Local News in Sangamon County
Community news from our local sources
Sangamon County 17 storiesWiden to Greater Springfield, IL
Kidzeum presents first For the Kids Awards
Kidzeum hosted its inaugural For the Kids Awards at a sold-out fundraising dinner at the Inn at 835 on Sept. 10. The event was created to shine a light on people whose commitment, leadership and service are making a meaningful difference in the lives of children and families…
Preparing for the journey
Not to be morbid, but have you thought about death lately? I’ve had plenty of opportunities to do just that recently, having said good-bye to three close Baha’i friends, a nephew and an admired acquaintance since May. That’s quite a tsunami of death, so there was no way for me to…
“Turning grief into good”
University of Illinois Springfield students, faculty and staff assembled food packets Sept. 11 for Midwest Mission Distribution Center to commemorate the National Day of Service and Remembrance. Across the country, groups took part in service projects and marked the 25th…
“Okies,” Angela Davis, hope and humanity
I recently re-read John Steinbeck’s deeply researched classic historical novel The Grapes of Wrath. I was reminded of a phrase often misattributed to another author, Mark Twain: “History may not repeat itself but it often rhymes.” It’s the story of families from across the U.S.…
Downtown YMCA to host Mobile DMV
The Secretary of State Office will be hosting a Mobile DMV and Vehicle Services event at the Downtown YMCA in Springfield, 601 N. Fourth St., from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 18. The following services will be available: • Renewing your driver’s license• REAL ID• State ID…
Illinois inches closer on battery storage, solar goals
For Illinois to meet its ambitious decarbonization goals, the state’s energy grid will need more battery storage to make use of solar and wind power when the sun doesn’t shine and wind doesn’t blow. State regulators took the first major step last month toward bringing new energy…
McCuskey agrees to resign as LIG
You may know that embattled Legislative Inspector General Michael McCuskey has agreed to resign his post by the end of September. But this sorry saga shouldn’t end there. The Legislative Ethics Commission should immediately launch an investigation into why so many women over the…
Barbara Joan Fuhrwerk
Barbara Joan Fuhrwerk, 93, of Springfield, Illinois, died on Sept. 10, 2026. She was born in Buffalo, Illinois, on June 19, 1933, to the late Elizabeth (Costello) and Willard Fuhrwerk. Barb graduated from Sacred Heart Academy, St. Joseph’s College in Indiana, and Loyola…
Free ‘Citizen City Learning Series’ begins Sept. 19
Children will be able to learn what it means to be good citizens and good neighbors in a new program offered by the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum as a prelude to its upcoming “Citizen City” exhibit. The “Citizen City Learning Series” consists of six sessions of…
America Ambulance acquires Dispatch Medical Transport
Springfield-based America Ambulance Service Inc. has acquired Dispatch MedicalTransport Inc., a New Berlin-based provider of non-emergency transport services.Susan Zappa, owner of America Ambulance, said the acquisition will bring together twocompanies whose services align well.…
Judge declines to block Illinois’ ‘medical aid in dying’ law ahead of Sept. 12 start
A federal judge on Thursday declined to block Illinois’ new “medical aid in dying” law from going into effect this weekend, clearing the way for terminally ill adults to legally seek life-ending medication from physicians. The End-of-Life Options for Terminally Ill Patients Act,…
A makeover for the Public Health building
The Sangamon County Board has approved $7.5 million for the first phase of renovations at the Sangamon County Department of Public Health building on South Grand Avenue East. The County Board passed the ordinance unanimously at its Sept. 8 monthly meeting. After the vote,…