Local News in Sangamon County
Community news from our local sources
Sangamon County 71 storiesWiden to Greater Springfield, IL
The most well-staffed data center in Illinois?
If all ‘projections’ go according to plan, Sangamon County could have the most well-staffed hyperscale data center in the state. The CyrusOne data center slated for Talkington Township in southwest Sangamon County is expected to have four main buildings that convert 1.8 million…
Springfield airport receives $11M in federal funding
The Springfield Airport Authority received more than $11 million dollars in federal funding to improve one of two crosswind runways that intersect with their own primary runway at Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport. Mark Hanna, executive director of the Springfield Airport…
We the people should see this production
Attending a tech rehearsal of the compelling play, What the Constitution Means To Me by Heidi Schreck, I, and a handful of other invited guests entered the penumbra of a dimmed theater space, in the midst of final tech week adjustments, and emerged profoundly impacted. I didn’t…
Mary Lincoln biographer to headline Conference on Illinois History
A complicated first lady, enslaved people starting new lives, women fighting for fair housing, even actors performing on horseback – all those stories and more will be told Oct. 1 and 2 at the Conference on Illinois History, presented by the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library…
Springfield’s ISO Class 1 win and community legacy
The Springfield City Council packed a lot into a few minutes that matter for everyone living here. First up: a big win for public safety. The Springfield Fire Department just confirmed it kept its ISO Class 1 rating after a year-long review — a distinction only about 1% of…
Ethics commission names acting inspector general
The Legislative Ethics Commission has appointed David Risley acting legislative inspector general effective the day following the Sept. 30 resignation of his predecessor. Risley is a former federal prosecutor who briefly served as Gov. Bruce Rauner’s director of public safety…
“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…
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…
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…