Kroger and SSI Services, an Indianapolis-based contractor, agreed to pay the state of Illinois $108,000 over unsafe renovations to the Kroger grocery store in Taylorville, 201 E. Bidwell St., in order to settle a suit filed by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul in 2022. The suit, which was filed in Christian County court, alleged five […]
News
Illinois rideshare drivers rally for unionization bill
Rideshare drivers rallied at the Illinois State Capitol Wednesday to ask legislators to support their effort to unionize. The legislation, which had not been filed as of Wednesday afternoon, would grant rideshare drivers the right to unionize and to collectively bargain with transportation network companies like Uber and Lyft through that union. Rideshare drivers in […]
Roundabout slated for West White Oaks
If you’ve ever tried to make a left-hand turn out of the parking lot of the West White Oaks shopping center that includes Harvest Market, then onto Wabash Avenue, you know the pulse-pounding, head-swiveling moments of trepidation as the turn begins. With often heavy traffic moving in both directions on West White Oaks Avenue and […]
City launches Minority Business Institute
The city of Springfield is launching the Springfield Minority Business Institute, a new multi-week educational initiative that will begin in February. The program is designed to support minority-owned businesses and nonprofit organizations through targeted instruction, access to resources and meaningful networking opportunities. Classes will take place from 6:30-8:30 p.m. on Wednesdays in February and March. […]
Court finalizes HSHS settlement
A $7.6 million court settlement stemming from a data breach that affected almost 869,000 Hospital Sisters Health System patients will result in average payments of $40 to $50 for 80,000 people. That estimate – representing patients who responded by mail to become part of the class-action settlement – came from Nickolas Hagman of the Chicago […]
Court case settled for AZ-T-CA owners
Criminal charges have been dropped against Nicolas Paz, a Springfield restauranter who had been accused of defrauding the state of more than $100,000 in sales tax revenue. But his wife, Amanda Paz, has pleaded guilty to sales tax evasion. According to court records, Amanda Paz has already paid the state the money it was owed […]
Prairie Eye Center files for bankruptcy
Prairie Eye Center Ltd., a Springfield-based eye-care provider that operates centers in several local communities, has filed for bankruptcy reorganization. Prairie Eye listed assets of $5.3 million and liabilities of $10.6 million in its Chapter 11 Bankruptcy, which it filed Dec. 29 in the Central District of Illinois bankruptcy court. The company operates the Prairie […]
New liquor license created for sports park
The Springfield City Council unanimously approved a new liquor license classification Jan. 6 that is designed to allow businesses to sell alcohol at the new SCHEELS Sports Park at Legacy Pointe. The ordinance allows “restaurant licensees to sell alcoholic liquor at retail for consumption on the premises and will also allow the sale of” packaged […]
New manufacturer for Springfield
An international crane manufacturing firm is opening a plant in Springfield that will likely employ more than 100 people on the city’s west side. In addition to the blue-collar jobs assembling cranes, the firm will employ a host of professional positions as it plans to make Springfield its first manufacturing site in the U.S., Dominic […]
Data center opposition
Most of the 250 people who turned out at a public meeting Jan. 5 in Lincoln to hear a Florida-based company’s plans to build a $5 billion data center in rural Logan County clapped, chanted, stood and yelled in opposition. “Who asked for this future for Logan County?” Mount Pulaski resident Sebastian Scassiferro said in […]
Despite mounting budget pressure, graduated income tax remains political longshot
When a progressive Chicago alderperson scolded Gov. JB Pritzker in November over his opposition to Mayor Brandon Johnson’s failed proposal to tax large corporations $21 per employee, Illinois’ billionaire chief executive was quick with a retort defending his progressive bona fides. “What we need is a progressive income tax, a graduated income tax in this […]
Logan County data center plans delayed
A public outcry and inaccurate information on social media about a proposed data center in rural Logan County have prompted officials to delay votes on zoning necessary for the project until at least February. In the meantime, representatives of Miami-based Hut 8 Corp. plan to make a presentation and answer questions about the company’s proposal […]
