Articles

By Colin Patrick Brady On Sept. 23 a group of journalists and other interested parties toured Decatur’s Midwest Inland Port (MIP). The tour, hosted by The Economic Development Corporation of Decatur & Macon County (EDC) was led by current EDC President Larry Altenbaumer. The goal of the tour was to promote current and future economic […]

Connecting through music By Ann Farrar When you enter Music Therapy Connections, you can’t help but feel the cheery energy and enthusiasm for music. Light yellow walls are dotted with signs that proclaim, “Welcome!” “Music is my life,” and “Keep calm and strum on.” Mothers carrying babies and chasing toddlers swarmed into an early childhood […]

by Job Conger On Sept. 17, organizers of The Avenue North Grand Improvement Association held a first public meeting at the relocated offices of Goodenow Insurance at 700 North Grand Ave. E. The purpose was to formally introduce the organization and invite greater participation in a process intended to lead to a formally organized enterprise. […]

By Diane Lyddon Alex Block is one of two very busy architects at the award-winning engineering firm Crawford, Murphy and Tilly (CMT). He’s been with the firm for a little over a year and a half, lured here by the intrigue of the wide variety of projects. For all his hard work and dedication to […]

By Thomas C. Pavlik, Jr. I love exploring new cuisines. That’s not always easy in Springfield, where many menus look the same. Kingsway African & Caribbean Cuisine’s menu is unlike anything I’ve ever seen in Springfield.  And that’s a good thing. It’s hard to explain Kingsway – for example, how can a restaurant that offers […]

By Sara L. Lieber There is an indirect effect of senior care on their adult children.  Longer lives mean longer periods of disability for seniors requiring family care. We have added a new stage to life’s progression, from parenthood to senior caregiving.  Caregiving in the US states the average caregiver is a woman age 49 […]

Springfield Business Journal presents LEGACY AWARDS 2015 To benefit the Historic Preservation Fund, Community Foundation for the Land of Lincoln The Legacy Awards is the most recent annual award program from the Springfield Business Journal. Awards are presented to businesses for longevity and community service along with a lifetime achievement award for Preservation Advocate of […]

By David A. Kelm Let’s get this out of the way: medical cannabis is not the joint you found in your older brother’s car and smoked behind the garage with your buddy Tim. It’s not the real “after prom” party. It’s not your “youthful indiscretion” in Panama City during senior year spring break. It’s neither […]

By Roberta Codemo According to the recent 2015 Sangamon County Citizens Survey, bus ridership in Sangamon County is low. Only five percent of the 576 respondents surveyed report using the Springfield Mass Transit District at least once or twice a week while 85 percent report “never” using the system. A small percentage of respondents report […]

By Colin Patrick Brady A mutual benefit arises when a company offers its employees access to affordable health care in the form of insurance. Preventative measures and medical intervention can mean fewer lost work days and greater productivity from a workforce. Lately local businesses have taken to fostering the well-being of their workers a step […]

By Roberta Codemo A family business is defined as a business where one or more family members have significant ownership interest and commitment to the overall well-being of the business. Bruce Sommer at the University of Illinois Springfield Center for Entrepreneurship and Family Businesses estimates that about 4,000 Sangamon County businesses could be categorized as […]

Southtown Construction Training Program lays a foundation for further success By Gabe House Calvin Pitts clearly remembers losing his nephew nearly 20 years ago. The young man, nicknamed Bone, was killed in 1997 during a drug deal when he was just 22 years old. Pitts said it was a dark time for him personally, but […]