COVER STORY
A desert for mental health care
Long waitlists to obtain mental health care may shorten if supporters of a mental health board are successful during the March 17 primary election. A wide range of community leaders, along with every hospital and health care organization in Sangamon County,…
LATEST NEWS
New owner and plans for Town & Country Shopping Center
Town & Country Shopping Center has a new owner, who says he plans to make about $5 million in renovations…
The end of an era
For 116 years, St. Patrick Catholic School has been an educational cornerstone on Springfield’s east side – a small school…
Primaries for contested County Board seats
There are two contested races for the Sangamon County Board in the March 17 primary election, one each on the…
A heated race for Sangamon County sheriff
A retired Sangamon County deputy challenging incumbent Paula Crouch to become the Republican candidate in this year’s race for sheriff…
Illinois mayors call on Pritzker to rethink flat local government funding
Local government leaders in Illinois are once again calling on state lawmakers to increase funding for their communities after Gov.…
Urban League has ambitious development plans
“At a time when it’s easy to take a step back, the Urban League is stepping up.” Those were the…
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NEWSLETTER
News
Data center project moves forward
Opponents of a proposed $500 million data center in southwestern Sangamon County went away disappointed and angry but unbowed, while…
An overview of Springfield’s finances
Several of Springfield’s city council members voiced concern that the city’s rate of spending could lead to future shortfalls, but…
Back in business
When Illinois Times last wrote about environmental engineer Michael Keebler in August 2015, his situation was grim. The U.S. government…
Pritzker denies traveling on Epstein’s plane after Bill Clinton’s since-recanted testimony
Gov. JB Pritzker denied a since-recanted comment by former President Bill Clinton that Clinton thought the pair may have traveled…
opinion
Editor’s Note
Mandy Eaton, the president and CEO of Memorial Health, said Wednesday, March 11, the hospital system is working to increase access to outpatient mental…
Letters to the Editor
MY HEART IS DOWNTOWN I’m encouraged to see the hearts downtown. Let’s keep that spirit alive by generating local economic growth versus economic growth…
Hallucinatory campaigns
Unless you’ve been under a rock, you likely know that former President Bill Clinton seemed to say that he flew on Jeffrey Epstein’s private…
Editor’s note 3/5/26
“Yes, we may be speaking to the choir,” said Dr. Kelly Hurst, a leader of the Massey Commission, to the March 2 quarterly meeting…
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Food and drink
Irish soda bread
The sweet, raisin-studded soda bread that many of us Americans know and love is about as authentically Irish as corned…
How to make exceptional chicken stock
Freezers shouldn’t be packed more than 75-80% full to allow optimal airflow. Mine’s about 95-98% full, mostly with one-cup containers…
Crisp, flaky phyllo creations
Phyllo dough is one of those incredible back-pocket ingredients that’s smart to keep stashed in the freezer, right along with…
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Music
St. Pat’s parties on
As we continue to march along through the times, the time has come to celebrate the Irish…
ISO concert evokes the beauty of life and beyond
Illinois Symphony Orchestra’s “Vision and Vitality” concert on March 6 was a feast for the ears, as…
March music is on
Here we go taking a stroll through the first full weekend of March, with a whole bunch…
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ARTS AND CULTURE
St. Patrick’s Day Parade
St. Patrick’s Day Parade | Sat., March 14, noon | Downtown Springfield | stpatsdayparade.com HOLIDAY HAPPENINGS | Conns to lead 42nd annual parade This weekend,…
Chicken S— Bingo
At a country crossroads pub far far from our fair city the long bar was marked with a pattern of grids. Patrons bet on squares.…
Slanted a pointed social satire, message of Hoppers is off the mark
Slanted provides a level-eyed look at race Hobbled by a modest budget, Amy Wang still manages to effectively deliver a pointed social satire with Slanted,…
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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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