LATEST NEWS
Mental Health Board prepares for busy winter
The Sangamon County Mental Health Board met for the sixth time in an official capacity Oct. 28, setting dates for…
Work underway at Town & Country Shopping Center
Site improvements are ongoing at Town & Country Shopping Center after a Missouri man bought the 65-year-old strip mall this…
“Trying to bring things together”
The Sangamon County Mental Health Board made progress at its first public engagement session by beginning to hash out priorities…
Mobilizing through the Black church
Union Baptist Church hosted its 155th anniversary in unison with a Get Out the Vote Rally on Sunday, Oct. 25.…
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Best Of Springfield 2026 Intro
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 for their favorite…
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News
Illinois Times receives grant from American Journalism Project
Illinois Times is the recipient of a $500,000 grant from a national venture philanthropy organization dedicated to improving local news.…
Additional candidates join city council race
Monday was the last day to file candidate petitions to appear on the ballot for the April 6 municipal elections,…
Bill McCarty joins Springfield mayoral race
William McCarty filed his candidate petitions Monday to join the Springfield mayoral race, the last day of the municipal filing…
LLCC Police Department swears in newest “pawfficer”
The Lincoln Land Community College Police Department officially welcomed its newest “pawfficer” as Everest, the college’s outreach and therapy dog,…
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Previous Issues
opinion
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…
Observations of an immigrant court observer
I consider Chicago my hometown. My entire family was raised on Chicago’s south side and I grew up in a southeast suburb called Dolton,…
Letters to the editor 10/22/26
We welcome letters. Please include your full name, address and telephone number. We edit all letters. Send them to editor@illinoistimes.com. SUPPORT SECOND AMENDMENT She…
Ethics laws and good advice
The Legislative Ethics Commission Chair said last week that the LEC will meet soon and discuss whether to recommend changes to state ethics laws…
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Food and drink
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…
How to make homemade caramel
Making scratch-made caramel can be daunting. Between the intimidating prospect of boiling sugar and the risk of it seizing up…
> More Food and Drink
Music
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…
Falling into October music
As we fly on through October like autumn leaves in a fall breeze, the festivals are finished,…
Mid-October music making
As we move away from a warm October and head into more seasonal weather, some cool events…
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ARTS AND CULTURE
Dance to the “graveyard smash”
This Friday night, get in that costume and make this a Halloween to remember. All ages are welcome at this event presented by the Springfield…
Illinois State Museum to share Mother Road stories for 100th anniversary
The Illinois State Museum will be featured in this month’s virtual Centennial Speaker Series session, “Route 66 at 100 – An American Story,” at 1…
Pickpocket is an engaging cautionary tale, Clayface better than expected
Turturro shines in engaging, poignant Pickpocket Harry is a creature of habit. Prowling the streets of New York City, constantly on the lookout for an…
> More Arts and Culture
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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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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.
