically shield companies from having to pay employees for time spent completing required pre- and post-work…
Leland Grove police chief’s license to be suspended
Starting March 23, Leland Grove Police Chief Dan Ryan will not be able to drive a motor vehicle while he’s…
opinion
Voter turnout analysis
The trend in special elections around the country for the past several months has shown spiking Democratic voter turnout and tanking Republican turnout. And…
Letters to the editor
HIGHER STANDARDS Thank you for the in-depth story about Leland Grove Police Chief Dan Ryan’s recent arrest (“Leland Grove police chief granted pretrial release,”…
Editor’s note
This is a milestone to celebrate – hiring our new CEO, naming a new editor and changing to a nonprofit company. It’s good, and…
Explanation for first responder hiring challenges
Thank you to Illinois Times for covering the city of Springfield’s annual budget (“An overview of Springfield’s finances,” March 4). Now that the budget…
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Food and drink
Two cheers for chives
The past week was a tough one for plant lovers. The first half of the month was unseasonably warm, precipitating…
An ancient food preservation method for today
Confit and rillettes are two traditional methods of food preservation. Dating back to ancient civilizations, these methods originated as a…
Irish soda bread
The sweet, raisin-studded soda bread that many of us Americans know and love is about as authentically Irish as corned…
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Music
Music through March
Here we go into the last weekend of March with weather that to say the least –…
March to the music
As we leave behind the recent blast of uninvited, somewhat unexpected and definitely unwanted wintry weather and…
St. Pat’s parties on
As we continue to march along through the times, the time has come to celebrate the Irish…
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ARTS AND CULTURE
United Way of Central Illinois: Showing up for every corner of our community
When people hear “United Way of Central Illinois,” most think of Springfield. That’s fair – but it’s also not all that we are. We are…
Power – A capitalistic cancer
Something about “power,” in whatever form, or source, from which it may come or exist, can cause great things to happen. When God stood out…
Mike saved by veteran cast, Lethal is efficiently executed
Mike in desperate need of wit There’s a good idea rattling around in BenDavid Grabinski’s Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice. Before enduring this…
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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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