Robert Fair is a Decatur native who holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in political science from University of Illinois Springfield. He originally envisioned having a career in government and worked on Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign and for the Illinois Senate Democratic Caucus before joining Habitat for Humanity – Sangamon County in 2023 as the community […]
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Pioneers of the UIS Prairie
About 100 people who helped to transform University of Illinois Springfield into a four-year university held their first reunion Feb. 24, at a breakfast on the campus. That visible display of support for UIS was a testimony to the impact felt by those first freshmen classes starting in the fall 2001, with many of them […]
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Vying to fill vacancies
A teacher shortage and a waning interest in teaching as a profession are both being addressed locally by two major grants. The Teacher Vacancy Grant pilot program provides resources to attract, hire, support and retain teachers in the state’s most understaffed districts, and the Grow Your Own grant awarded to University of Illinois Springfield’s School […]
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Building “an ecosystem of solutions” on the east side
A year from now, Dominic Watson expects to open a shared kitchen and culinary incubator for dozens of emerging minority-owned businesses in a 30,000-square-foot building at 11th Street and South Grand Avenue East. A year or two after that, his plans call for the former South Town Theater building – on the same block on […]
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Green Hyundai to hold grand opening for new dealership
The public is invited to the grand opening celebration of the new Green Hyundai dealership at 601 W. Stanford Ave. on Friday, March 22, from 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m. Green Family Stores opened the doors of its new 30,000-square-foot Hyundai dealership Nov. 1. The Stanford Avenue location is one of five prototypes nationwide to roll out the […]
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USPS announces plans to redirect Springfield mail to St. Louis
In a significant development impacting Springfield and neighboring communities, the United States Postal Service has announced a network consolidation plan that will have far-reaching effects. As part of this plan, 58 Processing and Distribution Centers in smaller communities are slated to be converted to Local Mail Processing Centers. There is a proposed decision to redirect […]
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Springfield man charged with operating six “houses of prostitution”
A Springfield man owned or rented six “houses of prostitution” in Springfield in which Asian women – some traveling from other countries – provided sexual services in exchange for free food, lodging and incomes of up to $30,000 per month. Those were some of the allegations aimed at Gregory L. Fraase, 60, in legal documents […]
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Revitalizing Route 66
Tourism attractions that commemorate Springfield’s links to Historic Route 66 and Black history, as well as a mix of new residential sites, all accessible by improved sidewalks and some areas closed off to traffic, are part of a master plan for a three-mile section of Ninth Street and Peoria Road. “This provides a structure and […]
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Gabatoni’s listed for sale
An iconic Springfield restaurant is for sale, but the owner says she has no plans to close before a new owner takes over. Gabatoni’s was founded by Johnny and Rosemary Lynn in 1951 and originally operated out of a building at Third and Washington streets. In 1959, the family-owned business moved to its current location […]
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Register by March 8 for the Urban Tech & Construction Jobs Program
The Springfield Urban League has announced the launch of the Urban Tech & Construction Jobs Program (UTCJP), an initiative designed to introduce underrepresented populations and at-risk individuals to the burgeoning drone industry and the construction sector. This program will empower communities by providing them with valuable skills and opportunities in these rapidly growing fields. UTCJP […]
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FBI targets area Asian massage parlors
A 60-year-old Springfield man faces one or more federal felony charges resulting from an FBI investigation of Asian massage parlors and related allegations of human trafficking, prostitution and schemes to gain citizenship benefits for immigrants through sham marriages to Americans. Gregory L. Fraase was arraigned March 6 in Springfield’s U.S. District Court after a federal […]
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The mystery and romance of the rice cooker
The late Roger Ebert was an unlikely enthusiast of the electric rice cooker. A Pulitzer Prize-winning film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times (and Urbana native), Ebert had a true passion for food and cooking. My wife’s cousin, Carolyn, who knew Ebert well, shares fond memories of how he loved going to restaurants with a big group […]