COVER STORY
Tourism is up, but downtown is hurting
From his view on East Adams Street, Prairie Archives owner Robb Paul has witnessed firsthand how downtown Springfield has evolved. His secondhand bookstore at 522 E. Adams St. has been in the same spot since 1992, straight across from the Old…
LATEST NEWS
EMT takes plea deal
A plea deal in the death of Earl L. Moore Jr. is drawing mixed reactions from family members and civil…
Healthcare leaders convene at Citizens Club
The Citizens Club of Springfield hosted Springfield’s healthcare leaders April 24 to discuss the industry’s future in the capital city…
Strategy, not charity
“Why Foreign Assistance Matters” was the topic of the April 14 World Affairs Council of Central Illinois program at Illini…
Tackling chronic absenteeism
A new joint initiative between the Sangamon County State’s Attorney’s Office and the Regional Office of Education is taking a…
Logan County to consider data center regulations
Logan County officials could take action in May to change local zoning requirements to both accommodate developers of large-scale data…
Faculty at UIS reach tentative agreement to end strike
Faculty at the University of Illinois Springfield ended a more than two-week strike on Monday after reaching an agreement with…
Trending
NEWSLETTER
News
New leadership for Sangamon County Democrats
A Chatham resident and union activist will head the Sangamon County Democratic Party for the next two years, succeeding longtime…
Sangamon Auditorium to reopen in October with major upgrades
After more than a year without performances, there’s finally a date to circle on the calendar: Sangamon Auditorium is set…
‘Credit card chaos’? Financial institutions bet big on repeal of first-of-its-kind Illinois law
“Credit cards may not work for sales tax or tips starting July 1.” By now, you’ve heard that claim, but…
A welcoming place
By 2024, Greg Kanter had been out as a gay, ordained rabbi for nearly three decades, a pioneer of sorts,…
opinion
Bears stadium bill advances
“We’re almost there” on a Bears stadium bill, Rep. Kam Buckner (D-Chicago) told some sports radio hosts on a Friday morning before the House…
Invest in residents first
Downtown Springfield is the heart of our city, but more importantly, it is a neighborhood. It belongs first to the people who live here,…
A case for data center growth
This month’s CyrusOne zoning petition vote was not partisan, and the Democrats on the Sangamon County Board split evenly on this vote. The Board…
Letters to the editor
GOOD PLAY, BAD JOKE I saw the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee musical put on at the Hoogland Center for the Arts. I…
> More Opinion
> More Rich Miller
LOCAL JOURNALISM MATTERS: SUPPORT THE ILLINOIS TIMES
Invest in Local Journalism: Help Illinois Times Sustain Community-Focused Reporting
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
Classic French toast
Brunch season is upon us! Whether you’re in the mood for laid back and lazy or showstopping and decadent –…
Ooey gooey goodness
Now in my third year at Champaign’s Prairie Fruits Farm and Creamery, I stay busy working at Caprae, our farm-to-table…
Strawberry season
Many may be surprised to learn that strawberries are not technically a fruit or even a berry. Botanically, strawberries are…
> More Food and Drink
Music
April ending music
As we wind up our last weekend in April for live music adventures, the weather looks good…
Get Free Music Series: The art of the squirrel call
Now beginning its third year, the Get Free Music Series is a local showcase for free jazz…
Music blooms in April
With this warmer than usual weather, we’re seeing early bloomers of outdoor shows ever so slightly. It…
> More Music
ARTS AND CULTURE
The Baha’i festival of Ridvan
The Baha’i Festival of Ridvan (pronounced Rez-vahn) is the holiest season of the Baha’i year. Beginning at sunset on April 20 and ending at sunset…
Dana-Thomas House Foundation to demolish adjacent property
When Susan Lawrence and family moved to the neighborhood, it looked a lot different than it does now. The three houses across the street from…
Body lasts too long, Mummy far more than a monster movie
Body becomes a bit ripe On Monday, April 20, an op-ed appeared in the New York Times with the headline “Movies are Bullying Us with…
> More Arts and Culture
Best of Springfield®
Related
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…
Keep reading
