The minimum wage in Illinois has increased to $15 an hour as of Jan. 1, completing a six-year transition period since the increase was approved in 2019. Illinois workers making minimum wage will see wages rise by $1 and tipped workers will see their paychecks bump to $9 an hour. Youth workers under 18 who […]
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Q&A with Molly Berns
Molly Berns is a Sangamon County native who is retiring this month as executive director of the Springfield-Sangamon County Regional Planning Commission. She joined the SSCRPC in 2008 as the senior planner for land use and was promoted to her current position in 2018. Berns has a bachelor’s degree in communications and a master’s degree […]
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Best Places to Work alumni spotlight: Resource One
Resource One, 321 E. Adams St., is a full-service contract office furniture dealership established in 1987 by Cindy Davis. She serves as president of the company while her son, Chris Davis, is vice president of operations and her daughter, Lauren Nevius, is vice president of sales. The business was recognized as one of Springfield Business […]
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Renovations continue at Illinois Capitol
A massive $300 million construction project is underway at the state Capitol. The entire north wing, including the Senate chamber, is being renovated. A beautiful new feature of the Senate chamber is an 18-foot square stained-glass ceiling with skylight, consisting of 105 individual panels and 6,566 pieces of glass. During construction the Senate met in […]
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50 years of Massie Massie & Associates
Kent and Sue Massie found a surprise when they designed and oversaw the renovation of the Lincoln Park lagoon in Springfield. “We needed to excavate the ponds because they were filled with silt, and we discovered old bicycles and park light fixtures at the bottom of the lagoon,” Sue said. “The old light fixtures had […]
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Nearly 300 new Illinois laws take effect in 2025
Time to study up, Illinois. When the clock hits midnight on New Year’s Day, 293 new state laws will take effect. Those include some of the defining bills of the 2024 legislative session and others that will change how people get IDs, evaluate job postings and even cancel gym memberships. In addition to the laws […]
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UIS Performing Arts Center to close temporarily
Sangamon Auditorium and the UIS Studio Theatre, housed within University of Illinois Springfield’s Public Affairs Center building, will temporarily close starting in June 2025 for an extensive, state-funded, 15-month plumbing improvement project that will address ongoing issues with the facility’s 50-year-old infrastructure. Plans call for the auditorium and theater to reopen following the completion of […]
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217 Comfort Food Week takes place Dec. 9-15
217 Comfort Food Week takes place from Dec. 9-15, featuring homemade classics such as chicken and noodles, shepherd’s pie, country fried steak, southern chicken and dumplings and more. Or for something a little more adventurous, try shrimp n’ grits with blackened shrimp tossed in a Cajun cream sauce and served over white cheddar grits, or […]
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Nominate your company for Best Places to Work
Here is your opportunity to let everyone know you work for an outstanding company. United Community Bank and Springfield Business Journal are helping to identify the best places to work in central Illinois. Visit https://www.springfieldbusinessjournal.com/category/best_places_to_work-15030611 to make a nomination and view a list of previous selectees. The deadline is Friday, Jan. 11. The company must […]
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Asking the public for help
Several local small businesses, faced with plummeting sales entering this holiday season due to unforeseen circumstances, have turned to a new method of keeping the doors open – pleas for help from the public. A growing number of small business owners have recently posted heartfelt pleas on social media about not being able to pay […]
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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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State watchdog uncovers at least $7.2M in PPP fraud by state employees
A state watchdog has identified at least $7.2 million in fraudulent claims and more than 275 instances of misconduct by state employees accused of bilking a federal program designed to help businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since 2022, the Office of the Executive Inspector General has been investigating allegations that state employees fraudulently claimed Paycheck Protection […]