COVER STORY
Prison or treatment?
This story is a collaboration between Illinois Answers and the Chicago bureau of MindSite News. Bloomington native Shayla Woodworth had struggled with mental illness and addiction since she was a teen and spent time in jail in three states. She’d heard of mental health…
LATEST NEWS
Family, friends, supporters honor fallen Illinois police officers
In a ceremony at the state Capitol, family, friends and supporters honored the lives of two law enforcement officers who…
“It didn’t have to end like that”
A federal jury in the Central District of Illinois has awarded $3 million to the family of a man who…
Landowner leans on school districts
Dowson Family Farms, which has four parcels of land under contract to CyrusOne for construction of a $500 million data…
DOJ seeking Illinois voter data to purge suspected noncitizens, documents suggest
The Trump administration’s lawsuits seeking access to sensitive voter registration data in Illinois and dozens of other states is one…
Developer pledges $65 million annually to Logan County
Regardless of whether estimated new property taxes are accurate, Hut 8 Corp. would guarantee Logan County schools and local governments…
Illinois State Board of Education wants to revamp how it counts low-income students
The Illinois State Board of Education is asking lawmakers this year for $200,000 to develop a new way of counting…
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NEWSLETTER
News
Sending the wrong message?
A sharp cough came from the BearCat’s engine as it struggled to start. After another try, the massive bulletproof vehicle…
Chief addresses use-of-force policy
The Springfield Police Department’s chief sees calls for changes in the department’s use-of-force policy as opportunities to educate the public…
ABC loses State Fair contract
Since the first term of Dwight D. Eisenhower’s presidency, one organization – the American Business Club of Springfield – has…
If you build it, they will come
The ghosts of Shoeless Joe Jackson and Ty Cobb did not emerge from a cornfield Tuesday afternoon at Scheels Sports…
opinion
Springfield’s story isn’t decline
The recent article “Tourism is up, but downtown is hurting” (April 23) captures a reality many Springfield residents and business owners feel every day:…
Letters to the editor
NEED TO LOOK FORWARD The folks walking through the doors of Studio on 6th every week would beg to differ (“Tourism is up, but…
Progressives push tax ideas
More than a year ago, the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget was projecting a $3.2 billion deficit for what is now the current…
Letters to the editor 4/30/26
We welcome letters. Please include your full name, address and telephone number. We edit all letters. Send them to editor@illinoistimes.com. ADS AREN’T TRUE There…
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LOCAL JOURNALISM MATTERS: SUPPORT THE ILLINOIS TIMES
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We are dedicated to giving our readers a source of news and opinions on local politics, communities, culture and the arts. We have the Springfield area’s most comprehensive calendar of events – coverage of movies, dining, music, visual arts and the printed word. We offer stories you won’t find anywhere else on topics ranging from city and state government to marijuana to prison reform to education.
Food and drink
Pavlova is a beautiful, tasty dessert
Pavlova is a lofty, show-stopping dessert that’s at once beautiful, easy and economical. Essentially a giant baked meringue with a…
The verdant resurrection
The onset of spring brings with it a shift in what we do in restaurant kitchens. The season marks our…
Classic French toast
Brunch season is upon us! Whether you’re in the mood for laid back and lazy or showstopping and decadent –…
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Music
May music plays
As our month of May heats up (barely) we’re digging into those outdoor gigs (as weather permits)…
ISO gets its kicks in a roadworthy finale
With renovations of Sangamon Auditorium on the University of Illinois Springfield campus nearing completion, the May 1…
Into May music
Join me in saying so long to anxious and unusual April and hello to the very, merry…
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ARTS AND CULTURE
The Sheep Detectives is captivating, Hokum examines guilt
Deft touch, amazing effects makes for captivating Sheep Deftly executed and suffused with a wry sense of humor, Kyle Balda’s The Sheep Detectives is likely…
Fat Ass 5K & Street Party for Charity
FUNDAISERS & GALAS | Wacky annual downtown race returns It’s time for the Fat Ass 5K & Street Party once again! The event begins Friday…
Antiracism and reimagining community
We are long past the denial stage in the face of increasingly open attempts to reassert white racial dominance. In just the past week: Race…
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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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