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If you know anything about the Illinois Times, you know it’s been around for a long time. Fifty-one years in September. A half-century of providing in-depth coverage on topics that needed to be reported on. Holding people accountable isn’t always popular but it is needed in any community. There’s no question we need even more…
LATEST NEWS
Becoming a billet
Ask a veteran hockey player about their parents, and they’ll often answer: Which ones? For players that had enough talent…
Nominations open for 64th First Citizen Award
Nominations are open through Oct. 1 for the 64th Springfield Area First Citizen Award, and the recipient will be honored…
A man on a mission in Athens
Who is Sameer Somal, and what has he been doing in Athens? The 43-year-old Pennsylvania resident, entrepreneur and Abraham Lincoln…
Mental Health Board faces forks in the road
Some community members, including the former Massey Commission’s managing director, say the inaugural Sangamon County Mental Health Board has to…
COVER STORY
2026 Fall Guide
The annual Fall Guide issue has info on family friendly activities, fall festivals, upcoming theater shows and an expanded three-month calendar of events.
NEWSLETTER
News
New ambulance for mental health crises
A Springfield Fire Department ambulance that specializes in helping Sangamon County residents during substance-abuse and mental health crises went into…
Legislative Inspector General Michael McCuskey resigns amid criticism
Illinois’ legislature will once again soon find itself without a legislative inspector general. Michael McCuskey will resign that watchdog post…
Lutheran High receives $6 million gift
Springfield Lutheran High School has received a $6 million donation to kick start its capital campaign for a new, permanent…
Hazardous levels of lead found in Taylorville park
The Illinois Department of Public Health has found a baseball field in Manners Park, located in Taylorville, has “high detections…
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Previous Issues
opinion
Letters to the editor 9/10/26
We welcome letters. Please include your full name, address and telephone number. We edit all letters. Send them to editor@illinoistimes.com. NEED A PLAN Nine…
Legislature needs to question its inspector general
In the past week or so, three women have told stories about their dissatisfaction with the way they were treated by the state’s legislative…
Letters to the editor
PERSONAL CONNECTION As was mentioned, no one’s history is pretty (“Our history is not pretty,” Aug. 15). I am proud that Springfield is making…
Groups eye Meta settlement money
Hours after the social media giant Meta agreed last Wednesday to settle a case brought by 47 state attorneys general and implement reforms to…
> More Opinion
> More Rich Miller
Food and drink
Slow cooker apple butter
Subtle hints of fall have begun to appear in spite of this month’s sweltering start. There’s a tinge of gold…
No waste, all taste
As the COVID pandemic began to wind down and restaurants reopened for indoor dining, I was anxious to end my…
Budget dinners
August is undoubtedly our household’s most expensive month of the year, and the busiest. In addition to both of my…
> More Food and Drink
Music
September music rises
With Labor Day behind us, that means only four days of toil for you workers of the…
Labor Day weekend music
It’s here and so are we as the Labor Day holiday comes on Monday preceded by a…
August ending music rambles
As we roll on through the end of August, next weekend brings Labor Day and the unofficial…
> More Music
ARTS AND CULTURE
Intervention
I was at the Ben & Jerry’s ice cream factoryin Vermont. I saw a small boy about to losethe scoop atop his cone; he was…
Rich Solomon receives Trailblazer Award
The Abraham Lincoln Council, Scouting America presented its prestigious Trailblazer Award to Rich Solomon, chair of the board and CEO of Solomon Colors, at a…
Big Ten blood drive competition
If you have Big Ten school ties, you can donate blood while also helping your favorite institution. The Abbott Big Ten Blood Drive competition runs…
> More Arts and Culture
Best of Springfield®
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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.
