Sangamon County Board members voted 17-10 to approve a $500 million data center project on April 7, just weeks after the board tabled the proposal following hours of constituents’ complaints. Once again, the meeting was moved to the BOS center with hundreds of residents turning out, many holding signs or speaking in opposition to the […]
Dilpreet Raju
Dilpreet Raju is a staff writer for Illinois Times and a Report for America corps member. He has a bachelor's degree in biochemistry from American University, a master's degree from Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University and was previously a reporting fellow at Capitol News Illinois.
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County Board could approve data center 15 days after tabling propsal
Pushback from citizens and threats of voting out board members might not prevent the Sangamon County Board from approving a $500 million data center that supporters argue would bring in construction jobs and substantial property tax revenue. The County Board will again have an opportunity to vote on the proposal April 7. It would first […]
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A battle for control
At the March 31 Springfield City Council meeting, several members expressed discontent with what they feel is a lack of sufficient city representation for a potential new government authority that would be responsible for managing the construction of a new downtown hotel and expanding the BOS Center. Earlier that day, a bipartisan group of elected […]
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Sangamon County Board still considering data center proposal
One day after the Sangamon County Board voted March 23 to table a data center proposal, the city of Aurora, about 175 miles northeast of Springfield, enacted some of the nation’s tightest restrictions on future data center developments after years of citizen complaints. The next Sangamon County Board meeting will be held at 6 p.m. […]
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A collaborative effort for downtown
City, county and state elected officials are offering bipartisan support for a bill in the Statehouse that would help facilitate an expansion of the BOS Center in downtown Springfield, along with construction of a new hotel. The bill would also create a new governing board to promote business development and tourism in Springfield and Sangamon […]
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County Board votes to table data center proposal
After almost three hours of constituents mostly deriding the idea of a data center in Sangamon County, the County Board voted 15 to 13 to table the CyrusOne project that would occupy more than 280 acres of farmland. More than 700 residents of Sangamon County, and other counties, attended the Sangamon County Board meeting on […]
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Med District could expand
Lawmakers could consider expanding the overall region, and special district powers, of the Mid-Illinois Medical District due to a new bill filed by state Sen. Doris Turner, D-Springfield, last month. Senate Bill 2829 proposes adjustments to the existing Mid-Illinois Medical District Act by essentially doubling the size of the district’s region, extending the southern boundary […]
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AG reaches settlement for Taylorville Kroger asbestos
Kroger and SSI Services, an Indianapolis-based contractor, agreed to pay the state of Illinois $108,000 over unsafe renovations to the Kroger grocery store in Taylorville, 201 E. Bidwell St., in order to settle a suit filed by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul in 2022. The suit, which was filed in Christian County court, alleged five […]
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New liquor license created for sports park
The Springfield City Council unanimously approved a new liquor license classification Jan. 6 that is designed to allow businesses to sell alcohol at the new SCHEELS Sports Park at Legacy Pointe. The ordinance allows “restaurant licensees to sell alcoholic liquor at retail for consumption on the premises and will also allow the sale of” packaged […]
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Saving big money (eventually) at Menards
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced a settlement this week with Menards to resolve a suit Raoul and nine other attorneys general filed claiming the home improvement chain violated consumer fraud laws by deceptively marketing its 11% rebate program as a way for customers to save money when they were really receiving future store credit. […]
Posted inComings & Goings
Bloom Wine Bar & Florals awarded state infrastructure grant
The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity has awarded Bloom Wine Bar & Florals an infrastructure grant of $245,000, which the owners plan to use to expand the business. The downtown Springfield wine bar was the only Sangamon County business to receive a grant. Bloom Wine Bar opened in November 2023 at 2 S. […]
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Governor visits Pillsbury site
The roof was nearly entirely removed from the former Pillsbury Mills plant while piles of wreckage and broken equipment littered what was once a workplace for hundreds of Springfield residents when Gov. JB Pritzker stopped by the site on Oct. 30. Environmental cleanup efforts have been underway at the 18-acre site for the past several […]