A manufacturer with more than 100 workers is closing two of its Springfield facilities and moving operations to Clinton after a dispute with the city over building-code violations. Mike Hoyle has owned Kwik-Wall for 19 years, a company that makes movable partitions for conference and convention facilities. Hoyle used an LLC to purchase the former […]
Scott Reeder
Scott Reeder is a staff writer at Illinois Times.
Posted inArticles
Business owner arrested in murder-for-hire scheme
A man accused of putting out a $10,000 contract to have a Collinsville woman killed may find it difficult to fulfil his own contract with the city of Springfield – to raze 38 dilapidated houses. Sammy J. Shafer Jr. owns S. Shafer Excavating, a company based in Pontoon Beach that does work throughout the Metro […]
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Monster Pawn raids result in multiple charges
A chain of central Illinois pawn shops with two Springfield locations functioned as a criminal enterprise, fencing stolen goods and buying silver bullion to launder the proceeds, the Illinois attorney general alleges. The owners of Monster Pawn and some employees appeared in court Thursday in Sangamon County. Charged were Monster Pawn’s owners, Edwin Pierce, 65, […]
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Olde Towne demolitions on hold
Demolition of several uninhabitable Springfield apartment buildings is on hold despite a local judge giving the green light to raze the structures. The five structures are part of the 23-building Olde Towne apartment complex, located at the corner of Jefferson Street and Bruns Lane. Shortly after a judge ruled in the city’s favor, the financial […]
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Springfield gets a city planner
Sean Pritchard is many things: 35 years old, a father of five, a lifelong northender and, as of this month, the first city planner in Springfield’s 203-year history. His appointment to the post within the city’s Office of Planning and Economic Development, which garners a salary of nearly $90,000, raised eyebrows among some in the […]
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EPA prepares to move to White Oaks Mall
The new Illinois Environmental Protection Agency headquarters is expected to be completed this month – 18 months behind schedule and with a price per square foot more than double that of other new commercial construction projects in Springfield. The $80 million price tag for repurposing the 186,000-square-foot former Sears department store at White Oaks Mall […]
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Viper Mine announces closure
Operations at the Viper Mine in Elkhart are shutting down after the city of Springfield chose a cheaper coal supplier for its electrical power plant. The mine, which at its peak employed about 300 miners, now is down to a skeleton crew responsible for dismantling equipment, Jim Smith, president of Knight Hawk Coal, told Illinois […]
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New look for Town and Country Shopping Center
The Town and Country Shopping Center on MacArthur Boulevard may be on the brink of being transformed into an upscale apartment complex and retail area. The Springfield Planning and Zoning Commission is slated to consider the proposed transformation of the strip mall in the 2300 to 2500 blocks of MacArthur Boulevard on Nov. 20. The […]
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Banking on change
Security Bank of Springfield is seeking approval from the federal government to change its ownership structure so that it is owned by investors rather than by the financial institution’s depositors. A recent bank filing with federal regulators also indicated the financial institution is deeply involved with state-licensed cannabis businesses. Bank president and CEO Stephan Paul […]
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Banking on change
Security Bank of Springfield is seeking approval from the federal government to change its ownership structure so that it is owned by investors rather than by the financial institution’s depositors. A recent bank filing with federal regulators also indicated the financial institution is deeply involved with state-licensed cannabis businesses. Bank president and CEO Stephan Paul […]
Posted inColumns
Big plans for Clear Lake Avenue
A 38-acre lot the city of Springfield owns along Clear Lake Avenue may become a $38-million complex of municipal warehouses and offices. The city is contemplating erecting a $24 million water distribution facility and a $14 million Public Works building in the 2100 block of Clear Lake Avenue. The matter was slated for consideration by […]
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Governor’s Mansion block slated to become a park
The vacant block in downtown Springfield across from the Governor’s Mansion may be on the brink of becoming a city park, Mayor Misty Buscher told Illinois Times recently. “I’m referring to it as the ‘North Mansion Park,’” she said. “We’ve had conversations with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and with landscape architects to create […]