News

Imagine a vibrant town center that serves as a hub of cultural and social activity. There’s a beautiful, tree-lined roundabout and plaza in the middle of it all, with a water feature that serves as a splash pad for children on a summer day, and a nice spot to read a book or to catch […]

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced a settlement this week with Menards to resolve a suit Raoul and nine other attorneys general filed claiming the home improvement chain violated consumer fraud laws by deceptively marketing its 11% rebate program as a way for customers to save money when they were really receiving future store credit. […]

Illinois lawmakers vowed to keep fighting for protections against artificial intelligence after President Donald Trump signed an executive order Dec. 11 to shield tech companies from state laws. Trump’s order targets state regulations, including several in Illinois, that he said are inconsistent with national policy on AI. Critics said Illinois will not be swayed by the influence […]

The future of the Town & Country Shopping Center on MacArthur Boulevard is unclear after the aging strip mall failed to sell at auction this month, but the owner of the property says he remains hopeful it will be redeveloped. “I’m always optimistic because as a real estate developer, you have to be optimistic,” David […]

The city of Springfield has hired Suraksha Bhandari as its new professional planner, bringing a blend of international experience, architectural training and research-driven urban planning to city hall.  Bhandari comes to Springfield from Salt Lake City, where she completed a master’s degree in city and metropolitan planning at the University of Utah and worked in […]

Organized labor showed out in force at a public meeting Dec. 3 to support a proposed $500 million data center in southwest Sangamon County, while a smaller yet vocal coalition of critics questioned the project’s long-term impact on the local economy and electric rates. “This project is about more than steel and concrete,” Aaron Gurnsey, […]

The proposed $500 million data center that CyrusOne wants to build in southwestern Sangamon County would generate up to $6 million more each year in property taxes by the early 2030s, an official from the Dallas-based company told Illinois Times. “It would be a real asset to the county,” Bradd Hout, location and power strategy […]

A court hearing is scheduled Dec. 4 to finalize a $7.6 million settlement that would pay people whose personal information was seized by hackers in a targeted cyber attack that temporarily crippled Hospital Sisters Health System in 2023. The nonprofit health system, based in rural Sangamon County near Riverton, discovered the suspicious cyber activity “by […]

It’s unclear whether the Sangamon County Board can, or will, delay a vote for six months or more on zoning, as some residents have requested, for what would be the county’s first data center. But the board has taken a step to broaden discussion on the controversial proposal by scheduling a Dec. 3 public hearing. […]

The Sangamon County Board’s timeline for considering and potentially approving the county’s first data center – a $500 million complex in rural Talkington Township – has been lengthened by at least a month. And County Board Chair Andy Van Meter said additional public meetings, or a website, or both, will be used to increase opportunities […]

Illinois lawmakers are sending a bill to Gov. JB Pritzker that makes a pair of changes to Illinois’ tax code in response to new federal tax provisions that could reduce state revenue. The Governor’s Office of Management and Budget projected last month that Illinois is on track to run a $267 million deficit in fiscal […]

The roof was nearly entirely removed from the former Pillsbury Mills plant while piles of wreckage and broken equipment littered what was once a workplace for hundreds of Springfield residents when Gov. JB Pritzker stopped by the site on Oct. 30. Environmental cleanup efforts have been underway at the 18-acre site for the past several […]