A recently approved 60-day moratorium on accepting applications for data centers will help Logan County Board members become better informed and thoroughly review any proposals in the future, a board member told Illinois Times. “We could use some more time. This is new,” said board member Michael DeRoss, a Lincoln resident. “There are people on […]
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“Business as usual” at BUNN, for now
When BUNN, in business in Springfield since 1840, announced on March 11 that it had been sold to food service conglomerate Ali Group, the new owner said in its own press release that it would be “business as usual” for its latest acquisition. For BUNN’s roughly 850 Springfield employees, hearing such words was no doubt […]
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BUNN bought by Chicago-based conglomerate
Sangamon County’s largest manufacturer was sold today to an out-of-town conglomerate, marking the end of five generations of control by the Bunn family. Bunn is now in the hands of the Ali Group, a Chicago-based foodservice international company that “designs, manufactures, markets and services a broad line of commercial and institutional foodservice equipment used by […]
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New owner and plans for Town & Country Shopping Center
Town & Country Shopping Center has a new owner, who says he plans to make about $5 million in renovations at the site on South MacArthur Boulevard and begin the work in the next 30 days. “I think it has a lot of potential,” Trent Overhue of Springfield, Missouri, told Illinois Times on March 9. […]
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Data center project moves forward
Opponents of a proposed $500 million data center in southwestern Sangamon County went away disappointed and angry but unbowed, while officials from a Dallas-based company left smiling, after a pair of nonbinding votes by county officials Feb. 19. “This is a long-term catalyst for the labor and construction industry,” Bradd Hout, location and power strategy […]
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Med District could expand
Lawmakers could consider expanding the overall region, and special district powers, of the Mid-Illinois Medical District due to a new bill filed by state Sen. Doris Turner, D-Springfield, last month. Senate Bill 2829 proposes adjustments to the existing Mid-Illinois Medical District Act by essentially doubling the size of the district’s region, extending the southern boundary […]
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Lawmakers seek to regulate new data centers’ power, water usage
Amid concerns about data centers’ impact on prices, electricity supplies and the environment, two Illinois lawmakers have introduced a bill to regulate new projects in Illinois. The bill, called the POWER Act, establishes comprehensive environmental, water and energy regulations for “hyperscale” data centers. State Sen. Ram Villivalam is sponsoring the bill in the Senate, and […]
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New apprenticeship program to launch
The Springfield Project is gearing up to launch a new apprenticeship program after being awarded state grant funding. The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity selected The Springfield Project as one of 39 programs across the state to receive funding as part of an expansion of the Illinois Works Pre-Apprenticeship Program. The Springfield Project will […]
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New craft grow operation in the works
Justin Conder is only 40 years old with a sturdy build and firm handshake, but gray already specks his otherwise brown hair. It’s quite possible a frustrating, eight-year odyssey to obtain a state craft-grow cannabis license has something to do with that. “I ask myself that sometimes,” Conder says with a weary laugh when asked […]
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State looks to expand manufacturing training at community colleges
As the U.S. sheds manufacturing jobs, Illinois is accepting applications for $24 million in grant funding to establish training facilities at community colleges aimed at bolstering the state’s manufacturing labor pool. The funding is for six “manufacturing training academies” at downstate community colleges that will add to two existing academies that opened in 2024. The […]
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Both data center plans move forward
Plans for a $500 million data center to be built by Dallas-based CyrusOne in rural southwest Sangamon County could receive final zoning votes from county officials later this month and in March. A public hearing on CyrusOne’s plan to build a 636-megawatt data center complex covering 1.4 million square feet on 230 acres of farm […]
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UIS research highlights stakes for Illinois farmers amid changing hemp regulations
In November 2025, President Trump signed legislation to fund and reopen the federal government, ending the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. While many celebrated, Illinois hemp farmers were stunned. Buried in the legislation was a provision that fundamentally altered the federal definition of hemp, potentially making many hemp farming activities and products illegal once […]