COVER STORY
Celebrate America
Between this week’s Fourth of July holiday and the America 250 activities taking place throughout the year, there are many ways to celebrate. This special issue looks back at historical observances of the Fourth of July and highlights ways to spend…
LATEST NEWS
Octopolis: An audacious endeavor
“The only distance between dream and reality is action,” proclaims Adena Rivas, founder of the Creative Reuse Marketplace (CRM) in…
Sangamon County seeks more local control
The Sangamon County Zoning and Land Use Committee discussed ways to regain more local control over renewable energy projects, such…
LifeStar Ambulance seeks to drop lawsuit against Memorial
LifeStar Ambulance Service. Inc. has temporarily dropped its lawsuit against Springfield Memorial Hospital to gather proof of what LifeStar considers…
New Mental Health Board meets
Sangamon County’s recently convened Mental Health Board agreed on a job listing for an executive director position and started discussions…
Illinois is experiencing more tornadoes — but receiving less federal disaster aid
Illinois has seen a record number of tornadoes just six months into the year after a series of spring and…
Future data center tax breaks on hold
Despite the governor mentioning a pause on data center tax breaks at his budget address in February and a massive…
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NEWSLETTER
News
Man fights city hall
He lives in an 18-square-foot home on a corner lot at 17th and Carpenter streets. He built the “pod” himself,…
Divided over data centers
“The U.S. is now spending more on data center construction than public transportation infrastructure,” Bloomberg reported earlier this month. The…
Crowd reacts to Christian County data center plan
Facing strong opposition to a proposed $6 billion data center near Taylorville, a founder of Eagle Rock Partners told the…
EMT charged with murder sentenced
A former emergency medical technician accused in potentially the nation’s first murder case against a first responder received the lightest…
opinion
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…
Letters to the editor
THANKS FOR SAVING IT Ken Page and the Prince Hall Masons Lodge are to be commended for saving the former Black Firehouse (“Battling the…
The AFL-CIO and endorsements
The news earlier this month that the Illinois AFL-CIO has “deferred” all decisions on legislative and statewide endorsements in the upcoming fall election generated…
Letters to the editor 6/25/26
We welcome letters. Please include your full name, address and telephone number. We edit all letters. Send them to editor@illinoistimes.com. GREAT ASSET Congratulations, Christian…
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Food and drink
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…
Chilled soups
When the temperatures soar and even the weeds are wilting, chilled soups manage to exude effortless elegance despite their dead-simple…
> More Food and Drink
Music
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…
Joys of June music
Bring on the sunscreen and insect repellant, stay hydrated and say when, here comes some live music…
> More Music
ARTS AND CULTURE
Washington is unexpectedly compelling, Enola Holmes 3 predictable
No lie! Young Washington a solid biopic On the 250th anniversary of the United States, the Revolutionary War is having a moment. From Ken Burns’…
More than a book about a baseball game
The First All-Star Game: Babe Ruth, FDR and America at the Crossroadsby Randall Sullivan (Grove Atlantic Books, 2026). Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game will be held July 14at Citizens Bank…
Capital City Comix present Friday Night Live
COMEDY | New local comedy venture begins Get ready, Springfield. For three Friday nights this month, the comedians of Capital City Comix will take over…
> 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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