Construction crews and Illinois State Fair staff are working hard to finish up renovations to the grounds as the countdown to the 2024 fair continues. The Illinois State Fair hosts a plethora of construction projects, including phase two renovations to the Illinois State Fair Coliseum and restoration to the Multi-Purpose Arena. “Spring means construction here […]
Articles
Lakeisha Purchase violated IDOT policy, report says
Lakeisha Purchase took part in phone calls unrelated to her job at the Illinois Department of Transportation for almost half of the time she was supposed to be working during an 18-month period in 2021 and 2022, a state report says. Purchase, 35, the Springfield Ward 5 alderperson since September 2021, quit her job as […]
Developing more housing downtown
Construction of a 136-unit, market-rate apartment complex in downtown Springfield will commence in the fall, the New York company spearheading the almost $29 million project told Mid-Illinois Medical District commissioners on May 23. “We’re really excited about it,” Victor Salerno, chief executive officer of Adirondack Community Development, told commissioners in a Zoom call updating the […]
Airport seeks rezoning to facilitate future development
Residents of the Val-E-Vue subdivision near Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport say they are relieved the airport backed down on a plan to change about 92 acres from residential to industrial zoning. The proposed rezoning for the land, which acts as a buffer between the subdivision to the south and the developed part of the airport, […]
Motivation to move
Some people will soon be paid $5,000 to move to Jacksonville, Illinois. The Jacksonville Regional Economic Development Corporation is offering the bounty as part of its ongoing effort to lure professionals to the community of 17,600 and surrounding Morgan and Scott counties. According to the U.S. Census, during the second decade of this century Jacksonville […]
Illinois legislature makes efforts for the environment
A pair of Senate bills that aim to reduce plastic use in hotels and require waste recycling for event facilities have passed the Illinois legislature and are now awaiting the governor’s signature. Senate Bill 2960, introduced by Sen. Laura Fine, D-Glenview, takes aim at the overwhelming global issue of plastic pollution by prohibiting single-use toiletries […]
Springfield: Not just a stopover, but a stay over
Springfield hotels are coming off of a record-setting year, according to Scott Dahl, director of Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau. He said 2023 hotel revenue was higher than any other year in the past two decades, due to a combination of occupancy performance and higher average daily rates. While the first quarter of 2024 hasn’t […]
High expectations
The small-scale, $8 million marijuana cultivation center expected to open in June on Springfield’s northeast side would be the largest site of its kind in the state, and perhaps the nation, to produce beverages infused with cannabis and hemp oil. So says Christopher Stone, a Springfield-based cannabis entrepreneur and managing partner of CoPack Industries, 3451 […]
U.S. Postal Service delays decision
While delays within the U.S. Postal Service are not usually applauded, one made this month by Postmaster General Louis DeJoy was celebrated in Springfield. The Postal Service has chosen to pause until January moving some functions of Springfield’s packaging and distribution center to St. Louis. This is part of a national endeavor to consolidate processing […]
Lawsuits for Lincoln Tower Apartments
Structural problems have festered for years at Springfield’s tallest apartment building, but court action to fix at least one of the issues at Lincoln Tower Apartments could be coming in the next few months. The situation – including an inadequate number of working elevators and the city-mandated closure of the deteriorating underground parking garage – […]
Best Places to Work to be held May 23
Springfield Business Journal and United Community Bank invite the business community to attend this year’s Best Places to Work reception and awards ceremony on Thursday, May 23. The event will be held from 5:30-7 p.m. at United Community Bank, 1900 W. Iles Ave. There is no cost to attend, thanks to the sponsorship of UCB. […]
Airport seeks rezoning to facilitate future redevelopment
Residents of the Val-E-Vue subdivision near Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport say they are relieved the airport altered a plan to change about 92 acres from residential to industrial zoning. The proposed rezoning for the land, which acts as a buffer between the subdivision to the south and the developed part of the airport, “could potentially […]

