COVER STORY
Housing advocates celebrate legislative wins
After months of negotiations in the spring legislative session resulted in no final action on Gov. JB Pritzker’s flagship housing proposal, housing advocates are celebrating a few legislative victories – and holding onto hopes for future negotiations. Bob Palmer, policy director…
LATEST NEWS
Leadership change for Lucky Horseshoes
When their announcement went live on their social media platforms the morning of July 9, it would have been understandable…
Soccer success
Spend any time around Orlando Johnson, and whatever preconceived notions of sympathy one might have had before encountering him will…
Data center details
Sangamon County’s average residential electricity bill has increased by more than 52% in the past five years when comparing seasonal…
Two ways to freeze a neighborhood
Editor’s note: This article is a commentary on the BUILD plan as it existed in May. The plan has not yet…
Women’s baseball league teams named
With opening day about three weeks away at Robin Roberts Stadium, the inaugural Women’s Professional Baseball League named the four…
Mayor, state detail Y block plans
A permanent amphitheater for free Levitt AMP Springfield Music Series concerts and other community events would be built on the…
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News
Pritzker signs landmark AI regulation bill that aims to mitigate risks
Gov. JB Pritzker signed artificial intelligence legislation modeled after similar bills in California and New York on Monday, furthering a…
Former Sangamon County deputy Sean Grayson seeks medical release
Less than six months into his 20-year prison sentence, the former sheriff’s deputy convicted of second-degree murder for the fatal…
Data center moratorium declared invalid
Logan County officials are on track to consider and potentially vote on land-use applications for a $5 billion data center…
Octopolis: An audacious endeavor
“The only distance between dream and reality is action,” proclaims Adena Rivas, founder of the Creative Reuse Marketplace (CRM) in…
opinion
Letters to the editor 7/9/26
We welcome letters. Please include your full name, address and telephone number. We edit all letters. Send them to editor@illinoistimes.com. THANKS FOR PUBLICIZING Thank…
As good as not there
The country roads around Springfield are lined with solar energy collectors in the form of cornfields. Here and there are newer and more efficient…
More budget fallout
About a week after the state budget passed both chambers in the dark of night, Attorney General Kwame Raoul spoke to the City Club…
America at 250
When I was in high school, I would regularly hitchhike home along a seven-mile trek through Florissant, Ferguson and Jennings in north St. Louis…
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Food and drink
A short history of cooking on a stick
Roasting food on a skewer is a universal tradition with cultural significance dating back to the dawn of human culinary…
Magical marinades
A well-made marinade makes all the difference when grilling and can transform an otherwise lackluster meal into a stellar spread.…
Not your average turnip
Growing up in a home with a Teutonic heritage, I was exposed to turnips at a young age and developed…
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Music
July flying by
With summertime in full swing, the livin’ is, as expressed in song, easy. So let’s go have…
July music coming in hot
Welcome to July of 2026 as our national holiday weekend celebrating Independence Day in the U.S. of…
June music jolt
Join me in enjoying a jubilant journey, as we jump into the juke joints to jam and…
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ARTS AND CULTURE
Springfield DAR commemorates Declaration of Independence
Springfield members of the Daughters of the American Revolution gathered near the carillon in Washington Park at 5 p.m. on July 8 read out loud…
Sex Pass takes swipe at Hollywood, Ladies turns workplace dynamic on its head
Sex Pass a Tinseltown parody Like many couples, my wife and I have an understanding. If, on the off chance, the actor Miles Teller, in…
Teens present new musical based on Alice in Wonderland
Step into a world of imagination with this touching musical presented by the Active and Creative Teen Theatre. Set in the chaos of World War…
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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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